Trucks have an outsized impact on climate change in Maine. The transportation sector is responsible for 54% of Maine’s carbon pollution, and 27% of those emissions are from medium- and heavy-duty trucks. Reducing emissions from these heavier vehicles is a key part of Maine’s Climate Action Plan, which is why the Natural Resources Council of Maine is supporting the Maine Read More
Climate
Climate change and global warming pollution harm Maine people, wildlife, and our environment. Among the highest rates of childhood asthma in the nation, rising seas and severe storms battering our coastal homes and towns, warming and more acidic oceans threatening fisheries, too many “bad air days,” more and more tick-borne diseases, threats to our fall foliage and winter tourism industries—these are among the many health, environmental, and economic problems climate change pollution is causing here in Maine.
The Natural Resources Council of Maine is working to reduce climate-changing pollution by making Maine more energy efficient. We work to provide clean, renewable energy and cleaner more efficient vehicles that will reduce Maine’s contribution to air pollution and climate change to ensure Maine people and wildlife have clean air to breathe.
Mainers Demand CMP Corridor be Terminated
NRCM news release November 2, 2021 (Augusta, ME) – A strong majority of Maine voters today delivered a devastating blow to the controversial Central Maine Power (CMP) corridor project, according to results being reported by Maine media outlets. Question 1 was on track to pass overwhelmingly despite CMP and Hydro-Quebec shattering all previous referendum campaign Read More
Build Back Better Framework Will Support Maine’s Clean Energy Transition
NRCM news release (Augusta, ME) – The Build Back Better framework being announced today by President Joe Biden is a historic start to the long overdue and necessary action needed to combat climate change, and it deserves the support of Maine’s Congressional delegation, according to a statement issued by Maine’s leading environmental advocacy organization, the Read More
Maine DEP Hearing Considers Suspension of CMP Corridor Permit
NRCM news release Augusta, ME (October 19, 2021) – In an unprecedented development that could result in termination of the Central Maine Power (CMP) corridor project, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is holding a hearing today to consider suspending the permit for the controversial transmission line. That permit was thrown into doubt after an August 10, 2021, decision (view PDF) by a State Superior Court Judge to terminate an Read More
Electric Vehicles a “No Brainer” for Future of Automobiles
“Put your money with your mouth is.” That’s why I recently bought our first electric vehicle. In my role as meteorologist at NewsCenter Maine, I’ve become one of the most visible and vocal climate change advocates in the state. Most of my work on climate change involves the science behind it, how we know it’s Read More
Code Red for the Climate Demands New Behavior by CMP
On the same day that the Portland Press Herald reported about an alarming new climate study that has been called “code red for humanity,” it also carried a front-page story about Central Maine Power’s (CMP) continued failure to help solar energy projects connect with the electrical grid as part of Maine’s response to climate change. The contrast could not be Read More
What Mainers Can Learn from the Arctic
As I sit on an outcrop watching the moon rise above the Alaskan skyline and mighty Taku Glacier, I can’t help but wonder how many years into the future this great ice mass will remain. Recent research suggests up to 60% of Taku will be gone in the next century if our climate continues on its current warming trajectory. These are humbling Read More
Maine’s Utility Regulators Have a New Mandate to Act on Climate Change
Against the backdrop of a highly productive legislative session for Maine’s environment earlier this year, one new law could prove to be extremely important to Maine’s efforts to address climate change. The bill, LD 1682, expands the responsibility of the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to include reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The Governor’s Energy Office and Read More
How Congress Can Support Maine’s Climate Action Plan
Maine’s Congressional delegation has before them the chance to build and pass the most important piece of climate legislation ever seen in the United States. This opportunity comes at a time when the latest report from the world’s leading climate scientists signaled a “Code Red for Humanity” – time is running out and immediate, bold Read More
