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.
What’s Next for the CMP Corridor
The week of April 10th marks the beginning of a jury trial that will determine whether Central Maine Power (CMP) is allowed to defy the will of Maine people. The result could be a defining moment for the future of the CMP corridor. On November 2, 2021, Maine people voted overwhelmingly to reject the CMP Read More
LD 1141, Improve Access and System Preservation by Providing Shoulders and Bicycle Lanes
Testimony in Support of LD 1141, An Act to Improve Access and System Preservation by Providing Shoulders and Bicycle Lanes on State Roadways Leading to State Parks and Other Significant Destinations Senator Chipman, Representative Williams, and members of the Committee on Transportation, my name is Josh Caldwell. I am the Climate and Clean Energy Outreach Read More
LD 655, Reducing Carbon Emissions from State Vehicles
Support of LD 655, An Act to Address Climate Change by Reducing Carbon Emissions from State Vehicles Senator Nangle, Representative Stover, and members of the Committee on State and Local Government, my name is Josh Caldwell. I am the Climate & Clean Energy Outreach Coordinator at the Natural Resources Council of Maine. NRCM has been Read More
LD 341, An Act to Amend the Maine Tree Growth Tax Law to Encourage Housing Construction
Testimony in Opposition to LD 341, An Act to Amend the Maine Tree Growth Tax Law to Encourage Housing Construction Senator Grohoski, Representative Perry, and members of the Committee on Taxation, I am Melanie Sturm, the Forests and Wildlife Director at the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM), and I appreciate the opportunity to provide testimony Read More
LD 924, a Resolve to Provide Legislative Approval of Northern Maine Transmission Infrastructure
Testimony in Support of LD 924, a Resolve to Provide Legislative Approval of Northern Maine Transmission Infrastructure Senator Lawrence, Representative Zeigler, and members of the Joint Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology, my name is Jack Shapiro. I am the Climate and Clean Energy Director at the Natural Resources Council of Maine. NRCM has been Read More
Support of LD 542 to Reform Electricity Rates
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 (NRCM). NRCM has been working for more than 60 years to protect, restore, and conserve Maine’s environment, on Read More
LD 894, An Act to Preserve Heating and Energy Choice by Prohibiting a Municipality from Prohibiting a Particular Energy System or Energy Distributor
Testimony in Opposition to LD 894, An Act to Preserve Heating and Energy Choice by Prohibiting a Municipality from Prohibiting a Particular Energy System or Energy Distributor Senator Nangle, Representative Stover, and members of the Joint Committee on State and Local Government, my name is Jack Shapiro. I am the Climate and Clean Energy Director Read More
Willow Oil Project Approval Ignores Urgency of Climate Change
On Monday March 13, 2023, the Biden Administration approved the Conoco-Phillips Willow project, a massive oil drilling proposal that would become the largest on federal lands in the United States. In response, the Natural Resources Council of Maine released the following statement from Federal Project Advocate Anya Fetcher: “The Biden Administration’s approval of the Conoco-Phillips Read More
New Bill Could Block Clean Energy Progress
This week, the Legislature will consider a fossil fuel pre-emption bill that would strip Maine’s communities of their ability to set policies that improve health, lower energy costs for residents, and tackle climate change with the urgency it requires. This bill would set back the progress we’ve made in creating new jobs from the state’s Read More