The City Council approved the ordinances unanimously last September. By Kelley Bouchard, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story SOUTH PORTLAND — Two new ordinances take effect Tuesday, imposing a ban on plastic foam food containers and a 5-cent fee on all single-use paper or plastic shopping bags. The City Council approved the ordinances unanimously Read More
Maine Environmental News
Maine environmental news often comes quickly and with little warning. Stay up to date on Maine environment news.
From issues such as climate change, healthy waters, Maine forests and wildlife, and sustainability—and environmental policy that could impact them—you’ll find NRCM’s up-to-the-minute news releases to see our perspective on the most pressing issues facing Maine’s land, air, waters, and wildlife. This includes findings relating to our role as Maine’s watchdog of activities of state environmental agencies—we stand ready to blow the whistle when regulations are not enforced.
You can also find our news “round up,” News & Noteworthy, which puts the spotlight on media stories that do a particularly good job capturing current news about Maine's environment. We hope you find this part of our website helpful and informative!
Ratepayers Save Big, Jobs Triple Under Dramatic Solar Plan for Maine, Advocates Say
A coalition lays out the strategies and benefits of increasing power projects by more than tenfold and ending net metering. By Steve Mistler, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story AUGUSTA — Advocates for a plan to increase solar energy projects in Maine by more than tenfold over the next five years said Thursday that Read More
Groundbreaking Solar Initiative Wins Support from Wide Array of Solar Supporters, Small Businesses, Bipartisan Lawmakers, and Key Stakeholders
Historic legislation calls for major ramp-up of solar installations and new job creation with benefits for all customers News Release AUGUSTA – A group of solar businesses, workers, municipalities, community leaders, utilities, and other stakeholders on Thursday announced their support for historic new solar legislation that will dramatically increase installation of solar throughout Maine. The Read More
Plan for Development in the UT Through Zoning, Not Weakened Standards
By The BDN Editorial Board Bangor Daily News editorial Land owners, developers and residents of the state’s Unorganized Territory have long complained that it is too hard to subdivide land and build houses there. Currently, the Land Use Planning Commission is considering easing a longtime restriction on subdivisions throughout the entire 10 million acres of Read More
Will a Ban on Food in Landfills Finally Spur Maine to Boost Recycling?
by Christopher Burns, BDN staff Bangor Daily News news story Maine needs to decide what it’s going to do about the food in its waste stream. Food and other organics comprise 43 percent of Maine’s residential waste, more than paper, plastic, glass and metal. Yet, only about 5 percent of organics are composted, leaving much Read More
Why Continuing Dialogue is Crucial to the National Park Debate
By The BDN Editorial Board Bangor Daily News editorial The debate over the potential of a national park in the Maine woods has taken on urgency as the National Park Service and White House have shown an interest in creating a national monument near Baxter State Park. Elliotsville Plantation Inc., a nonprofit foundation started by Read More
Maine Lawmakers Debate Changes to Waste Disposal Laws
By Mal Leary MPBN news story AUGUSTA, Maine – Every day more than 4 pounds of waste is generated by every man, woman and child in Maine. That covers everything from food scraps to batteries and packaging, and a lot more. Maine currently recycles some items, burns some for energy and landfills a lot. The Read More
Maine Lawmakers Hear Mixed Testimony on Composting, Recycling Bill
A committee considers one of the most significant updates of Maine’s solid waste management laws, a plan to divert more waste from landfills into recycling or composting programs. By Kevin Miller, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story AUGUSTA — Cities and towns could have to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional fees Read More
Energy Efficient Projects are Saving Maine Hospitals Millions of Dollars
by Taylor Kinzler WABI-TV news story Energy conservation in the workforce can have many benefits. Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor has seen that firsthand since implementing an environmentally sound project. “That’s how we can save money for patients because for every dollar that we spend on energy, it’s 20 dollars that we have to Read More