by Abigail Curtis, BDN staff Bangor Daily News news story BELFAST, Maine — Maine seabirds – including the iconic Atlantic puffin – may be in trouble. Researchers are concerned about starving chicks and dead birds that washed up this winter off Cape Cod and Scotland. Lately, the razorbill, a species related to puffins, has been 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.
New Effort Seeks to Block Tar Sands Oil Export from South Portland
A citizens group says they will try to change a zoning law to prevent Canadian tar sands oil from being pumped through the city and prohibit building new infrastructure to process it. by Matt Byrne, staff writer Portland Press Herald news update SOUTH PORTLAND—A citizen group opposed to the prospect of Canadian tar sands oil Read More
Starvation Stressing Maine Puffin Colonies
Scientists blame shifting fish populations as ocean temperatures rise. by Clarke Canfield, Associated Press Portland Press Herald news story PORTLAND — The Atlantic puffin population is at risk in the United States, and there are signs the seabirds are in distress in other parts of the world. In the Gulf of Maine, the comical-looking seabirds Read More
Maine’s Environmental Movement Reinvents Itself for a New Era of Challenges
by Lance Tapley Portland Phoenix news story Maine’s cherished environment may be threatened as never before by the gargantuan forces of economic globalization. In reaction, the state’s environmental movement is coalescing into a force stronger than ever. There are new players in the game — including Occupy — augmenting the old guard. Not surprising for Read More
Qualified Support of LD 1362, Resolve, To Establish a Moratorium on the Transportation of Tar Sands
Senator Jim Boyle, Chair Representative Joan Welsh, Chair Joint Standing Committee on Environment & Natural Resources Senator Boyle and Representative Welsh, NRCM has been active in opposing the transportation of tar sands through Maine for about two years. We offer qualified support for this Resolve. We support efforts to slow down development of tar sands Read More
NRCM Testimony on the Bowers Wind Power Project, Neither for Nor Against
My name is Cathy Johnson. I am the North Woods Project Director and Senior Staff Attorney for the Natural Resources Council of Maine. I have been with NRCM for 23 years. I am here today on behalf of NRCM’s 16,000 members and supporters to testify Neither For Nor Against the proposed project, but rather to Read More
Earth Day Marks First Anniversary of NRCM Solar Array
Produced 15,000 Kilowatt-hours In Year One NRCM Press Release AUGUSTA, ME — Today is Earth Day, and Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) is celebrating the one-year anniversary of powering its Augusta headquarters with solar energy. NRCM is the state’s leading environmental advocacy organization, and its solar array has produced 15,000 Kilowatt-hours in its first Read More
Portland Pipeline at Center of Fierce Fight in Maine
by Colin Nickerson, Globe Correspondent Boston Globe news story SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine — Over seven decades, the Portland pipeline has propelled some 5 billion gallons of crude oil across the mountains and beneath the pristine waters of northern New England to refineries in Quebec. Aside from a few small spills years ago, the 236-mile-long colossus Read More
LePage Energy Legislation Would Increase Maine Energy Bills by More Than $100 Million
State Senator Jim Boyle Proposes Legislation to Cut Energy Bills through Energy Efficiency NRCM Statement “It is refreshing to see that Governor LePage now supports energy efficiency improvements as a key way to lower residential heating costs. Energy efficiency is our most cost-effective energy resource, and one we can control right here in Maine. Weatherization Read More
