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.
Former Critics Sign Letter Asking to Preserve Maine’s Monument
By Nick Sambides Jr., BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story MILLINOCKET, Maine — With President Donald Trump targeting northern Maine’s national monument, Katahdin-area leaders who fiercely opposed its creation now say they want to keep it. Nineteen officials representing towns near the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument wrote Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke Read More
Don’t Drive Away Investment in Katahdin Region
As President Trump tries to undo monument protections, Maine residents should speak up. Portland Press Herald editorial If investment capital goes where it is welcome, as Gov. LePage likes to say, then the money flowing into the Katahdin region must feel pretty unwanted. In just the short time since then-President Barack Obama designated roughly 87,500 Read More
LePage Just Can’t Get Over Katahdin National Monument
With more anger than reason, the governor argues against the designation before a congressional committee. by Bill Nemitz Portland Press Herald column She couldn’t live any farther from Maine. But U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, D-Hawaii, sure has a clear view of the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. “This is a very unusual situation,” Hanabusa Read More
Mr. LePage Goes to Washington, Embarrasses Maine
By David Farmer Bangor Daily News column WASHINGTON – Gov. Paul LePage is racking up the frequent flyer miles with his recent spate of visits to Washington, D.C. I hope he earns a free upgrade or a ticket someplace nice because he’s certainly not doing himself – or our state – any favors with his Read More
LePage, Advocate Offer Dueling Testimony on Katahdin-area National Monument
Maine’s governor wants the designation rescinded for the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, while Lucas St. Clair says area businesses already are seeing positive impacts. by Kevin Miller, staff writer Portland Press Herald news story Maine’s Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument took center stage in the political debate over national monuments Tuesday in Read More
Katahdin Region Responds to Monument Hearing
While the future of the Katahdin Woods and Waters National monument was being discussed in Washington — community members in the Katahdin region were participating virtually and having a conversation of their own. by Samantha York WLBZ-2 TV news story MILLINOCKET, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — While the future of the Katahdin Woods and Waters National monument was Read More
Hearing Slated to Consider National Monuments, Including KWW
Katahdin Area Chamber of Commerce President, Sporting Lodge Owner, Select Board Chair, and Others heading to Washington, DC to counter President Trump/Governor LePage Attacks on Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument Today the Federal Lands Subcommittee of the House Committee on Natural Resources is hosting a “witnesses by invitation only” hearing on presidentially declared national Read More
LePage’s Continued Monument Opposition Jeopardizes Katahdin Region’s Progress
By The BDN Editorial Board Bangor Daily News editorial The Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument has existed for only eight months. Already, the number of people who have visited the monument has surpassed the total population of many of the small towns near its borders. The number of winter visitors to the Mount Chase Read More
My Katahdin-area Business is Booming Thanks to Maine’s New National Monument
By Matthew Polstein, Special to the BDN Bangor Daily News op-ed In the April 24 Bangor Daily News article “Trump, LePage actions threaten Maine’s national monument,” Gov. Paul LePage described the Katahdin Woods and Waters Monument as cut over forests of no particular interest. “There is nothing that is going to happen [with the monument],” 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.
