News Release Today, leaders of major hospitals In Bangor, Aroostook County, and Mid-Coast Maine joined together with a top commercial building efficiency expert and the head of Maine’s leading environmental group to focus on the financial benefits of hospital energy efficiency improvements that have been funded by the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). They gathered Read More
Maine Legislature
The Natural Resources Council of Maine reviews every bill being considered by the Maine Legislature to determine which ones deserve support and which ones should be opposed based on their potential impact on Maine’s environment. Read more about the bills we are following and taking action on.
This is Maine’s Chance for the Right Solar Power Reboot
By The BDN Editorial Board Bangor Daily News op-ed Maine has hit an important solar juncture: Enough homeowners have installed solar panels on their roofs and enough community solar projects are in operation that the key policy that has encouraged so many solar panels is due for major revision. The state will position itself well Read More
Report on Land for Maine’s Future Doesn’t Back Up Governor’s Claims
An extensive inquiry by the LePage administration recommends minor fixes to the popular program but finds nothing to suggest that it is ‘corrupt.’ Portland Press Herald editorial Of all the insults Gov. LePage has leveled at the Land for Maine’s Future program, the most damaging and accusatory is that it is “corrupt” – not a Read More
Solar Power’s Growth Calls for New System
A compromise between solar users, regulators and utilities could head off a costly fight in Maine. By The Editorial Board Portland Press Herald editorial There’s a battle going on between big polluters and a growing solar energy industry that is being fought in state capitals across the nation. Nevada, Hawaii, Oklahoma and other states have scaled Read More
Maine House Unanimously Backs Bond Bill Despite LePage Pressure
by Michael Shepherd, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story AUGUSTA, Maine — A bill to revive $6.5 million in expired conservation bonds sailed unanimously through the Maine House of Representatives on Tuesday, despite Gov. Paul LePage’s desire for a shorter sunset provision. The bipartisan deal was struck last week between legislative leaders. However, just Read More
We Need to Let Land for Maine’s Future Make Good on Its Commitments
By Russell Black, Special to the BDN Bangor Daily News op-ed Early winter is just about my favorite time of year to be in the woods. The leaves are off the hardwoods, a few apples cling to the old orchard trees, a crunchy layer of snow is (usually) on the ground and, if I’m lucky, Read More
LePage’s Opposition on Conservation Program Begins in Augusta’s Backyard
The governor has released $11.5 million in Land for Maine’s Future bonds, but some conservationists fear his efforts to scuttle the Howard Hill project are not over. By Kevin Miller, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story The epicenter of the political brawl over the Land for Maine’s Future program literally looms behind the State Read More
Conflict Over Land Preservation Confirms Where the Public Stands
Most Mainers want voter-approved bonds to be issued, not held hostage by the governor. By The Editorial Board Portland Press Herald editorial If Gov. Paul LePage’s years long barricade of Land for Maine’s Future has proven anything, it’s how popular the conservation program is among a broad cross-section of the state. When the governor held Read More
Solar Power Advocates Rally While Task Force Ponders Maine Policy
At stake is the pace of solar development and how electric customers will be treated. By Tux Turkel, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story HALLOWELL – The pace of solar energy development in Maine will hinge in part on whether a group of state officials, business interests and environmental advocates can agree on rules Read More
