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At least 55 of America's largest corporations paid no federal corporate income taxes in 2020, relying on the tax breaks preserved or expanded by the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act as well as the 2020 CARES Act tax breaks. (Adobe Stock)

ME legislation aims to uncover corporate tax avoidance

Maine lawmakers are considering legislation to require corporations to reveal the amount of state income taxes they pay. Supporters of the bill say …

Maine's four-year climate plan aims to decrease the state's greenhouse gas emissions by 45% by 2030 and 80% by 2050, and achieve carbon neutrality by 2045. (Adobe Stock)

ME towns share plans, resources to build climate resilience

Community groups across Maine are helping small towns with fewer resources better prepare for the growing threat of climate change. They are …

Maine labor law allows tipped employees to be paid a lower cash wage than the standard minimum wage by their employers, as up to $5.50 in tips earned per hour can be deducted from their wage as a

ME Lawmakers Aim to Raise Minimum Wage to $24 by 2033

Maine lawmakers are considering legislation to raise the state's minimum wage to $24 an hour by 2033. The current minimum wage of $13.80 would jump …

In addition to an aging population, 11% of Mainers have serious mobility impairments requiring targeted and inclusive long-term planning to ensure accessibility to public spaces across the state. (Adobe Stock)

Livable, Healthy Communities: Goal of AARP Planning Event

AARP Maine will sponsor an online workshop this week on long-range planning for health equity, with a focus on housing, community services and safe …

An average hotel room costs municipalities roughly $240 per night for one family and with families often scattered at various locations, social services can be difficult to administer. Transitional housing units would alleviate both costs and service gaps. (Adobe Stock)

More Transitional Housing Needed for Increased Asylum Seekers in Maine

The growing number of asylum-seekers in Maine has spurred cities and towns to join forces and build more transitional housing for families in need…

The Maine Office of Tourism says the state experienced a 29 percent increase in tourism-related visitation in 2021 over 2020, with an estimated 15.6 million visitors. (Adobe Stock)

Revamped 'NewEngland511' Aims to Reduce Congestion, Pollution

Visitors and residents of Maine count on the New England 511 website for real-time road and weather conditions, and a recent makeover could help even …

Once installed, a trio of solar arrays is estimated to save Maine taxpayers at least $7.2 million over the next 20 years. (Photocreo Bednarek/Adobe Stock)

MaineDOT Installing Solar Arrays to Power Capitol Complex

The Maine Department of Transportation is "going green," with plans to install solar arrays on three state-owned properties in Augusta. The …

Maine's North Woods, the largest undeveloped forest in the Eastern U.S., could be affected by proposed changes to a state zoning law. (ThomasRobertKelley/Wikimedia Commons)

Changes to Maine Zoning Law Could Affect Jobs, Forests

BREWER, Maine — Proposed zoning law changes could dramatically impact rural areas of Maine, including the state's vast forestland. A public …

Maine Auto Leader: Fuel-Economy Rules Good for Business

AUGUSTA, Maine – Five years after industry, labor and policy groups gathered to create new clean-car rules, the EPA is now taking a U-turn…

A Maine car dealer is among those voicing opposition to the EPA proposal to put a rollback of clean-air and fuel-efficiency standards back on the table. (futureatlas.com/Flickr)

Maine Car Dealer Speaks Out Against Lowering MPG Standards

LEWISTON, Maine – The Environmental Protection Agency wants to reopen its review of fuel-efficiency requirements, but the owner of car …

Encouraging Augusta businesses to add more benches near stores is one way local communities are working to make their cities and towns more age-friendly. (AARP Maine).

Maine Leads Nation in Age-Friendly Towns, Cities

PORTLAND, Maine – Maine leads the nation when it comes to communities that encourage residents to remain active and socially engaged through …

A former woolen mill in Berwick is now providing much-needed senior housing, through an EPA brownfields cleanup loan. (EPA)

Maine Groups Get $600,000 in EPA Brownfields Cleanup Funds

AUGUSTA, Maine – The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) just handed out $10 million in funds to help communities clean up sites that may …

It's National Bike Month, and Mainers have the chance to help their children learn the rules of the road and also dust off their own bikes. (Mike Clifford)

Mainers Urged to Dust Off Their Bikes

AUGUSTA, Maine – It's National Bike Month, an opportunity for Mainers to support a fun and environmentally friendly way to get around. Brian …

A New England commuter advocate says rail riders will be subject to human error in Maine and much of New England if the Senate give the railroads three more years to install positive train control safety systems. Credit- Adam E. Moreira via wiki

New England Commuter Advocate: Don’t Put Brakes on Railroad Safety

AUGUSTA, Maine – A New England commuter advocate says safety is in the balance as lawmakers in Washington debate a three-year delay for …

Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) says budget battles in Congress are forcing Amtrak to play a dangerous game of picking and choosing between cities when it comes to installing important safety upgrades. Photo Credit - Wikimedia/rrpicturearchives.net

"Risks" Stated in Amtrak Budget Stakes

AUGUSTA, Maine - As commuters head back to work after the long holiday weekend, Senator Ed Markey says budget battles in Congress are making travel …

With the NTSB investigation of the fatal Amtrak train derailment under way, a commuter advocate says the accident could point to rail issues in other sections of the Northeast corridor. Credit: Patrick Murphy, a former Pennsylvania congressman who was aboard the train.

