The Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has announced that it would, for the second time this year, be delaying a new law aimed at reducing plastic pollution by limiting the use of single-use plastic shopping bags. DEP also decided to delay a new law that would have prohibited foam food containers. The Natural Resources 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!
Maine Climate Action Plan Will Curb Pollution and Hasten Economic Recovery
NRCM news release Augusta, ME (December 1, 2020) — Maine Governor Janet Mills today announced the release of a new statewide Climate Action Plan detailing a series of actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 45% by 2030 and 80% by 2050. The new Plan is the result of more than a year Read More
Maine to Tap into World Class Offshore Wind Resource with Nation’s First Floating Turbines
News release from Natural Resources Council of Maine and the National Wildlife Federation November 20, 2020 (Washington, D.C.) — Maine’s newly announced plan to build the nation’s first floating offshore wind turbine research array underscores the state’s climate leadership and underscores the growing momentum for this critical clean energy solution at a time when wildlife Read More
Reopening the Legendary Penobscot River
Book details how organizations came together to create a model for ecological restoration Islandport Press news release November 10, 2020 (Augusta, Maine)—In June 2016, an Atlantic salmon swam through the town of Howland bound for upriver spawning grounds that had been blocked for nearly two centuries. The historic event followed the remarkable removal of long-standing Read More
Groups File for Injunction to Halt CMP’s Premature Plans to Begin Corridor Work
News release from Natural Resources Council of Maine, Appalachian Mountain Club, and Sierra Club Maine November 12, 2020 (Augusta, ME) — Three conservation groups have asked a federal judge to halt Central Maine Power’s (CMP) premature plans to begin construction on its controversial transmission line. The Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC), Natural Resources Council of Maine Read More
Environmental Groups File Lawsuit Challenging Army Corps for Indefensible CMP Corridor Analysis
News release from Natural Resources Council of Maine, Appalachian Mountain Club, and Sierra Club Maine Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC), the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM), and Sierra Club Maine are challenging the Army Corps for failure to rigorously assess impacts of the controversial transmission corridor on Western Maine. The Corps’ inadequate assessment was completed Read More
On 50th Anniversary of Unanimous Clean Air Vote, A Call for Bipartisan Climate Action
NRCM news release Augusta, ME (September 22, 2020) — On the 50th anniversary of a unanimous 1970 U.S. Senate vote to pass the Clean Air Act, Maine Independent Senator Angus King today joined clean air, public health, and climate experts at an event co-hosted by the Natural Resources Council of Maine to call for that Read More
News & Noteworthy — July – September 2020
Read the latest news stories and opinion pieces related to the environment, including Maine’s air, land, water, and wildlife. September 2020 The Portland Press Herald celebrates the signing of the Great American Outdoors Act earlier this year, but says the work doesn’t end there. Poland Spring Bottling Company and the University of Maine have teamed up Read More
Mainers Call for Greater Protections at State-owned Landfills
News release (September 16, 2020) — A group of Maine residents and the Penobscot Nation will call on the Board of Environmental Protection (BEP) at their September 17th meeting to support a citizen’s petition that will ban out-of-state waste from being disposed in State-owned landfills and enact greater environmental justice protections for those communities directly Read More
