Last week Maine's Land Use Planning Commission has rejected a proposal for mining on Pickett Mountain in northern Penobscot County, near Katahdin.

At the other end of the state, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is deleting the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery from the National Priorities List (NPL), commonly referred to as Superfund. Many millions were contracted to E2Tech members since the listing in 1994. 

In Down-east Maine, Acadia National Park's new $32.6 million maintenance facility will include rooftop solar panels and charging stations of 12 electrical vehicles.

Governor Mills announced Maine Jobs & Recovery Grants to upgrade electric grids for local firms, including Maine Plywood USA and Tanbark Molded Fiber Products, which together received over $2M.

U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriation Committee, announced that three Maine airports will receive a total of $18,024,800 to make critical infrastructure improvements. A portion of this is likely to go to E2Tech members. 

Some E2Tech members build, upgrade, or operate commercial real estate or manage things like indoor air quality. The Boulos Company reported that office space vacancy increased slightly to 7%, while The Dunham Group reported that vacancy rate for industrial space in the Greater Portland Area was ~1%.

The Finance Authority of Maine (FAME) and Maine Rural Development Authority each approved $500K loans to TimberHP, a manufacturer of wood fiber-based insulation products located at the former Madison paper mill. This wil allow the firm to add a second and third production like and create and retain approximately 114 jobs in Somerset County.