Decisions made in Washington, D.C., have lasting effects on Maine’s clean air and water, our thriving forests and wildlife, and on the health of Maine people, our economy, and our way of life.
The Natural Resources Council of Maine works closely with Maine’s Congressional delegation to advance legislation and policies that will accelerate a clean energy future, expand access to the outdoors, and protect our nation’s wildlife.
In the last few years, NRCM mobilized our supporters to help pass the most significant climate action in U.S. history, secure bipartisan funding for infrastructure, and conserve new public lands. These investments in our future are already benefiting communities and people across the state.
King Angry; Poliquin Pleased Over Tax Bill Passage
by Jennifer Mitchell Maine Public news story WASHINGTON, D.C – Maine Independent Sen. Angus King says he’s “angry” and “disappointed” over the passage of the $1.4 trillion GOP tax overhaul bill. “The American people deserve better,” says King. King said Saturday that there was ample opportunity to gather expert input on the bill’s actual effects. Read More
Senate Tax Bill Passes, Including Environmentally Damaging Give-Away to Fossil Fuel Corporations
Statement of Lisa Pohlmann, Executive Director, Natural Resources Council of Maine We are deeply disappointed that Senator Collins voted for a tax bill that would open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil drilling. This vote reverses her 20-year record of opposing efforts to allow oil drilling in ANWR, and it is inconsistent Read More
Despite Unneeded Hurdles, Katahdin Monument Draws Visitors from Around the World
Bangor Daily News editorial In its first year of existence, the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument drew nearly 30,000 visitors. Nearly half came in the summer, via the monument’s roads, and another 15,000 people visited the monument on snowmobiles during the winter. Considering that Gov. Paul LePage has forbidden the Maine Department of Transportation Read More
Easing Pollution Regulations Won’t Save Coal. Nothing Will.
Bangor Daily News editorial Coal miners listen to speakers during an Environmental Protection Agency public hearing, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2017, at the state Capitol in Charleston, West Virginia. While political attention has been focused on a Republican tax cut plan that needlessly cuts taxes for the wealthy and big corporations that will balloon the deficit, Read More
Maine Needs to Be Heard on Clean Power Plan
Public News Service news story AUGUSTA, Maine – Environmentalists in Maine are calling the Environmental Protection Agency’s single public hearing on the proposal to repeal the Clean Power Plan a sham. The two-day hearing began Tuesday in West Virginia, the largest coal-producing state east of the Mississippi. That will be followed by a public comment Read More
Trump Administration to Hold Sham EPA Hearing to Repeal Clean Power Plan
Stark Contrast with Extensive Public Input to Establish the Plan Statement of Lisa Pohlmann, CEO, Natural Resources Council of Maine “We are deeply disturbed by the Trump Administration’s misguided plan to push through the repeal of the Clean Power Plan, which set the nation’s first limits on carbon pollution from power plants, despite overwhelming public support. Read More
Katahdin Woods and Waters: “Renewed Hope for Maine”
by Mary Kuhlman Public News Service news story AUGUSTA, Maine – From Maine to California, hundreds of small businesses are speaking up on behalf of some of the country’s most treasured places. Nearly 600 businesses and chambers of commerce on Thursday sent a letter asking the head of the National Economic Council to encourage the Read More
Clean Water Act has Transformed Androscoggin River Over Past 45 Years
by Steve Collins, Staff Writer Sun Journal news story Watch the Androscoggin River today as it flows down from the Great Falls at Lewiston-Auburn and it seems scarcely believable it was once little more than an open sewer, full of toxic chemicals, a channel for every throwaway thing that could be swept to the sea. Read More
Advocates Urge Environmental Protections On Anniversary of Clean Water Act’s Passage
By Susan Sharon Maine Public news story Wednesday marks the 45th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, the landmark law authored by U.S. Sen. Edmund Muskie of Maine, who was inspired by the Androscoggin and other rivers that were being treated as open sewers. Along the Androscoggin there were more than half a dozen paper Read More
Senator Susan Collins
413 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-2523
Email Senator Collins
Augusta: (207) 622-8414
Bangor: (207) 945-0417
Biddeford: (207) 283-1101
Caribou: (207) 493-7873
Lewiston: (207) 784-6969
Portland: (207) 618-5560
Senator Angus King
133 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-5344
Email Senator King
Augusta: (207) 622-8292
Bangor: (207) 945-8000
Biddeford: (207) 352-5216
Portland: (207) 245-1565
Presque Isle: (207) 764-5124
Congresswoman Chellie Pingree
2162 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-6116
Email Congresswoman Pingree
Portland: (207) 774-5019
Waterville: (207) 873-5713
Congressman Jared Golden
1223 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-6306
Email Congressman Golden
Bangor office: (207) 249-7400
Caribou office: (207) 492-6009
Lewiston office: (207) 241-6767
Federal Climate & Clean Energy Issues
Bold Climate Action
From our lakeshores to the ocean coastline, the impacts of climate change are already being felt in Maine’s communities and the high costs of oil and gas hitting Mainers’ pocketbooks.
