The American Petroleum Institute says the six-month moratorium on some waterfront development violates state and federal laws. by Matt Byrne, staff writer Portland Press Herald news story A national petroleum lobbying group is gearing up to sue the city of South Portland if it moves forward next week with a moratorium on loading Canadian tar-sands Read More
climate change
South Portland Tar Sands Ordinance Could Face Court Challenge
by Susan Sharon MPBN news story The American Petroleum Insititute has told South Portland that a moratorium on tar sands oil activity would likely violate a number of laws, as well as the Constitution’s Commerce Clause. The city of South Portland, which is currently considering a moratorium on the shipping of tar sands oil from Read More
Report: Climate Change Impacting Game Species in Maine
Heat, Disease Threaten Big Game and Their Habitats NRCM and NWF press release Augusta, ME (September 25, 2013) – Rising temperatures, spreading diseases, and more extreme weather events fueled by manmade climate change are making survival more challenging for America’s treasured big game wildlife from coast to coast, according to a new report from the Read More
Change of Heart? Maine Gov. Convenes Climate Change Group
by Susan Sharon MPBN news story Gov. Paul LePage, who has previously referred to global warming as “a scam,” and who has said he’s not convinced that human activities are a significant contributor to greenhouse gases, is now asking the Department of Environmental Protection and other state agencies to take steps — albeit small ones Read More
Panel Presents Maine Perspectives on Climate Change & Proposed Power Plant Pollution
Panelists discuss benefits to Maine from addressing climate and establishing national standards, which parallel existing standards in Maine and Northeast News release Portland, ME – Support is building in Maine for national standards that would limit climate-changing pollution from new power plants. Such standards are being pursued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Today, Maine Read More
NRCM Congratulates South Portland Residents for Hard-fought Campaign to Protect Community
Laments relentless oil industry spending on misinformation campaign Statement of NRCM CEO Lisa Pohlmann, on South Portland Waterfront South Portland, ME — Today’s vote of 4,453 against and 4,261 for — a 200-vote margin — on the Waterfront Protection Ordinance to protect South Portland from tar sands is a disappointing outcome for the people of Read More
New Carbon Emissions Rules Offer Great Benefits to Maine
by Tom Tietenberg Kennebec Journal op-ed A few years ago, I served on a panel as part of a National Academy of Sciences study titled “America’s Climate Choices.” One of the takeaway lessons from that study was that carbon dioxide has a very long residence time in the atmosphere, up to 1,000 years. It is Read More
Climate Experts: Warming in Maine Leading to Declining Moose, Lobster Populations
By Mario Moretto, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story PORTLAND, Maine — Climate change is real, human activity is causing it, and its effects will leave Maine — and the planet — “fundamentally degraded.” That was the message delivered by renowned climatologist Michael Mann, who spoke to a packed auditorium at the University of Read More
Climate Change Threatens Fisheries, Including Maine’s Brook Trout
by George Smith Kennebec Journal column WE’VE HEARD AND read a lot about the alarming increase in green crabs in coastal waters, and the devastating impact the crabs have had on mussels and clams. Lobsters may be next. The city of Brunswick even appropriated $100,000 to work with local clammers to try to save their Read More