Amtrak Derailment Puts Focus on Heavily Traveled Northeast Corridor

AUGUST, Maine - Investigators are probing everything from speed to track signals in connection with Tuesday's fatal Amtrak derailment which happened …

While the Memorial Bridge was taken out of service in 2011, a new report finds more than 360 bridges in Maine in need of repair or upgrade. Credit: JayDuck Wikipedia Commons.

Maine Tops New England for Worst Bridges

AUGUSTA, Maine - If your morning commute takes you across a bridge in Maine, a new report finds that you could be traveling across a span that is …

PHOTO: A new National Priorities Project analysis finds the Obama budget does a better job than House and Senate proposals to fund programs Americans say they most care about in recent polls. Credit: White House Photo.

High Stakes for Maine in Competing Versions of Federal Budget

AUGUSTA, Maine - A new analysis sizes-up proposed national budgets from the House, Senate and Obama administration, and examines what those competing …

PHOTO: A revitalized downtown and Mill District of Biddeford is one of the success stories in a new report that says Maine's nonprofit organizations contribute an estimated $10 billion to the state's economy. Photo credit: Tomasso/Wikimedia Commons

Nonprofits Profit Maine; Just Ask Biddeford

BIDDEFORD, Maine - Maine's nonprofits profit Maine. That's the takeaway from a biennial report on the status of the nonprofit sector in the Pine …

PHOTO: A new poll conducted after the midterm elections indicates a majority of voters in six of the so-called battleground states want action on the climate crisis, regardless of which way they voted. The Sierra Club believes the same would hold true for Maine voters. Photo credit: pixabay

Poll: Voters Want Action on Climate Crisis

PORTLAND, Maine – No matter which side of the political aisle they were on and no matter which way their elections went three weeks ago…

PHOTO: The EPA holds hearings across the country beginning Tuesday on its proposed Clean Air Plan aimed at reducing carbon emissions from power plants. While Maine is not a hearing site, one member of Congress is making sure her voice is heard. Photo credit: Dori / Wikimedia Commons.

EPA to Get an Earful on Clean Air

PORTLAND, Maine - The Environmental Protection agency (EPA) will begin holding a series of public hearings across the U.S. on Tuesday on the newly-…

PHOTO: A new report finds Maine manufacturers have more to lose from disruptions caused by climate change than the costs associated with proposed EPA carbon standards. Photo credit: Taneli Rajala/wikimedia commons.

Report: Climate Change Disruptions Costing Maine Manufacturers Millions

PORTLAND, Maine – A new report finds the cost of the Environmental Protection Agency’s new carbon pollution standards is modest when …

PHOTO: Art galleries are blossoming in Belfast, Maine, where the Belfast Creative Coalition has benefited from CCED, a state arts grant designed to stimulate local economies through art and culture. Courtesy: BCC.

Art for Maine’s Sake

AUGUSTA, Maine - Can art and artists re-invigorate Maine's economy? They can surely help, according to the overseers of a state grant that is being …

PHOTO: Trucks on Maine roadways will face stricter fuel-efficiency standards under a new directive aimed at decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. Photo credit: morguefile.com.

Keep On Trucking -- With Less Pollution on Maine Roads

PORTLAND, Maine - Big trucks making their way across Maine will be held to tighter fuel standards in the coming years. President Obama has directed …

PHOTO: Harvesting carrots at Wolfe's Neck Farm in Freeport. The Maine Coast Heritage Trust's Teen Agriculture Program benefitted from the Quality of Place Initiative. Courtesy Devin Altobello.

Networking: Key to Keeping Maine a Quality Place?

ELLSWORTH, Maine - Saving fish populations described as "at rock bottom;" helping kids learn how to grow vegetables in three-foot by five-foot …

Boston Marathon Bombing: A Witness' Story

PORTLAND, Maine - When the explosions went off that killed at least two and injured scores more along the route of the Boston Marathon Monday…

PHOTO: About 167,000 piston-powered general aviation aircraft in the U.S. are using leaded aviation fuel. Courtesy: AOPA

Flying Lead: The Unfriendly Skies of Maine

PORTLAND, Maine - They got the lead out of automobile gas decades ago. But three-quarters of the nation's piston-driven airplanes – some 167-…

1930s gas pumps Photo Credit: Library of Congress

New Fuel Economy Rules to Save Maine Drivers $600 Million

AUGUSTA, Maine - New regulations finalized by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency will set a fuel-…

One of the Last Big Battles Over Global Warming Rules?

PORTLAND, Maine - Last week, a federal appeals court this week heard a consolidated lawsuit led by large coal companies and some energy-producing …

New Deal-Type Jobs Program Proposed as Recession Remedy

AUGUSTA, ME - As Congressional Democrats debate the need for a second federal economic stimulus package, one side is calling for a New Deal-style …

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ME: Urban Planning and Transportation