Collaborative effort to rebalance fisheries and hydropower on Maine’s largest river completed one year ago News release One year ago, on Tuesday, June 14, 2016, hundreds of people, including federal, state, local, and tribal officials, and project partners, gathered in Howland, Maine, to mark and celebrate the completion of the last major milestone in the Read More
Clean Water
Clean, healthy waterways are vital to our day-to-day lives. They help ensure safe drinking water, suitable habitat for fish and other wildlife, and recreational opportunities that make Maine a special place to live, work, and visit. NRCM is working hard to protect and restore Maine’s lakes, rivers, and streams, now and for generations to come.
Legislature Overrides LePage Veto of Mining Regulations
by Susan Sharon Maine Public news story The Maine House and Senate have overridden the governor’s veto of a bill to protect Maine from the hazards of mining pollution. This marks the third time in the past five years that lawmakers have blocked the Department of Environmental Protection from adopting mining rules that critics said Read More
State Considers Taking Over Dam on Popular Fishing Lake
by Fred Bever Maine Public news story Gov. Paul LePage wants the state to take over a small dam in northern Maine that straddles the border with Canada on the St. Croix River. It’s one option to prevent its total abandonment by the paper company that now owns it. But the proposal is meeting skepticism Read More
Maine Lawmakers Buck LePage, Pass Mineral Mining Rules after Years of Debate
By Christopher Cousins, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story AUGUSTA, Maine — A bill to regulate large-scale mining in Maine will go into law over the objections of Gov. Paul LePage following the Legislature’s rejection of his veto. The House of Representatives settled the matter Wednesday afternoon in a convincing 122-21 vote in favor Read More
Lawmakers Override LePage Veto, Adopt Mining Restrictions
The regulations, often described as among the nation’s strictest, ban larger open-pit mines and require mining companies to cover the costs of major cleanup projects. By Kevin Miller, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story AUGUSTA — After years of heated debate, Maine lawmakers gave final approval Wednesday to restrictive new regulations on metallic mining Read More
Legislature Overrides Governor LePage Veto of “An Act to Protect Maine’s Clean Water and Taxpayers from Mining Pollution” (LD 820)
Statement of Nick Bennett, Staff Scientist, Natural Resources Council of Maine “NRCM is grateful that the Legislature has overridden the governor’s veto of LD 820. Today, the Maine Senate voted unanimously to override the veto, and the House voted 122-21. Members of both parties worked equally hard on the bill during countless hours of work Read More
Maine Enacts the Nation’s Strictest Metal Mining Law
Metal mining is one of the most dangerous industrial endeavors. Maine is a particularly risky place to mine because of the high levels of sulfides in metal deposits here and our rainy and snowy weather. Sulfides in metal deposits become sulfuric acid when exposed to air or water. Maine’s wet springs and snowy winters would Read More
Damaging Maine’s Environment: Impacts of Proposed Cuts to the EPA Budget
The Trump Administration has proposed deep cuts to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) programs that reduce pollution in Maine, save the lives of Maine people, and strengthen our communities and economy. As described in our comprehensive new report, Damaging Maine, the Administration’s unprecedented proposed cuts to EPA would cause widespread harm to efforts to protect clean air and water, Read More
Unprecedented EPA Budget Cuts Would Harm the Health of Maine’s Environment, Economy, and People
News Release Brewer, Maine — The White House this week released a budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2018 that would slash Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) programs that reduce pollution in Maine, save the lives of Maine people, and strengthen our communities and economy. The proposal singles out EPA for the deepest cuts of any federal Read More