Portland Press Herald news story by Scott Dolan, staff writer State Toxicologist Andrew Smith received an urgent message in 2011: A team of independent scientists had discovered dangerously high levels of mercury in black ducks in a marsh near the mouth of the Penobscot River. But what Smith didn’t know was that the same scientists Read More
Mercury Pollution
Maine Strong on Mercury Thermostat Recycling
New Maine Times news story A new report released this week shows that Maine’s program for collecting mercury thermostats is keeping the toxic heavy metal out of the trash and the environment, out-performing almost every other state in the nation. In most other states, weaker laws have spelled failure for the thermostat-recycling program, says the Read More
New Report Reveals Success of Product Stewardship in Maine
Payments for Recycled Thermostats Make Maine a Leading State Program NRCM Press Release A new report released today by the Natural Resources Council of Maine, Multi-state Mercury Products Campaign (MMPC), and Product Stewardship Institute, shows that Maine’s manufacturer-run program for collecting mercury thermostats is keeping the toxic heavy metal out of the trash and the Read More
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
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
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
NRCM Report: Internal Documents Reveal Excessive Industry Influence on DEP Report
Freedom of Access Act (FOAA) Analysis of DEP Documents Related to the 2012 Report, “Implementing Product Stewardship in Maine” Yields Industry Paper Trail News release Today, the Natural Resources Council of Maine released an analysis of documents that reveal how a recent Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) report was substantially influenced by representatives of out-of-state 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
