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.
The Folly of Tar Sands Oil in Existing Pipelines in Maine
by Merrylyn Sawyer Bangor Daily News op-ed Recently three separate articles have appeared in the Bangor Daily News concerning tar sands oil and the possible use of the present pipeline that runs between Portland, Maine, and Montreal, known as the Portland Pipe Line. One article mentioned that the Montreal Pipe Line Ltd. and the Enbridge Read More
Mainers Rally on Anniversary of Worst Tar Sands Spill in History; Oppose Risky Tar Sands Oil in Maine
NRCM press release Maine citizens are turning out across Maine this week to oppose an emerging plan to pump dirty tar sands oil from Ontario, Canada through a pipeline in the beautiful lakes region in southwestern Maine to Portland, Maine where it would be shipped out by supertankers. The four rallies coincide with the two Read More
More Than 2M Comments Nationally and 15,201 Collected in Maine Support EPA Carbon Limits
NRCM news release Bangor, Maine—The Natural Resources Council of Maine, Environment Maine, and a broad coalition of Maine groups supporting clean air safeguards, announced today that they have collected more than 15,000 public comments here in the state and a record two million comments nationwide in support of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Carbon Read More
Report Sounds the Alarm on Tar Sands Pipeline Scheme in Central Canada and New England
Broad coalition highlighting threats to Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Quebec, and Ontario from tar sands pipeline proposals PORTLAND, MAINE — A controversial new pipeline plan threatens drinking water and many beloved natural areas in Maine and across New England and Central Canada according to a new report released today. A broad coalition of 19 organizations Read More
As Trains Start to Carry Crude Oil Across Maine, Environmentalists Start to Worry
by Kevin Miller, staff writer Bangor Daily News news story The modern-day oil boom in the western U.S. and Canada is fueling interest in shipping crude oil by rail across Maine to a refinery in the Maritimes. But the prospect of long trains of oil-filled tanker cars rumbling through Maine also has state environmental officials Read More
NRCM Testifies Before EPA about Carbon Pollution Standards for New Power Plants
So far more than 1.7 million people, including more than 9,000 people from Maine, have written to support the first-ever national safeguards essential to protect Americans from climate-changing carbon pollution from new power plants! That makes two historic firsts, because this is the also largest number of public comments ever received by the EPA. Power plants Read More
Support of Proposed Carbon Rules at EPA Hearing on Carbon Emission Standards for New Power Plants
Hello, my name is Dylan Voorhees and I am the Clean Energy Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM.) NRCM is a nonprofit membership organization founded in 1959 and dedicated to protecting, restoring, and conserving Maine’s environment, now and for future generations. We have over 12,000 members and activists. Improving air quality, promoting Read More
Pipeline Company Enbridge Announces Massive Pipeline Expansion
Reveals True Intentions to Bring Tar Sands Oil Toward Maine NRCM press release Last night Canadian pipeline giant Enbridge announced plans for a massive increase in pipeline capacity to bring dirty tar sands oil from Canada to global markets via the United States. One of the biggest components of the plan is to reverse the Read More
New England EPA Administrator Hears Maine Perspectives on Climate Change, Pollution, and Energy
In Light of First Ever National Carbon Pollution Standards for New Power Plants NRCM press release Portland, ME – The head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) New England office, Curt Spalding, joined a Portland roundtable today focused on proposed national standards, which, for the first time would limit climate-changing pollution from new power Read More
