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.
Group: Maine National Monument Comments Submitted To Feds Are 99.96% Positive
by A.J. Higgins Maine Public news story Conservationists and members of the Millinocket-area business community say public responses to a recent federal review have been overwhelmingly supportive of the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. During a Bangor press conference Friday, Natural Resources Council of Maine Executive Director Lisa Pohlmann said the responses to the Read More
Public Overwhelmingly Supports Maine’s National Monument
99.96% of Public Comments Favor Keeping Katahdin Woods and Waters NRCM news release Bangor — The Natural Resources Council of Maine today announced that public comments submitted to the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) as part of a review of national monuments initiated by President Trump reveal “nearly unanimous” support for Katahdin Woods and Waters Read More
Four Maine Brewers Fight EPA Plan to Repeal Clean Water Regulations
To protect an ingredient vital to their product, they oppose having the agency oversee fewer waterways under a Trump administration proposal to restrict the government’s powers. by James Patrick, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story Four Maine breweries have signed on to an effort to fight the Trump administration’s plan to repeal a rule Read More
Maine’s New Monument Offers Chance for Rustic Adventures
by Patrick Whittle, The Associated Press Boston Globe news story STACYVILLE, Maine (AP) — In a rural corner of Maine that’s so remote even Mainers call it “the willy-wags,” there’s a new place for camping, hiking and birding. But it comes with a dash of political intrigue. Maine’s new Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument Read More
Could Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument Become a Full-fledged National Park?
Boston Globe editorial NEW ENGLAND could finally get its second national park, courtesy of support from the unlikeliest source — the Trump administration. Give credit where it’s due: Trump’s interior secretary, Ryan Zinke, said during a recent visit to Maine that he could support turning a beautiful new national monument in northern Maine, Katahdin Woods Read More
I Hope Zinke’s Visit Showed Him the Importance of the North Woods Monument
By Sheridan Steele, Special to the BDN Bangor Daily News op-ed Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke’s recent visit to Maine to see firsthand our majestic landscapes is a good exercise of his role of chief steward of our nation’s national parks and monuments. But contemplating reduction or elimination of our public land is not. Read More
With Lobsters and Climate, There’s Not a Debate
Fishery experts don’t waste time with politics when their livelihood is threatened by rising temperatures. Portland Press Herald editorial During a week in which much of the world was wondering whether the president of the United States considers climate change a threat, in a Portland hotel conference room full of people who spend their lives Read More
Maine Desperately Needs the Benefits the Monument Can Bring
By Cody McEwen, Special to the BDN Bangor Daily News op-ed The Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument is a focal point in the lives of business owners and residents of the Katahdin region. Now the U.S. Department of the Interior is conducting a review to determine if there was sufficient public input before its Read More
Zinke Might Recommend Katahdin Monument be National Park
By Nick Sambides Jr., BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story TOWNSHIP 2, RANGE 8 ― Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke said Thursday that he might recommend that Maine’s Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument be upgraded to a national park. Asked on the second day of his fact-finding tour of northern Maine if 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.
