Good afternoon Senator Saviello, Representative Tucker, and members of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee. My name is Eliza Donoghue and I am the Forests and Wildlife Policy Advocate for the Natural Resources Council of Maine. I am here today on behalf of NRCM’s 20,000 members and supporters in support of LD 901, “An Act Read More
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Charts: Maine’s Renewable Energy Production Surges with Opening of 2 New Wind Farms
Wind farms accounted for nearly a quarter of the state’s total electricity production in December, thanks in part to the opening of the state’s largest wind farm to date in Bingham. by Christian Milne, staff writer Portland Press Herald news story In December 2016, Maine’s wind farms accounted for nearly a quarter of Maine’s total Read More
Renewable Power Standards Face Uncertain Future
By Fred Bever Maine Public news story A consumer subsidy for renewable power in Maine may be ending — or at least changing. It’s called the Class 1 Renewable Portfolio Standards program, and many stakeholders, including environmentalists, say it’s ready for reform. Your electric bill pays for a lot of things: the electricity itself, the Read More
Global Expedition Arrives in Portland from the Arctic to Urge Mainers to Take Strong Action on Climate Change
Reporting from the Front Lines of Climate Change, Explorers Underscore Urgent Need for Climate Action News Release Portland, Maine – October 28, 2016 – Today, the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) hosted a group of courageous sailors arriving in Portland Harbor aboard their 50-foot sailboat, the S/V Pachamama, after traversing the Northwest Passage Read More
Students Lead the Transition to Clean Energy
Students have been the driving force behind the continuing decline in energy costs at Camden Hills Regional High School since it opened in 2000. While the school owns and operates the 155-foot tall wind turbine erected in 2012, the genesis and work to bring wind power to the high school came from the Windplanners, a Read More
Construction Begins in R.I. on Nation’s First Offshore Wind Farm
Deepwater Wind is building the five-turbine farm that is expected to produce enough electricity to power 17,000 homes. By Jennifer McDermott, The Associated Press Portland Press Herald news story NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. – Construction has begun off Rhode Island’s coast on the nation’s first offshore wind farm, a milestone that federal and state officials say will Read More
NRCM Testimony in Opposition to LD 791, An Act to Amend the Laws Governing Wind Energy Development Permitting
Senator Peter Edgecomb, Chair Representative Craig Hickman, Chair Joint Standing Committee on Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry My name is Dylan Voorhees and I am the Clean Energy Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine. Thank you for allowing us to present this testimony. Because this bill and LD 828 treat similar issues, we encourage Read More
University Study Suggests Support for Energy Efficiency
By Jennifer Mitchell MPBN news story ORONO, Maine — More than half of Mainers surveyed say they would be willing to pay extra in their electricity bills to support more efficient and/or cleaner fuel development. The University of Maine study sampled a random group of more than 400 Mainers. Each respondent on the mail-in survey was Read More
A Completely Green-powered Island Gives Mainers Ideas
The Danish island of Samsø becomes a classroom and source of inspiration for a group of Maine students and residents. By Mary Pols, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story There are 4,613 islands in the state of Maine, 15 of them inhabited year-round by people who understand that on a Maine island, the wind Read More