by Lisa Pohlmann, NRCM Executive Director A new open-pit mining bill, LD 1853, was introduced just a couple of weeks ago. It would allow much more toxic mining pollution than Maine’s current rules allow. This complex and sweeping bill was released for “public review” less than 24 hours before the public hearing. Mining is currently 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.
New Report Sheds Light on Disappointing Winter
Last winter, I wrote a blog post, Joys of a Maine winter, sharing my love for winter fishing in Maine. But this winter has been disappointing. With the warm December and January, and early spring (summer, really) temperatures, the ice fishing season was much abbreviated. I got out on the ice maybe only five times this Read More
There’s Gold in Aroostook County, and Bill Would Ease Maine Mining Regulations
By Kevin Miller, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story AUGUSTA, Maine — A remote mountain in the woods of far northern Maine is once again the focal point of a major debate over mining as landowners seek sweeping changes to state regulations in response to the rising price of gold and silver. Environmental and Read More
Relaxing Mining Rules is Fool’s Gold
By Jeff Reardon Bangor Daily News op-ed Looking at Irving’s proposal for a copper mine near Ashland last week, I remembered what mining did to a Pennsylvania stream I fished in 1990. Fresh out of college, I was working in Newark, N.J, wondering where the nearest brook trout might be. I quickly discovered the great Read More
Mercury Causes “Foggy Headed” Loons to Fail as Parents, Possibly Threatening Their Future
By Seth Koenig, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story STANDISH, Maine — When Thom Watson is showing tourists or budding sportsmen around the lakes of Maine, loons are the prized sightings. “In terms of Maine folklore, when I’m with clients, I love to see them, love to hear them and, maybe most of all, Read More
Group Alleges Industry Influenced DEP’s Mercury Recycling Report
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
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
