by Susan Sharon MPBN radio news story The sponsor of a bill that environmentalists say would dramatically weaken Maine’s Kid Safe Products Act acknowledged today that the chemical industry drafted the language. Republican Rep. Jim Hamper says the proposed reforms are necessary to improve the act, which he thinks is overly broad and creates uncertainty Read More
State House Watch
Working for legislation to protect Maine’s environment is an essential part of NRCM’s mission for the people of Maine. During the legislative session, we are at the Maine State House, just a block from our office, to work for new safeguards and also to defend existing legislation that protects Maine’s land, air, water, and wildlife.
Vernal Pools at Center of Maine Environmental Regulation Debate
MPBN radio news story Conservationists, sportsmen and wetlands scientists gathered today in Augusta to speak out — again — against proposals before the Legislature. They complain the measures will undermine decades of progress by dirtying Maine’s waterways and polluting the wetlands that wading shorebirds and other waterfowl depend on to thrive. But Republicans say the Read More
A Feast—or Perhaps a Plague—of Frogs
A brief warning to readers before proceeding: this story could make you a bit queasy. Queasy doesn’t even begin to describe how I felt. I’ve never been a picky eater. My parents demanded that I eat everything on my plate, whatever it was. I remember as a kid dreading Easter dinner at my grandparents’ house Read More
Record Number of Rollback Bills Proposed to Weaken Environmental Safeguards
Statement by Pete Didisheim, NRCM Senior Director, Advocacy We are here today to bring attention to the most serious and sweeping set of proposed rollbacks of Maine’s environmental laws that we have ever seen. We’re no longer talking just about the governor’s proposed rollbacks of the safeguards that provide us with clean air, clean water, Read More
Sweeping Anti-Environment Agenda Emerges at State House
Record Number of Rollback Bills Proposed to Weaken Environmental Safeguards News release At a State House news conference today, a broad range of people spoke out in strong opposition to dozens of bills introduced by lawmakers that would repeal or weaken laws that protect Maine’s environment and the health of Maine people. Although the governor’s Read More
Maine Governor’s Bisphenol-A Remark Draws Rebukes
by Susan Sharon MPBN radio news story Recent remarks by Gov. Paul LePage about what he perceives as a lack of science surrounding the chemical bisphenol A and its role as a hormone disruptor is once again making headlines around the country and generating a strong and critical response from environmental and health policy groups. Read More
Business Leaders Unveil Criteria for Evaluating LD 1 Proposals
Lawmakers Urged to Use Five Common Sense Guidelines to Sort through Reforms News release At a State House news conference today, before a crowd of people from all corners of Maine, a group of businessmen and women endorsed a set of guiding principles that could help lawmakers sort through the raft of proposals for “regulatory Read More
LePage’s Secret Puppeteers
by Colin Woodward The Portland Phoenix news story It was no surprise that Governor Paul LePage would seek to reform Maine’s environmental regulations. He campaigned on a pledge to “get government out of the way” to “allow Maine’s small businesses to create jobs.” After the election, his transition team put together a series of “Red Read More
Critics: LePage’s Proposed Regulatory Reforms “Extreme”
by Susan Sharon MPBN radio news story The LePage administration has released a list of proposed regulations targeted for outright repeal, relaxation or reform and environmentalists are calling it “extreme” and “reckless.” Some of the proposals will require legislative approval. Others could be done by administrative rule-making. In either case, alarms are being sounded on Read More
