UPDATE: On January 31, 2023, the Maine PUC approved the Northern Maine transmission and wind projects. A recent study estimated that new wind projects of this scale will save Maine electricity customers $35 million per year. NRCM’s Climate & Clean Energy Director Jack Shapiro issued the following statement (you can read our original release when 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 Would Jumpstart Development of Offshore Wind in Gulf of Maine
Maine labor and conservation groups today unveiled a bill that would boost the development of responsibly sited floating offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine by requiring a competitive procurement of 2.8 GW of floating offshore wind over the next 12 years, enough to power 980,000 homes with renewable energy. “I’m here because Maine is Read More
Wolfden Revives Failed Plan to Mine in Shadow of Katahdin
After being forced to withdraw its initial request because it was riddled with errors, Wolfden Resources today submitted a second rezoning petition to develop a zinc mine at Pickett Mountain The area Wolfden wants to mine is located in the shadow of Baxter State Park and Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. It contains the Read More
Nation’s First Floating Offshore Wind Research Array Moves Forward
NRCM news release January 19, 2023 (Augusta, ME) – The federal government today announced it would move forward reviewing plans for the nation’s first floating offshore wind research array in federal waters, located 29 miles off the coast of Maine. The decision by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management finding that there was no viable Read More
News & Noteworthy — October – December 2022
Read highlights from December 2022 news stories and opinion pieces related to Maine’s air, land, water, and wildlife, in this News & Noteworthy from the Natural Resources Council of Maine. December 2022 Rulemaking for Maine’s first-in-the-nation Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for Packaging law began this month. Read about the first meeting, and hear from NRCM Read More
New Zoning Plan Charts Positive Path Forward for Maine’s Moosehead Region
Thousands of visitors and residents are drawn to Maine’s Moosehead Lake region every year to experience the spectacular clean waters, forests, and wildlife. The Plum Creek proposal in the early 2000s threatened to damage that unique character with sprawling development and was met with intense opposition. Eventually, the landowner, Weyerhaeuser, withdrew the plan in 2020. Read More
NRCM Announces Rebeccah Sanders Selected as New CEO
News Release November 16, 2022 (Augusta, ME) — Maine’s leading environmental advocacy organization, the Natural Resources Council of Maine, today announced that Rebeccah Sanders has been selected to serve as its next CEO. Sanders brings more than two decades of executive nonprofit management experience, most recently as Chief Field and Strategy Officer for the National Read More
2022 Conservation Leadership Awards Honor Lasting Contributions to Maine’s Environment
October 28, 2022 (Augusta, ME) – Two sustainability leaders, a rockweed scientist, a local landfill activist group, and a coalition formed to stop an aquafarm in Frenchman Bay, plus Maine’s famed puffin scientist, were all honored recently for their significant, long-lasting contributions to protecting the nature of Maine. The Conservation Leadership Awards program, held Wednesday Read More
100 Clean Water Champions
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act and the many people involved in this work, NRCM recognized Maine’s “Clean Water Champions” who have been leaders in river, lake, coastal water, and drinking water clean-up. To find these Champions, we asked people from all over the state to nominate champions in one of four categories: Read More
