by Christine Parrish The Free Press news story As part of a long-term effort to consolidate state land holdings, the state proposes to buy, sell, or swap several parcels of Maine Public Land, including approximately 6,000 acres near the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, the state’s only nationally designated Wild and Scenic River. The state does not 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!
LePage-backed Bill would Slap Extra Annual Fee on Electric, Hybrid Cars
The transportation department says owners don’t pay enough gas taxes to the highway maintenance fund, but environmental groups and drivers say the state should find another way to fill the gap. by Peter McGuide, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story The LePage administration is proposing to make it more expensive to own a hybrid Read More
Maine Should Leave the Bottle Bill Alone
Bangor Daily News editorial Maine’s bottle redemption program turns 40 this year, marking four decades of rewarding responsible consumers with small, 5- or 15-cent refunds when they redeem the beverage containers they’ve accrued over time. It is one of the most comprehensive and successful of such programs in the country. Maine consumers recycle more beverage Read More
Survey of Casco Bay Finds Microplastics in Four Distinct Regions
The Friends of Casco Bay assessment identifies pieces of the plastic waste, which marine life can ingest and which attract toxins. But none of the microbeads banned in Maine in 2015 showed up. By Mary Pols, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story The first survey of Casco Bay for microplastics, the troubling, hard-to-see fragments Read More
Wind Power Moratorium Reignites Tourism vs. Clean Energy Debate
by James McCarthy Mainebiz news story Gov. Paul R. LePage issued an executive order Wednesday putting the brakes on the state’s permitting of new onshore wind projects. In doing so, he’s renewed the longstanding debate over whether there’s greater value in Maine’s scenic mountains for tourism than for wind energy. His order also created the Read More
NRCM Statement on LePage Wind Power Moratorium and Secret Panel
Statement by NRCM Climate and Clean Energy Director Dylan Voorhees “Today, Governor LePage told clean energy investors that Maine is ‘Not Open for Business.’ LePage placed an open-ended unilateral moratorium on development of wind power in Maine. LePage created a secret panel with enormous power to prevent wind power from being developed in Maine. He Read More
Adult Ed, Recycling Tours: How to School Yourself in Sustainability
Mainers can take a class in Lewiston about electric cars, check out the ecomaine facility, or get a helping hand from the Natural Resources Council of Maine – just to name a few resources. By Ray Routhier, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story Not that long ago, the idea of taking a class to Read More
York Teens Want Their Town to be the Latest to Ban Polystyrene Containers
By Deborah McDermott The York Weekly news story Four York High School seniors are taking democracy and a concern for the environment to heart, and have launched an online petition drive to ban polystyrene takeout containers from being used by restaurants in York. Margaret Wilkinson, Sophia Eytel, Anya Walsh and Sammi Pooler, all students in Read More
Bill Adams, One of Maine’s Environmental Pioneers, Dies at 89
By Steve Collins, Staff Writer Sun Journal news story AUBURN — Sometimes one person in the right place makes all the difference. Back in 1973, a New York-based firm called the Pittston Co. sought to construct an oil refinery astride Passamaquoddy Bay in Eastport. The refinery would take in 250,000 barrels daily from tankers that Read More
