By Kevin Miller, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story The Natural Resources Council of Maine is accusing Maine Department of Environmental Protection officials of allowing an industry group to have undue influence on a recent report that calls for a re-evaluation of hazardous waste recycling programs. But a DEP spokeswoman said the department’s doors 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.
Groups Concerned about Tar Sands Oil Pipelines for Midwest & Maine
NRCM, Sierra Club Maine, NRDC, NWF Conservation groups gathered in Portland today to express concerns about efforts to pipe tar sands crude oil from Canada into the United States, citing proposals to build a massive new pipeline across America’s heartland and the possibility that tar sands could flow from Canada through Maine for export. A Read More
NRCM: DEP Submits to ‘Undue Industry Influence’ on Product Stewardship Programs
by Gina Hamilton The New Maine Times news story A new report released Tuesday by the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) calls into question the amount of industry influence over the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in the arena of product stewardship regulations. What is product stewardship? For years, Maine has required that Read More
Report Suggests Songbirds, Bats at Risk of Mercury Poisoning
by Kevin Miller Bangor Daily News news story Researchers examining the effects of mercury on wildlife found elevated levels of the neurotoxin in songbirds and bats from Maine to Virginia, prompting the study’s authors to call for more monitoring and stronger conservation measures. Researchers with the BioDiversity Research Institute, based in Gorham, and The Nature Read More
Bureaucratic Malpractice: Maine DEP Waives Water Quality Certification for Flagstaff Lake
Maine Loses Ability to Have Any Say in Water Management for Next 25 Years NRCM * AMC * CLF * Maine Rivers * Trout Unlimited PORTLAND, ME – Conservation groups are charging that the deep cuts in, and ongoing reorganization of, personnel at the Maine Department of Environmental Protection have resulted in a clear case of Read More
Pipeline Project Could Turn Maine Into ‘Dirty Tar Sands Oil’ Capital of the Eastern U.S.
NRCM Joins Protest of Phase I of “Trailbreaker” Pipeline NRCM news release The Natural Resources Council of Maine has joined with four other environmental organizations in an effort to block a Canadian pipeline project that could make Portland, Maine, the “tar sands capital” of the eastern United States. The groups have sent a letter that calls Read More
Senate Holds the Line on Protecting Vernal Pools
A LePage-backed bid to reduce buffer zones for development is overwhelmingly rejected. by Tom Bell, MaineToday Media State House Writer Portland Press Herald news story AUGUSTA – By a wide margin, the Maine Senate on Wednesday rejected an attempt by Gov. Paul LePage to roll back regulations aimed at protecting the state’s largest vernal pools. Read More
Seeking to Cut Vernal Pool Buffer, LePage Spurns Warning of Federal Scrutiny, Lawmaker Compromise
By Steve Mistler, Staff Writer Sun Journal news story AUGUSTA — The LePage administration is continuing its push to reduce the state’s buffer zone for vernal pools, despite warnings that the temporary wetlands could suffer irreparable harm. The Maine House of Representatives on Friday unanimously killed a bill that would slice the current 250-foot buffer Read More
New Poll Shows Mainers Support Environment
Statement by NRCM Executive Director Lisa Pohlmann The message from the poll that we are releasing today is absolutely clear: Maine’s clean air, clean water, and natural heritage is a high priority. The poll also demonstrates that Mainers decisively reject the notion that our environmental laws are causing a significant drag on our economy. They Read More
