NRCM has been involved in federal lawsuits related to limiting mercury pollution and other air toxics from power plants for more than a decade. In fact, in 2004, we filed suit over the EPA’s mercury pollution rules. We first joined the suit against the Bush administration for failing to offer sufficiently strong regulations—and eventually won in 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.
Big Solar Worked to Kill Maine Solar Energy Bill
Fearful that the bill would threaten their business model, national companies took steps that helped LePage and Republicans, at the expense of local solar installers and their Democratic allies. By Tux Turkel, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story The Maine lawmakers who last month defeated a landmark bill that would have expanded solar energy Read More
Solar Energy Bill Extinguished by Lobbying Based on False, Misleading Information
Behind closed doors and in debate, Republican Minority Leader Ken Fredette let the attack on the most significant solar energy measure Maine has ever seen. By Sam Zuckerman, owner, Maine Solar Solutions in Portland Portland Press Herald op-ed April 29th was a dark day for solar energy in Maine. It was the day that an Read More
The Six Republican ‘Walkers’ Who Killed Maine’s Solar Bill
By Rep. Jeff McCabe, D-Skowhegan, is the House majority leader Bangor Daily News op-ed This legislative session, we could have passed a historic solar bill into law. But too many House Republicans caved in to their leaders and the governor, throwing away that opportunity and all the jobs that would have come with it. LD Read More
South Portland Considers Zoning Changes to Promote, Regulate Solar Arrays
If the City Council approves the amendments, the city will become a model for other Maine communities and join a growing number of U.S. cities that have taken similar steps. By Kelley Bouchard, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story SOUTH PORTLAND — City planning officials have proposed sweeping zoning changes that would both promote Read More
Opportunity Lost as GOP Thwarts Job-creating Solar Energy Bill
By Sen. Dawn Hill Seacoast Online news story It’s not every day that Maine has an opportunity to take the lead in a growing industry, create and sustain jobs for its people, lower energy costs and fight climate change. We seized that opportunity in 2008, when the Legislature passed changes to the Wind Energy Act Read More
Lawmakers Uphold LePage Veto, Killing Bill to Boost Solar Energy
Two votes in the House and a determined lobbying effort by supporters fail to generate enough support to pass the measure. By Kevin Miller, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story AUGUSTA — House lawmakers upheld Gov. Paul LePage’s veto of a closely watched solar energy bill Friday in a blow to supporters who argued Read More
Solar Bill Offers Right Answers for Maine
The arguments against a modernization of the state’s clean energy market do not pass the test. Portland Press Herald editorial It’s easy to tear apart a complicated piece of legislation by latching onto a few details and blowing them out of proportion. But lawmakers who are considering voting to sustain Gov. LePage’s veto of L.D. Read More
Override the Veto So Maine Can Benefit from Modern Solar Policy
Legislators who helped craft a bipartisan, broad-based energy deal ask their colleagues to reaffirm their support. by David Woodsome and Sara Gideon Portland Press Herald op-ed AUGUSTA — When we truly listen to one another, we can accomplish so much. That’s exactly what happened with the comprehensive solar bill the governor vetoed this week. Here Read More