30 Mar Midcoast News March 30 2015

Amtrak Changes

Schedule changes take effect today for the Amtrak Downeaster in Brunswick and elsewhere on the way to and from Boston. No change for Train 682, which leaves Brunswick mornings at 7:50, but later in the day Train 688 now leaves Brunswick thirty minutes later at 6:25 in the evening. Other changes: Train 681, leaving Boston at 9:05 mornings now ends in Brunswick rather than in Portland, and Train 685 leaving Boston at 5:00 in the afternoon now arrives in Brunswick thirty minutes later.

A Flood of Concern

A congressional act revising federal insurance premiums takes effect this week and some coastal homeowners are worried about rising premiums. The government is gradually phasing out subsidized flood insurance for more than a million people with houses in flood zones who in some cases pay only half of the true commercial rate. Some owners say their houses were much more affordable with cheap rates that will now increase by as much as 25 percent per year.

Fighting Ocean Acidity

A group of state legislators, including Democrat Mick Devin of Newcastle, want a multi-state agreement to counter increasing ocean acidity, a problem they believe will threaten the fishing industry if something isn’t done. But there are some significant hurdles. The legislators may push for potentially expensive research and mitigation, and they are working at the state level on a problem that stems from global environmental trends.