Foes say increasing the harvest to help Mainers heat their homes is the wrong solution to a real problem. By Kevin Miller, Washington Bureau Chief Portland Press Herald news story AUGUSTA — LePage administration proposals to log more timber on state-owned woodlots to help homeowners pay for energy efficiency upgrades received mixed reviews Tuesday from lawmakers, Read More
sustainability
NRCM Testimony in Opposition to LD 1838, An Act To Expand Affordable Heating Investments with Maine’s Public Resources
Good afternoon Senator Vitelli, Representative Dill, and members of the Committee. My name is Cathy Johnson. I am a resident of Alna. I am testifying today on behalf of NRCM’s 16,000 members and supporters in opposition to L.D. 1838. We oppose this legislation because it undermines the integrity of the public lands trust fund by Read More
LePage Plan to Hike Timber Harvest on Public Lands Meets Resistance
Susan Sharon MPBN news story Spring may have arrived on the calendar but the state’s energy director told a legislative committee that people around Maine are cold and in need of some relief. Patrick Woodcock made the case today for the LePage administration’s plan to boost timber harvesting on public lands and use the revenue Read More
Time to Take Action on Climate Change
By Sen. Angus King Seacoast op-ed Maine has a long and proud tradition of environmental stewardship. Our lakes, forests, mountains, oceans, and streams are not only a resource for outdoor recreation, but also the foundation of our state economy. Unfortunately, our failure to respond to global climate change has jeopardized the integrity of our natural Read More
Last Year, State Officials Cut a Deal to Grab $2 Mil a Year from Public Forests Without Asking the Owners
by Christine Parrish Staff Writer Free Press news story OVER THE COURSE OF THREE DAYS last April, the Maine Forest Service, the governor’s office, and the custodians of Maine’s public lands cut a private deal behind closed doors to log 26 percent more timber from public lands – an amount that would roughly generate an Read More
NRCM Comments in Support of a Ban on Single-Use Disposable Expanded Polystyrene Foam Containers Used in Food and Restaurant Service
Comments at Portland City Council meeting My name is Sarah Lakeman. I am the Sustainable Maine Policy Advocate and Outreach Coordinator for the Natural Resources Council of Maine and a Portland resident. I appreciate the opportunity to present comments in support of a citywide ban on the use of Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) in single-use disposable products Read More
LePage: Cut Down More Public Trees to Pay for Heating Efficiency Programs.
The governor said that heat pumps, not solar rebates, are key to the state’s energy future. By Matt Byrne, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story Gov. Paul LePage and officials at the state energy office announced plans Tuesday to increase logging on public lands and use the new revenue to help Mainers convert inefficient Read More
LePage: Harvest More Timber to Lower Heating Bills
by A.J. Higgins MPBN news story Gov. Paul LePage will submit a bill to the Legislature this week that, if approved, would pump more money into a home heating conversion fund. He would pay for it by increasing the timber harvest limits on state-owned land. But critics of the plan say that’s an improper use Read More
State Plan to Increase Timber Harvesting on Public Lands Hits Resistance
By Christopher Cousins, BDN staff Bangor Daily News news story AUGUSTA, Maine — A plan within the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to markedly increase timber harvesting limits on publicly owned lands has caused concern among environmentalists who say the increase is unsustainable. Department spokesman John Bott confirmed Monday that the department has internally Read More
