by Dylan Voorhees, NRCM Clean Energy Director Thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony today regarding administration of Maine’s Uniform Building & Energy Code (MUBEC).¹ I would like to make four overall points to the committee. 1. MUBEC is important for Maine consumers, our economy, and our energy future. Moving backward on MUBEC will Read More
Support of LD 852, An Act To Authorize a General Fund Bond Issue To Support Maine’s Natural Resource-based Economy
by Cathy Johnson, NRCM North Woods Project Director Good afternoon Sen. Rosen, Rep. Flood and members of the Appropriations Committee. My name is Cathy Johnson. I am here today on behalf of the 12,000 members and supporters of the Natural Resources Council of Maine to speak in support of LD 852, An Act To Authorize Read More
‘Takings’ Bill Would Reward Big Landowners at Taxpayers’ Expense
L.D. 1810 is an effort to thwart the environmental laws that protect Maine’s water and wildlife. by Ron Joseph of Camden, a retired wildlife biologist Portland Press Herald op-ed CAMDEN — During the late 1950s and early 1960s, my father often took me spring fishing on weekends. Occasionally, we’d travel north from our Waterville home Read More
Legislature Urged to Reject Bill that Threatens to Spoil Half of Maine, Add Bureaucracy and Cost
Maine Citizens Who Depend on North Woods for Their Homes, Businesses, Jobs, and Recreation Come to August to Fight for Maine’s North Woods Heritage NRCM Press Release Today, leading citizens from throughout Maine, including the North Woods, gathered in Augusta to speak out about major problems with pending legislation that could spell the end of Read More
Opposition to LD 1798, An Act to Reform Land Use Planning in the Unorganized Territory
Good afternoon Sen. Sherman, Rep. Edgecomb and members of the Committee. My name is Lisa Pohlmann. I am a resident of Jefferson. I am the Executive Director of the Natural Resources Council of Maine. I am here today on behalf of the 12,000 members and supporters of the Natural Resources Council of Maine in opposition to Read More
Group Alleges Industry Influenced DEP’s Mercury Recycling Report
By Kevin Miller, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story The Natural Resources Council of Maine is accusing Maine Department of Environmental Protection officials of allowing an industry group to have undue influence on a recent report that calls for a re-evaluation of hazardous waste recycling programs. But a DEP spokeswoman said the department’s doors Read More
Groups Concerned about Tar Sands Oil Pipelines for Midwest & Maine
NRCM, Sierra Club Maine, NRDC, NWF Conservation groups gathered in Portland today to express concerns about efforts to pipe tar sands crude oil from Canada into the United States, citing proposals to build a massive new pipeline across America’s heartland and the possibility that tar sands could flow from Canada through Maine for export. A Read More
NRCM: DEP Submits to ‘Undue Industry Influence’ on Product Stewardship Programs
by Gina Hamilton The New Maine Times news story A new report released Tuesday by the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) calls into question the amount of industry influence over the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in the arena of product stewardship regulations. What is product stewardship? For years, Maine has required that Read More
NRCM Report: Internal Documents Reveal Excessive Industry Influence on DEP Report
Freedom of Access Act (FOAA) Analysis of DEP Documents Related to the 2012 Report, “Implementing Product Stewardship in Maine” Yields Industry Paper Trail News release Today, the Natural Resources Council of Maine released an analysis of documents that reveal how a recent Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) report was substantially influenced by representatives of out-of-state Read More