News release from Natural Resources Council of Maine, Appalachian Mountain Club, and Sierra Club Maine November 12, 2020 (Augusta, ME) — Three conservation groups have asked a federal judge to halt Central Maine Power’s (CMP) premature plans to begin construction on its controversial transmission line. The Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC), Natural Resources Council of 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.
Environmental Groups File Lawsuit Challenging Army Corps for Indefensible CMP Corridor Analysis
News release from Natural Resources Council of Maine, Appalachian Mountain Club, and Sierra Club Maine Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC), the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM), and Sierra Club Maine are challenging the Army Corps for failure to rigorously assess impacts of the controversial transmission corridor on Western Maine. The Corps’ inadequate assessment was completed Read More
Supreme Court Replacement Could Impact Bedrock Environmental Protections
“People threatened or injured by public health and environmental harms depend on access to the courts to redress those harms. This is a pillar of the American justice system.” – Environmental Defense Fund “We need Justices who will make sure our courts remain a place where science and the law beat corruption and privilege.” — Read More
Solar Projects Will Advance a Clean, Affordable Energy Future for Maine
In late September 2020 the Maine Public Utilities Commission (PUC) approved 17 Maine-based renewable energy projects that are expected to generate more than 535 MW of electricity, support 450 construction and 30 permanent jobs, and reduce the state’s greenhouse gas emissions by more than 500,000 tons per year. The PUC’s action was the largest procurement Read More
On 50th Anniversary of Unanimous Clean Air Vote, A Call for Bipartisan Climate Action
NRCM news release Augusta, ME (September 22, 2020) — On the 50th anniversary of a unanimous 1970 U.S. Senate vote to pass the Clean Air Act, Maine Independent Senator Angus King today joined clean air, public health, and climate experts at an event co-hosted by the Natural Resources Council of Maine to call for that Read More
Climate Action Needs Bipartisan Spirit of Original Clean Air Act
Maine Senator Edmund Muskie helped redefine public health and the modern environmental movement through the passage of the Clean Air Act. This legislation passed unanimously in the U.S. Senate (73-0) on September 22, 1970, and nearly unanimously (374-1) in the U.S. House. Senator Mitchell guided the committee process on the Clean Air Act Amendments, which Read More
How Climate Change is Impacting Maine’s Forests & Industries that Depend on Them
Research compiled by scientists at the University of Maine (UMaine) and the Maine Climate Council’s Scientific and Technical Committee makes clear that Maine’s beloved forests will likely look different in the future. Your kids and grandkids may find maple syrup, holiday trees, and powder days harder to come by when they’re grown. Predictions aside, the Read More
US Army Corps & Dept. of Energy Identify Major Issues with CMP Corridor
Agencies call out lack of evidence on climate claims even as they coach CMP how to write its own Environmental Assessment August 13, 2020 (Augusta, ME) – A new document obtained under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) shows that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps) and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) have Read More
Hydro-Quebec Dramatically Escalates Campaign to Influence Maine Elections
NRCM Urges Lawmakers to Close Loophole in Election Laws Exploited by HQ NRCM news release July 30, 2020 (Augusta, ME) – Over the past six months, the foreign government-owned corporation Hydro-Quebec has dramatically escalated its political campaign to interfere with the citizen-initiated referendum to block Central Maine Power’s (CMP) controversial corridor proposal. A new analysis Read More