by Paul Corrigan, retired Baxter State Park ranger living in Millinocket Bangor Daily News op-ed It was with disappointment that I read what Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke may have in store for Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument in his memorandum to the president, especially in light of the secretary’s visit to Maine back in June. 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!
Bill to Lower Liquor Bottle Deposits Considered
by Mal Leary Maine Public news story Grocers and others in the food and beverage industry are supporting a proposal to reduce the deposit rate on liquor bottles in Maine from 15 cents to five. This change would match the nickel deposit implemented last year on small containers of liquor commonly called “nips.” Supporters of Read More
Lawmakers Have One More Chance to Fix Nonsensical Solar Rules
Bangor Daily News editorial Maine lawmakers again have the chance to fix unnecessary rules that will hamper the development of solar and other alternative, clean energy in Maine and will also needlessly cost Mainers millions of dollars. In 2016, the Legislature passed a bipartisan bill to update the state’s rules around solar power generation. LePage Read More
Climate Change is Burning a Hole in Our Pocketbooks
By J. William Somes, Special to the BDN Bangor Daily News op-ed How many times in a month do you turn on the news and find that a climate-related catastrophe has laid waste to another swath of land, claiming dozens of lives and billions of dollars in damages? The horror stories are, unfortunately, nothing new; Read More
LePage Rightly Opposes Biomass Subsidy Bond
Maine should be looking to the future for forest products, not clinging to the past. The Editorial Board Portland Press Herald editorial Maine lawmakers faced a crisis in 2016: Subsidize the biomass industry or see hundreds of jobs vanish. It wasn’t much of a choice, following the shutdown of paper mills in Madison and Bucksport, Read More
Regulators Delay Power Contract Essential to UMaine Floating Wind Farm
The Public Utilities Commission decides to reopen terms of the 2013 contract between Aqua Ventus and CMP because of changing energy markets. by Tux Turkel, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story Long-running efforts to secure a power contract for the first floating wind farm in the United States suffered a setback Tuesday when the Read More
Offshore Drilling Threatens Important Maine Industries
Tourism and fishing depend on a clean coastline – so why isn’t our state exempt from the oil exploration planned by the Trump administration? Portland Press Herald editorial The Trump administration Tuesday removed the waters off Florida – and only Florida – from the list of areas newly open to offshore drilling, and in doing Read More
New England Congressional Delegations Submit Bill to Ban Offshore Drilling
The opposition to the Trump administration’s plan to expand offshore oil and gas drilling comes from every senator and representative in coastal New England. by the Associated Press Portland Press Herald news story CONCORD, N.H. — A bipartisan group of U.S. senators and representatives from New England has introduced a bill to prohibit oil and Read More
Largest Solar Project in Maine is Generating Power in Brunswick
A new $2.5 million solar array at Brunswick Landing will produce 1.5 megawatts by Chris Chase, Staff Writer Coastal Journal news story WOOLWICH — During the darkest days of the year, both Brunswick Landing and the Town of Woolwich just completed projects to harvest energy from the sun. A $2.5 million solar array project, constructed Read More
