In November 2023, after being deluged by nearly $40 million in campaign advertising by Maine’s largest utilities, voters rejected a proposal to shift the state’s investor-owned utilities to a consumer-owned business model. Here, NRCM’s Climate & Clean Energy Senior Advocate Rebecca Schultz reflects on how we can best move forward to hold utilities accountable and Read More
Climate Change
Climate change and global warming pollution harm Maine people, wildlife, and our environment. Global warming, also known as climate change, is caused by a blanket of pollution that traps heat around the earth. This pollution comes from cars, factories, homes, and power plants that burn fossil fuels such as oil, coal, natural gas, and gasoline.
Climate-changing pollution knows no boundaries. It enters the atmosphere, spreads across the globe, and traps heat around the earth for 50-200 years after it is emitted. That is why we need to reduce global warming pollution now, because our children, and their children, will still feel the effects of global warming for years to come. Currently, the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are at their highest levels in hundreds of thousands of years.
Learn how you can reduce climate-changing pollution and advocate for a cleaner, healthier Maine.
Federal Agency Removes Nearly All of Key Fishing Ground from Wind Energy Development in Gulf of Maine
October 19, 2023 (Augusta, ME) — Fishing groups, labor unions, and environmental organizations who came together to push a compromise bill that will advance responsible offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine scored a key victory when the federal government excluded nearly all of a key fishing ground called Lobster Management Area 1 from offshore Read More
Mainers Support Clean Cars and Trucks in Maine
News release Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is considering adoption of the Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC II) and Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) rules. Today, advocates organized to urge the Board to adopt the life-saving rules. Today, Mainers from across the state spoke at a public hearing in Augusta to urge the Department of Read More
How Stronger Clean Car Standards Will Give Mainers Better Choices
Zero-emission cars and trucks are becoming more common on Maine’s roads, and it’s no surprise. They’re quiet, fun to drive, easier to maintain, save drivers money on gas, and don’t pollute our clean air. These benefits have led to a situation where supply can’t meet the rising demand. That’s why the Natural Resources Council of Read More
Maine Moves Toward Stronger Clean Car and Truck Standards
Maine DEP will consider two new clean vehicle standards that will provide Mainers with cleaner air and greater access to zero-emission cars and trucks. Adopting the standards, known as the Advanced Clean Cars II and Advanced Clean Trucks rules, will help meet the growing demand for electric vehicles and ensure Mainers have access to a greater number of models, helping to lower sticker prices and hasten the transition away from expensive and polluting gas-powered cars and trucks.
Guide to Federal Funding Opportunities for Mainers
Mainers are eager to do the right thing for the environment in their homes, businesses, and communities. Installing clean energy solutions like solar or heat pumps saves money and reduces pollution. Thankfully, with the recent passage of legislation such as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), there is a lot Read More
LD 1881, Compensation Fees and Related Conservation Efforts to Protect Soils and Habitat
Testimony in Support of LD 1881, An Act Regarding Compensation Fees and Related Conservation Efforts to Protect Soils and Wildlife and Fisheries Habitat from Solar and Wind Energy Development and High-impact Electric Transmission Lines Under the Site Location of Development Laws Senator Ingwersen, Representative Pluecker, and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Agriculture, Conservation, and Read More
LD 1559, An Act to Advance the State’s Public Transit Systems
Testimony in Support of LD 1559, An Act to Advance the State’s Public Transit Systems by Reinvigorating the Public Transit Advisory Council and Increasing Funding Senator Chipman, Representative Williams, and members of the Committee on Transportation, my name is Josh Caldwell. I am the Climate and Clean Energy Outreach Coordinator at the Natural Resources Council Read More
LD 1658, Verify Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Transmission Line Projects
Testimony in Support of LD 1658, An Act to Verify the Reduction of Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Certain Electric Transmission Line Projects Senator Brenner, Representative Gramlich, and members of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee. My name is Pete Didisheim, and I am the advocacy director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). Read More
