Read highlights from December 2022 news stories and opinion pieces related to Maine’s air, land, water, and wildlife, in this News & Noteworthy from the Natural Resources Council of Maine.
December 2022
Rulemaking for Maine’s first-in-the-nation Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for Packaging law began this month. Read about the first meeting, and hear from NRCM Sustainable Maine Director Sarah Nichols in this Maine Monitor news story.
James Settele of the University of Maine Graduate School of Policy & International Affairs and retired U.S. Navy Captain Jamie Barnett co-wrote an op-ed in this week’s Bangor Daily News about how clean energy and national security are closely linked. Both were involved in a panel at UMaine earlier this year, cosponsored by NRCM. Watch the full video.
Fish passage on the St. Croix River got a boost this month, with nearly $15 million in federal funds. This will provide an additional 60,000 acres of habitat for alewives.
A new report shows that New England forests could boost carbon storage by nearly 500,000 tons if forest management practices were improved.
Some exciting land conservation news: The Trust for Public Land bought 31,000 acres of land near the Katahdin Woods & Waters National Monument, which it hopes will become a southern entrance to the Monument.
Some more funding from the federal Infrastructure and Jobs Act is headed to Maine. This time it is a $7.5 million grant to help restore Atlantic salmon to the Penobscot River.
Wednesday, the Land Use Planning Commission approved a new zoning plan for the Moosehead Lake region after the original Plum Creek Concept Plan was ended by Weyerhauser, which bought Plum Creek. Read more about this new plan in this Maine Public story, which features NRCM Forests & Wildlife Director Melanie Sturm. Read our full news release about this plan here.
NRCM and other groups, led by Frenchman Bay United, continue to oppose a large aquaculture farm off Mount Desert Island. The Bangor Daily News had a poll question in an article earlier this week describing how this project and other “major” aquaculture projects are finding that they are running into roadblocks up and down Maine’s coast.
Earlier this week, the Biden Administration auctioned off the “first-ever floating offshore wind leases.” What do you know about offshore wind? Take our quiz to find out.
Molly Saunders is a potter from Wayne, Maine, who also won a 2002 Environmental Award from NRCM. She is featured in a fantastic new article in Orion magazine.
NRCM Forests & Wildlife Director Melanie Sturm talks about the Moosehead planning proposal, which the Land Use Planning Commission has been working on, with input from Mainers and organizations like NRCM over the past couple of years.
NRCM Senior Director of Advocacy Pete Didisheim recently spoke at Colby College in Waterville to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act. Pete spoke about progress made and work still to be done.
Judy Berk, a longtime NRCM staffer until her retirement a few years ago, and her husband, David Foley, were featured recently in The Working Waterfront to share their experiences with electric vehicles, heat pumps, solar arrays, and more. Judy and David definitely “walk the walk” and are a great example for all of us.
Some good news for Atlantic salmon, the Maine Department of Marine Resources reports that the number of salmon that made their way up the river and through the fish lift at Milford and dam in Orono is the second highest in the past 11 years. Read more in this Bangor Daily News story.
South Portland will soon require electric vehicle charging infrastructure in some of its new or reconstructed parking areas that include at least five parking spaces.
NRCM Sustainable Maine Director Sarah Nichols was a guest on Maine Public’s Maine Calling this week, talking about plastic pollution, recycling, and how we can all help to reduce environmental harm from plastics. Listen to the full episode.
November 2022
The big news here at the Natural Resources Council of Maine came yesterday, when we announced that Rebeccah Sanders will be our new CEO beginning in January 2023. Learn more about Rebeccah.
The Bangor Daily News reported that Maine is about to receive $1 billion for more than 80 projects through funding from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. See a list of some of the projects, including ones that will provide clean, safe drinking water, public transit improvements, clean energy and efficiency, and more.
Many of us have explored sections of the Eastern Trail in southern Maine, and we are excited to hear that in the coming years, that trail could connect to other trails and be expanded as far south as North Berwick. Learn more.
News of more trails in Gray also has us excited. These trails, at Thayer Brook Preserve, will be funded in part by the Land for Maine’s Future program, and will include connecting those trails to already existing trails near Gray-New Gloucester High School.
Finally this week, we have more good news: Maine’s outdoor recreation economy, according to a recent report, generated $2.8 billion. That is an increase of more than 19 percent over 2020.
NRCM Federal Policy Advocate Anya Fetcher shares her op-ed in this week’s Sun Journal about the progress we have seen since the Clean Water Act was passed by Congress 50 years ago, and how a new case in front of the Supreme Court could cripple it.
Frenchman Bay Conservancy recently added two easements on land along the northern part of the Union River and its tributaries, in the town of Aurora. They now have “forever wild” easements on more than 3,000 acres in that area, which will protect wetlands and forests from development.
