Penobscot River Restoration Trust Old Town, ME – Partners in the Penobscot River Restoration Project have been awarded a 2008 Cooperative Conservation Award from the U.S. Department of the Interior. The award recognizes the unprecedented collaboration to restore 11 species of sea-run fish while rebalancing hydropower generated on the river. Representatives from the Penobscot River Read More
Maine’s Electronic Waste Recycling Law Huge Success
Collects 8 Million Pounds of Waste, Saves Mainers $3 Million, Keeps 1 Million Pounds of Lead from Environment The Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) released a report detailing the accomplishments of Maine’s two-year-old, first-in-the-nation electronic waste recycling program that requires manufacturers to establish and pay for collection and recycling centers. “By any measure, Maine’s Read More
Protecting Kids from Toxic Chemicals in Consumer Products
Our nation’s chemical safety policy is seriously broken. The law currently allows chemical manufacturers to use their products in consumer goods without first demonstrating that these chemicals are safe. The toxins can leach out and have been found in Maine homes, air, water, wildlife—and people. These chemicals have been tied to hormonal disruptions, behavioral and Read More
Allagash River among America’s Most Endangered Rivers
Wild and Scenic Protections Threatened The people of Maine realized they needed a State policy to save their own wilderness areas. They petitioned their elected representatives to protect the last great wild river in the eastern United States, and the Maine legislature responded by creating the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, so that the people could own Read More
Maine Legislature Passes Law that Sets Energy Efficient Building Standards for New Homes
News release Today, by a vote of 20-15, the Maine Senate approved legislation (already passed by the House 78-58) to establish building standards to reduce fuel consumption in new homes. Maine joins 40 other states with statewide energy efficiency standards for new homes. Maine’s new law has several elements that make it better than just Read More
Support of LD 2283, An Act to Implement Recommendations of the Governor’s Task Force on Wind Power Development
by Pete Didisheim, NRCM Senior Director of Advocacy Senator Bartlett, Representative Bliss, and members of the Utilities Committee, my name is Pete Didisheim. I am the Advocacy Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine, I served as a member of the Governor’s Task Force on Wind Power Development, and I am here to testify Read More
Plum Creek Offers Up No Changes In Post-Hearing Brief
No Changes Despite Overwhelming Public Criticism of Moosehead Plan AUGUSTA, March 18, 2008 —Maine’s two leading environmental organizations said today that Plum Creek, the nation’s largest commercial landowner, has submitted a post-hearing brief that dismissed long lists of concerns raised during hundreds of hours of public testimony by Maine residents and technical experts about Plum Read More
Despite Overwhelming Public Criticism of Plum Creek Plan, Plum Creek Offers Up No Changes
Statement at March 18, 2008, press conference by Brownie Carson, NRCM executive director Good morning. We are here today to talk about the serious, continuing problems with Plum Creek’s proposal for a massive development in the Moosehead Lake Region – the largest development in Maine history. In late January, under this very roof, Maine’s Land Read More
10,000 Square Miles of Maine Included in USFWS Lynx Protection Proposal
Includes Moosehead Lake Forests Where Plum Creek Proposes Massive Development Today, the Federal Register published a proposed rule by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) that would protect Canada lynx and their habitat including more than 10,000 square miles of the Maine woods in a “critical habitat” zone, which would require separate review and stricter Read More
