By Mario Moretto, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story AUGUSTA, Maine — While proponents continue their efforts to set aside 150,000 acres in northern Maine for a national park and recreation area, Gov. Paul LePage voiced his opposition to the plan in a letter addressed to President Barack Obama. A company called Elliotsville Plantation 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!
Public Opinion Survey Shows Broad Support for New Proposed National Park and National Recreation Area
NRCM news release The Natural Resources Council of Maine today released the results of two public opinion survey questions about a proposal to establish a new National Park and National Recreation Area on 150,000 acres of land east of Baxter State Park. The questions, included in the Spring Critical Insights of Maine Tracking Survey, show Read More
Maine Lawmakers Hear Proposals to Return Missing ‘and’ to Energy Law
by Scott Thistle, State Politics Editor Sun Journal news story AUGUSTA — Maine lawmakers Wednesday took the first steps toward fixing what’s become known as a $38 million typographical error in a law that funds the state’s energy-efficiency programs. But looming over any potential fix is the less-than-subtle hint that Republican Gov. Paul LePage will Read More
Bill Would Eliminate Deposit Fee on Larger Bottles
WGME-TV news story AUGUSTA (WGME)—A bill in Augusta would eliminate bottle deposit fees on any bottle larger than 32 ounces, which includes 2-liter soda bottles and large wine bottles. Those against the change say it would seriously hurt the redemption center business in Maine and lead to more littering. “This would be a windfall for Read More
Legislators Meet to Fix Efficiency Maine Funding
WCSH-6 TV news story AUGUSTA, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — The Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee heard testimony Wednesday on two competing bills that would restore funding to Efficiency Maine. The word “and” was left out of the 2013 law in a drafting error. That error allowed regulators to slash $38 million dollars for energy efficiency Read More
Canadians Oppose Closure of St. Croix River Basin to Alewives
By Tom Porter MPBN news story The Canadian government has joined the fray over a controversial proposal to prevent the passage of alewives into the St. Croix River near the international border. Ottawa wants unrestricted alewife passage, something which conservationists support, but which the recreational fishing lobby says could have devastating effects on the local Read More
Maine Needs Recycling Boost, But Not at Bottle Bill’s Expense
By The BDN Editorial Board Bangor Daily News editorial If reality reflected state law, Mainers today would recycle and compost at least half their solid waste. They would have reached that threshold in 2009. Instead, Maine’s recycling rate has remained stubbornly close to 40 percent for years, with no sustained progress to speak of. The Read More
Medway Residents to Vote on National Park Plan
By Nick Sambides Jr., BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story MEDWAY, Maine — Residents will decide whether they support a proposed 150,000-acre national park and recreation area in a nonbinding referendum on June 23, officials said Monday. The Board of Selectmen agreed informally last week to hold the referendum during the town’s annual election, Read More
Complaints Few as Portland Adapts to Plastic Bag Fee
Some store owners are surprised by how many shoppers remember to bring their reusable bags. By Randy Billings and Beth Quimby, Staff Writers Portland Press Herald news story Store owners are required by a city ordinance, enacted by the City Council last June, to post a sign informing customers about the fee and itemize the Read More