The Federal government announced last week its plan to increase offshore wind power while also protecting the right whale. Read this Associated Press news story to learn more. You can also learn about the world’s largest offshore wind farm, which powers England, in this CBS news story.
Speaking of energy, a group advocating for a consumer-owned electric utility to replace Central Maine Power and Versant, announced this week that it has enough signatures to put a question on the ballot.
November is here, and that means it is deer hunting season. Deer hunting in Maine is a long-held tradition, for men AND women around the state. Read about some women who have been hunting for 50 years or more.
October 2022
We are going to kick off this News & Noteworthy with a news story about one of our 2022 Conservation Leadership Award recipients, Julie Rosenbach. This year’s awardees, Julie included, were honored at an event last night in Hallowell. Learn more about all of this year’s award winners here.
Need another reason to dislike plastic? Well here you go. You can be part of the solution by avoiding single-use plastic packaging, supporting reuse and refill, and holding producers accountable for their products and packaging.
The Land Use Planning Commission (LUPC) has been working on the Moosehead Regional Planning Project with stakeholders and input from the public, and the final package has been released for public comment. This plan is one that should be supported, according to this Bangor Daily News op-ed by a member of the LUPC. NRCM agrees. You can read our comments submitted on this plan here.
Recently, Maine Audubon and several professional photographers took a trip to the Katahdin Woods & Waters National Monument. Look at some of the spectacular images captured on this trip.
Do you live in the Lewiston/Auburn area? Do you like to hike? Do you want to find people to hike with? There is a new Facebook group for a L/A hiking club that you can join, featured in a recent Sun Journal story.
Read this op-ed titled, “The Kennebec River belongs to all Mainers, not just Brookfield.” We couldn’t have said that better ourselves.
We have been celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act all year, but this week is THE week — the anniversary was on Tuesday, October 18th. The Bangor Daily News shared some snippets from Bates College’s Muskie Archives to share to mark the occasion.
You can also listen to Maine Public’s Maine Calling to hear more about the history and impact of the Clean Water Act here in Maine.
News Center Maine recently did a story about how the Clean Water Act saved East End Beach, a very popular beach for local residents and their dogs, and also the location of our first dozen polar bear dips.
Hear from Benton’s alewife warden in this op-ed in the Bangor Daily News about protecting Atlantic salmon and jobs on the Kennebec River.
If you haven’t yet made plans to join us to celebrate this year’s NRCM Conservation Leadership Award recipients, read about Dr. Steve Kress, who will be receiving a Lifetime Achievement award for his incredible work for more than 50 years to restore Atlantic puffin populations in Maine through Project Puffin.
The Camden-Rockport schools recently debuted their first electric bus. In addition to its environmental benefits, it is expected to save hundreds of thousands of dollars in maintenance and fuel costs over its lifetime.
We are just five days away from the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, and local media outlets are sharing stories of some of our recently named 100 Clean Water Champions, like Wynn and Sandy Muller of Wilton and Steve Kahl. Congratulations to the Mullers and Dr. Kahl, as well as the other Champions who have helped to protect and improve the rivers, lakes, streams, and coastal waters of Maine during the past 50 years.
Gouldsboro’s planning board has asked for an extended aquaculture moratorium. This town is near the proposed industrial-scale aquaculture project that NRCM and many others oppose due to the effects it could have on Frenchman Bay, local communities and local fishermen and women.
Jack Shapiro, NRCM’s climate & clean energy director, is quoted in this Bangor Daily News article about a new use for the former paper mill in East Millinocket, which would produce low-carbon heating fuel. Jack says, “Any effort to import less fossil fuels into Maine could be promising. But accounting for the climate impacts of biofuels is complicated.” Read the full article.
Recently, 17 members of Congress sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency asking them to standardize recycling bin labels to reduce confusion for consumers.
Last week we celebrated 100 Clean Water Champions at an event in Lewiston. Earlier that day, NRCM Interim CEO Pete Didisheim spoke to Rob Caldwell on News Center Maine’s “207” TV show. Watch the full video.
The Portland Press Herald editorial board wants us to honor the Clean Water Act’s 50-year history by tackling PFAS (“forever chemicals”) in Maine’s waters.
Here’s some more good news: 12 new Land for Maine’s Future program sites have been approved for funding, including some to protect deer wintering habitat. Learn more in the Bangor Daily News.
Also in this week’s Bangor Daily News, David Vail and Jym St. Pierre wrote an op-ed entitled, “The health of Maine’s forests is improving, but threats remain.”
The City of South Portland is discussing whether or not to require electric vehicle charging stations in all new or redone parking lots and parking garages.
Did you know that Maine has the potential to reduce carbon emissions per household by the largest margin in the United States? Learn more from Keith Carson, meteorologist at News Center Maine.
