Today, a bill passed unanimously by the Maine Legislature has become law, reauthorizing Maine to remain part of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) through 2030, and ensuring deeper pollution cuts from power plants. LD 1657, sponsored by Rep. Ralph Tucker, was prepared by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection after the nine northeast states Read More
Efficiency Maine
Neither for Nor Against LD 897, An Act To Authorize a General Fund Bond Issue To Support the Biomass Industry
Good morning Senator Hamper, Representative Gattine, and members of the Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs. My name is Nick Bennett and I am the Staff Scientist for the Natural Resources Council of Maine. I am testifying neither for nor against LD 897. NRCM supports providing funding for combined heat and power (CHP) for saw Read More
It’s Possible to Reduce Carbon Emissions Without Sacrificing Economic Growth
By Tom Tietenberg, Special to the BDN Bangor Daily News op-ed In 2005, Maine and eight other northeastern and mid-Atlantic states banded together to create the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative to reduce carbon emissions. The initiative is a form of carbon pricing. It sets an annual cap on the total amount of carbon dioxide emissions Read More
Climate Change Conference at UNE Features Senator Angus King
News release BIDDEFORD, Maine — On November 18, 2016, the University of New England (UNE) hosted a climate change solutions conference featuring Senator Angus King as the keynote speaker. The conference, “Climate Change Solutions: Maine Leadership from Policy to Education,” was co-sponsored by UNE, Natural Resources Council of Maine and Citizens’ Climate Lobby. UNE President Danielle Read More
Leaders of Nearly 50 Maine Clean Energy Businesses Urge Collins, King to Defend EPA Clean Power Plan
Action on climate-changing pollution critical to Maine’s economy, way of life NRCM News Release Today, clean energy business leaders gathered in Portland at ReVision Energy’s headquarters to release a letter urging Maine Senators Susan Collins and Angus King to continue their support for the Clean Power Plan. If ongoing efforts to repeal it are unsuccessful, the plan Read More
Citizens, Workers, Businesses, Towns, & Others Urge Adoption of Strong Solar Policy for Maine
Say Maine Can’t Afford to Fall Further Behind on Solar Power & Jobs News Release Hallowell, ME – A diverse group of people and organizations gathered today at the Maine Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to urge policymakers to develop and adopt a comprehensive solar policy that can move Maine out of last place in the Read More
NRCM Blasts LePage Administration on Energy Efficiency Policies
By Mal Leary MPBN news story In what may be the opening skirmish in a long battle over the three-year budget for Efficiency Maine, the Natural Resources Council of Maine is accusing the LePage Administration of seeking to reduce funding for weatherization and for home heating system improvements. The LePage Administration says that is just Read More
Maine Climate, Energy, Economy Experts Voice Support for Clean Power Plan
News release Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its final Clean Power Plan to combat climate change. In response, Maine experts in climate, energy, and the economy, voiced their support for the plan on a telephone briefing, and called on local, state, and national leaders to do the same. They explained why the Clean Read More
Legislature Blocked Several Measures that would Have Hurt Progress on Climate Change
By Tom Tietenberg Kennebec Journal op-ed Several recent reports, coming from very different perspectives, have made a strong case for the world to take action to diminish the risks posed by climate change. These include the papal encyclical, which makes the moral case; a recent EPA report, which quantifies the economic case; and the report Read More