We all value our connection to community and Maine’s natural environment. To stay strong and well prepared for the future, we need to act quickly and boldly on climate.
NRCM partners with Mainers, businesses, and other local organizations to push Congress and the federal government to take ambitious climate action that will create millions of new jobs, deliver home-grown clean energy to power our future, and protect our health.
Working together with our supporters, NRCM has successfully advocated for the largest investment in climate in U.S. history and billions in infrastructure funding to make our communities more resilient. Moving forward, we will continue to hold Congress accountable to their responsibility to accelerate the transition to clean energy to avert the worst impacts of climate change.
The release of Maine’s Climate Action Plan in December 2020 (with an updated Plan released in November 2024) laid out a positive path forward for tackling climate change and growing our economy. Continued federal action on climate will give Maine’s communities the tools and resources they need to advance cost-effective clean energy solutions.
Climate Change and Its Effects on Maine
Maine’s communities are especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change because of our close relationship with the natural environment.
Our coastal communities—vital to our tourism economy—are threatened by increasingly severe storms and sea-level rise while our lakes are seeing increasingly warmer waters.
Extreme weather is straining our public emergency responses and infrastructure.
Learn How Climate Change Impacts:
Federal Water, Land, & Wildlife Issues
Protecting Wildlife
Each species has an important ecological role to play in the web of life. Globally, one million species are at risk of extinction due to climate change, pollution, habitat loss, invasive species, and exploitation.
One tool that has and can continue to help address this biodiversity crisis is the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA). The ESA, signed into law in 1972, has been incredibly successful at protecting species in Maine and across the nation from the brink of extinction.
NRCM is working with national environmental groups to support adequate funding for the ESA and additional funding for wildlife protection through proposals like the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act.
Clean Water
Federal Clean Water Act
NRCM created a badge for organizations to use free of charge to celebrate the Clean Water Act 50th anniversary in 2022.
Clean, healthy waterways are vital to our day-to-day lives, central to our identity, and integral to our future. More than 50 years ago, the magnitude of pollution in the Androscoggin and other Maine rivers reached a tipping point, helping to galvanize passage of the Clean Water Act on October 18, 1972.
Maine's U.S. Senator Edmund Muskie played the critical role in writing and securing passage of this landmark legislation for the nation. In the years since, thanks to the incredible work of countless individuals, organizations, and businesses, Maine’s rivers, lakes, streams, and coastal waters have achieved remarkable progress, which deserves celebration. But we still have additional work to do to ensure clean water for future generations.
In 2022, NRCM joined with partners across Maine to create a statewide celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act that focused on the importance of clean water, strong environmental laws, investment in clean water infrastructure, and committing to continued progress. At a celebration in Lewiston on September 29, 2022, we celebrated 100 Clean Water Champions. Read full remarks by NRCM Advocacy Director Pete Didisheim.
Conserving Land
NRCM and our partners helped pass the Great American Outdoors Act, providing permanent funding for the popular and effective Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). The bill, which was championed by every member of Maine’s Congressional delegation, also provided sorely needed funding to invest in maintenance and upkeep of popular national parks and public lands.
Fully funding LCWF will result in much-needed land conservation, public access improvements, local industry support, and the creation of more outdoor spaces that benefit us all and contribute to a vibrant economy.
