Clean air is essential for healthy, happy lives. Clean, renewable energy helps ensure clean air. NRCM works for policies and initiatives that will improve Maine's air quality and reduce global warming pollution throughout the state and region.
NRCM’s climate and clean energy work is focused on where we can have the greatest impact: cleaner cars and trucks, clean and renewable energy production, and greater energy efficiency.
Our work in these key areas is critical to reducing health and environmental problems already plaguing our state. These include high asthma rates, more “bad air days,” rising sea levels due to climate change that threaten coastal communities, and threats to our fall foliage, skiing, and our vital tourism-based industry.
NRCM makes certain that Maine's elected officials and decision-makers are kept up to date about information related to climate change pollution, clean energy technologies, and steps Maine can take to ensure clean air.
More Transportation Choices for Mainers
Cars and trucks can get us to many places, but a system designed around personal vehicles comes with a host of problems. Cars are expensive to maintain, polluting, and dangerous, and the system of roads needed to support them is in constant need of repair, which puts a burden on local communities and taxpayers. We Read More
LD 71, Resolve, Regarding Legislative Review of Chapter 171: Control of Petroleum Storage Facilities
Testimony In Support of LD 71, Resolve, Regarding Legislative Review of Chapter 171: Control of Petroleum Storage Facilities, a Major Substantive Rule of the Department of Environmental Protection. Senator Brenner, Representative Gramlich, and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, my name is Todd Martin. I am the Director of NRCM Read More
LD 256, An Act to Add Electric Bicycles to the Electric Vehicle Rebate Program
Testimony in support of LD 256, An Act to Add Electric Bicycles to the Electric Vehicle Rebate Program Senator Lawrence, Representative Zeigler, distinguished members of the Committee on Energy, Utilities, and Technology. My name is Josh Caldwell. I am the Climate and Clean Energy Outreach Coordinator at the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM), and I Read More
LD 122, Establish a Program to Support the Uptake of Medium-duty and Heavy-duty Zero-emission Vehicles by Maine Businesses
Testimony in support of LD 122, An Act to Authorize the Efficiency Maine Trust to Establish a Program to Support the Uptake of Medium-duty and Heavy-duty Zero-emission Vehicles by Maine Businesses and to Establish a Medium-duty and Heavy-duty Zero-emission Vehicle-to-grid Pilot Project Senator Lawrence, Representative Zeigler, distinguished members of the Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology. Read More
LD 69, An Act to Improve Electrical Supply Cost Transparency
Testimony in Opposition to LD 69, An Act to Improve Electrical Supply Cost Transparency Senator Lawrence, Representative Zeigler, and members of the Joint Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology, my name is Rebecca Schultz. I am a senior advocate for climate and clean energy at the Natural Resources Council of Maine, which is Maine’s leading Read More
LD 142, An Act to Fund Climate-related Service Work
Testimony in support of LD 142, An Act to Fund Climate-related Service Work Senator Rafferty, Representative Brennan, distinguished members of the Committe on Education and Cultural Affairs. My name is Josh Caldwell. I am the Climate and Clean Energy Outreach Coordinator at the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM), and I am testifying today in Read More
Maine PUC Selects Northern Maine Wind and Transmission Projects
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
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
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
