Author: Nathan Bernard
Nathan Bernard is a freelance writer and reporter living in Maine. His local stories have been featured in The Washington Post, The Daily Beast, Huffington Post, The Intercept, Business Insider, AV Club, Salon and CBS News.
All four members of Maine’s federal delegation are co-sponsoring a new bill allowing states to use federal funds to expand PFAS testing, compensate farmers for lost income,” and monitor adverse health outcomes for people affected by the so-called “forever chemicals. The delegation’s proposal was modeled off a bill passed by the Maine Legislature earlier this…
On Saturday, a diverse panel of experts gathered at Common Ground Fair in Unity to discuss the threat of PFAS in Maine. During the panel, speakers announced a launch date for the $60 million fund supporting farms devastated by the forever chemicals, addressed PFAS destruction of tribal resources and condemned chemical corporations lobbying to block…
The Mills administration recently passed a bill approving $60 million to combat the impacts of PFAS, but farmers, who are worried about the threats to their health and livelihood, may not receive that funding for some time. PFAS, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances commonly known as “forever chemicals,” are industrial chemicals widely used to make non-stick…
Recently released campaign finance reports reveal The Dinner Table PAC, a local committee launched during the COVID pandemic to support candidates who oppose Maine’s COVID vaccine mandate for health workers, has raised almost $100k in small donations so far this year. As of June 13, the Richmond-based group had a cash balance of nearly $190,000…
On May 9, Maine Gov. Janet Mills signed LD1911 into law, officially banning the spread of fertilizer infused with PFAS, toxic substances more commonly known as “forever chemicals,” on Maine’s farmland. The bill’s passage made Maine the first state in the U.S. to ban the use of industrial and municipal sewage sludge as fertilizer. The…
The LePage administration, which had close ties to the chemical industry and a history of undermining and mocking protections from toxic chemicals, knew about PFAS contamination in Maine soil and milk beginning in at least 2016. Government emails, reports and field tests obtained by Beacon using Maine’s Freedom of Access Act (FOAA) show that through…
A bill requiring municipal candidates and PACs in Maine’s three largest cities to disclose their campaign finance reports to the public passed the Maine House and Maine Senate this month but is facing concern over its opaque $1 million fiscal note for “software upgrades.” The proposal, LD 1658, sponsored by Rep. Grayson Lookner (D-Portland), is…
On Thursday, more than 100 people rallied with United Steelworkers (USW) Local 9, who work at the Sappi Mill in Skowhegan, for a fair contract. The local, which is the largest of four unions at the pulp mill, serving 475 workers, has been in contract negotiations with management since their previous contract expired in August.…
Republican gubernatorial candidate Paul LePage has made eliminating the individual income tax a cornerstone of his latest campaign for the Blaine House. Earlier this month, LePage demanded that Gov. Janet Mills use the state’s budget surplus to lower Maine’s income tax instead of distributing $500 checks to 800,000 people, arguing that the tax cut would…
Just weeks after Gov. Janet Mills issued a highly controversial veto against a bill that would have allowed farmworkers in Maine to unionize, dairy workers rallied outside Hannaford headquarters in Scarborough to demand more rights. Workers from the advocacy group Migrant Justice on Saturday were calling on the supermarket conglomerate to join their “Milk With…