Bangor Daily New Andrew and Samantha Peters, founders of Vertical Bay, have been experimenting with Japanese scallop farming techniques in Maine’s Penobscot Bay for the past seven years. Their vertically netted, four-acre farm off Deer Isle has met strong demand, allowing them to sell locally since 2021 and expand out-of-state in 2024. Despite this, high costs and slow growth cycles have made profitability difficult. They… Read more: Scallop farming in Penobscot Bay

Bangor Daily News At its May 6 meeting, the Bar Harbor Town Council denied a special amusement permit for Siam Orchid restaurant on Rodick Street after Kennebec Street residents voiced strong concerns about potential noise from amplified music. The permit would have allowed acoustic instruments and amplified vocals outside. Though nearby Lompoc Cafe received a permit renewal, residents stated that Lompoc works with neighbors to… Read more: Bar Harbor denies live music permit

Bangor Daily News: The North Maine Woods, a 3.5-million-acre privately owned working forest, offers extensive recreational opportunities like hiking, camping, and paddling, drawing over 100,000 visitors annually. Managed by a nonprofit coalition of landowners since 1971, access is allowed through 19 gates with a small user fee, but the roads remain private and maintained solely by landowners. Safety is a top priority, particularly around active… Read more: North Maine Woods

“Short term rental owners would first be required to register their properties with the Land Use Planning Commission. Eventually, property owners will have to comply with a set of parking, wastewater disposal and other standards, which state regulators said they plan to address with a second round of rulemaking. There would be no fee to register using an online platform. Commissioners said during a meeting… Read more: Regulators plan rules for short-term rentals in Maine’s unorganized territories 

“The Brunswick Town Council unanimously voted Tuesday night to enact an update to the town’s ordinance that would track the owner and property manager contact information for rental properties. Since 2000, the midcoast town has had a registration requirement for owners of buildings with three or more units. No fees were associated with the registry, and Brunswick does not have somebody dedicated to tracking the number and… Read more: Brunswick changes to rental registry

“The amended bill authorizes, but does not require, municipalities and the Maine Land Use Planning Commission to deny, suspend or revoke a permit of the land owner or occupant from further development on all or a part of the land on which the violation occurred, until it is removed, abated or otherwise corrected and any penalties and court-ordered fees are paid. It also allows the… Read more: Maine lawmakers give power to fix shoreland violations

“The Maine Department of Environmental Protection is trying to fast-track efforts to recover from a string of devastating winter storms while giving impacted property owners the flexibility to adapt to changing climate conditions. The state is trying to make it easier to build back better, with infrastructure that can withstand a wetter, warmer future with rising, stormier seas, but that can also be finished before… Read more: Maine DEP seeks to speed recovery permits after winter storms

“A 2023 change in Maine law means that two of four Nexamp solar farm projects in Washington County will lose over half of their generating capacity when online. Nexamp Communications Manager Keith Hevenor explained the company is continuing to work within the new framework and will try to modify those projects affected by the change in the net energy billing (NEB) law that now limits… Read more: New Maine law cause solar farm projects to downsize  

“The impact of the Dec. 18 storm was more severe in western and central Maine than elsewhere, while coastal communities were hit harder in the back-to-back storms that brought record storm surge on Jan. 10 and 13. But in all three storms, which wreaked havoc from Bethel to Eastport, flooding caused the worst damage. In the storms this month, beachfront homes in southern Maine suffered heavy damage when… Read more: Maine dealing with devastating storms

1.     If you are purchasing a home (or vacation cabin), Maine’s laws on right-of-way easements can be crucial if you are on a private road, or have access to water (or others have access across your land).  This article on right-of-way easements in Maine provides an in-depth review of the different types of easement, how they are created and can be terminated. 2.    Planning on exploring Maine’s… Read more: 5 Things to Know if You Are Moving to Maine

“Lawmakers on Tuesday directed state utilities regulators to study and create a new way to reimburse homeowners or businesses that generate a portion of their own electricity.  LD 1263 picked up the two-thirds majorities in the House and Senate Tuesday afternoon to override a veto from Gov. Paul LePage, who blocked the bill alongside a batch of others he said the Legislature passed too hastily.”… Read more: State to study reimbursement small-scale solar power generators