In 1976, Maine Senator Edmund Muskie mobilized a staunch anti-littering sentiment that resulted in the passage of Maine’s biggest recycling success story, the Bottle Bill. Fast forward some four decades later and the bill is reaching new heights. In 2017, the House and Senate voted to override Governor LePage’s veto of a bill requiring a five-cent deposit on small liquor bottles—known widely as “nips”—to be added to the Bottle Bill. Roadside litter is Read More
Sustainability
Our vision of sustainability in Maine is ensuring a healthy future for life on Earth. Maine’s clean and healthy environment strengthens the state’s economy and is central to our way of life. Holding polluting corporations accountable through systemic changes in local, state, and federal policies is the key to creating a more healthy, prosperous, sustainable future for us all.
NRCM Statement on Strong Bipartisan Vote to Add “Nips” Liquor Bottles to Maine’s Bottle Bill
Statement of Sarah Nichols, Sustainable Maine Director, Natural Resources Council of Maine “NRCM applauds Maine lawmakers for taking a strong, bipartisan stance against roadside litter and in support of Maine’s Bottle Bill by adding ‘nips’ to the redemption program. Today the Maine Senate voted to support adding nips to Maine’s Bottle Bill by a vote Read More
House Overrides LePage’s Veto of “Nips” Bottle-deposit Bill
If the Senate also agrees to override, the governor says he’ll end sales of the popular miniature bottles of liquor that often end up as litter. by Kevin Miller, staff writer Portland Press Herald news story AUGUSTA — House lawmakers voted Tuesday to override Gov. Paul LePage’s veto of a bill that would impose a Read More
As Promised, LePage Vetoes Bill to Impose Nickel Deposit on “Nips” Bottles
Now it’s up to the Legislature to decide on a veto override vote, which could lead LePage to simply ban the sale of the small liquor bottles in Maine. by Kevin Miller, staff writer Portland Press Herald news story AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage followed through on his pledge to veto a bill to impose Read More
LePage Vetoes Deposit Bill for Nips
By Steve Collins, Sun Journal AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. Paul LePage vetoed a measure to require a deposit for the tiny liquor bottles known as nips. In his veto message, the governor complained about the cost of the proposal but also offered an alternative way to address the littering problem created by the increasingly popular Read More
From Trash to Table, RSU 19 is Seeking to Put Its Food Waste to Better Use
By Lauren Abbate, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story ETNA, Maine ― Mid-afternoon on a recent Thursday the students at the Etna-Dixmont School were outside frolicking through a field on the left side of the school. While a passerby might mistake the children’s high spirits for a typical recess session, they were actually participating Read More
In Gov. LePage’s View, No One Has Right Answers but Him
His resistance to a legislative deal on ‘nips’ deposits is just the latest in a long list of policy stances shaped by his gripes and prejudices. Portland Press Herald editorial It should have been a story about how government and industry came together to quietly solve a problem through compromise. Instead, it became another example Read More
Legislative Panel Unanimously Rejects Pesticides Bill Proposed by LePage
The proposal, which mirrored model legislation promoted by the American Legislative Exchange Council, would have prohibited local restrictions stricter than the state’s. by Kevin Miller, staff writer Portland Press Herald news story AUGUSTA — A legislative committee has voted unanimously to reject a bill that would have prohibited Maine cities and towns from adopting pesticides Read More
Lewiston Liquor Bottler Warns Ending “Nips” Sales Would Have “Drastic Impact” on Company
A letter from the Sazerac Co. CEO suggests Gov. LePage’s threat to end sales of 50-milliliter bottles – not a proposed 5-cent bottle deposit – would harm his company and the state. by Kevin Miller, staff writer Portland Press Herald news story AUGUSTA – The head of a Lewiston liquor bottler withdrew his support for Read More
