By Buzz Caverly, Special to the BDN Bangor Daily News op-ed Fifty-five years ago, as a young man shortly out of high school, I was hired as a Baxter State Park ranger and assigned to the Russell Pond campground in the heart of the Wassataquoik Valley, at the eastern edge of the park. For years, 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!
Here Comes the Sun, So Why Isn’t Maine Taking Advantage of Free Power?
Maine has 30 percent more sun than Germany, which gets 7 percent of its electricity from solar power. By George Smith Kennebec Journal column “Here comes the sun; here comes the sun; and I say it’s all right.” Well, maybe not. This Beatles song is right about the sun. It shines in Maine more than Read More
Mining Rules for Maine: Weeks of Negotiations Fail to Forge Consensus
By Mal Leary Maine Public news story AUGUSTA, Maine – Maine Lawmakers have worked for weeks on an effort to overhaul the state’s mining regulations. But it was mostly opponents that showed up at an unusual second public hearing on the same legislation. And it appears that the committee is still divided on the issue, Read More
Critics Say LePage ‘Cherry-picking’ Land Conservation Deals
The $1.7 million federal grant he accepted is separate from voter-approved bonds, but some say he’s superseding a state board with 30 projects lined up. By Steve Mistler, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage has accepted $1.7 million in federal funding for a 13,875-acre conservation project in Piscataquis County, Read More
Maine House Gives Initial Approval to Restore Funds for Energy Efficiency Program
The House voted 138-1 to approve the bill, but Gov. Paul LePage has indicated that he plans to veto it. By Steve Mistler, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story AUGUSTA — The House of Representatives gave preliminary approval Wednesday to a bill designed to fix a clerical error that cut $38 million from an Read More
Will Legislators Take Mining ‘Jobs’ Bait This Time Around?
By Dennis Chinoy, Special to the BDN Bangor Daily News op-ed In December 2012, three lawyers from the legal firm Pierce Atwood published a somewhat self-congratulatory article in a mining journal. “About Face: How a mine moved toward operating in Maine” described how the authors helped craft a bill mandating relaxed mining regulations on behalf Read More
Republicans and Conservation — Not the Partnership It Used to Be
Teddy Roosevelt was a Republican who achieved the most remarkable conservation record of all of our presidents. By George Smith Kennebec Journal column April 29 was a sad day for this Republican. Sen. Roger Katz, of Augusta, also a Republican, was attacked for defending the projects and integrity of the Land for Maine’s Future program. Read More
Efficiency Maine ‘And’ Fix Bill Sails Through House
By Christopher Cousins, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story AUGUSTA, Maine — A controversial bill to fix a typo that could be worth roughly $38 million to the Efficiency Maine Trust sailed through the House of Representatives Wednesday on a 138-1 vote. Assistant House Majority Leader Sara Gideon’s bill, LD 1215, which inserts the Read More
Maine House Votes 138-1 to Pass One-word Bill to Correct Typo in Energy Efficiency Law
NRCM news release Statement of Dylan Voorhees, Clean Energy Director, Natural Resources Council of Maine The House voted 138-1 to pass LD 1215, the one-word bill to correct a typo in the omnibus energy bill passed last session, in order to prevent a major cut to energy efficiency programs for homes and businesses. “This year Read More
