Senator Saviello, Representative Tucker, and members of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee: My name is Nick Bennett. I am the Staff Scientist for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM), and I am testifying in opposition to LD 1797. LD 1797 would weaken protections for the environment and public health in the Department of Read More
Waters
Clean, healthy waterways are vital to our day-to-day lives. They help ensure safe drinking water, suitable habitat for fish and other wildlife, and recreational opportunities that make Maine a special place to live, work, and visit. NRCM has been working on clean water issues since we were founded in 1959 to protect the Allagash.
NRCM continues to advocate for clean and healthy waters across Maine. Read more news & blogs about our work to protect Maine's beautiful rivers, lakes, and streams.
Trump Budget Cuts EPA By 34%; Would Cause Major Harm to Maine’s Clean Air and Water
Statement of Lisa Pohlmann, Executive Director, Natural Resources Council of Maine President Trump today released an irresponsible Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) budget, which would threaten the health of Maine people, our environment, and our economy. Trump’s 2019 budget proposes a massive 34% cut in the EPA budget, even deeper than last year’s slash and burn proposal, Read More
Survey of Casco Bay Finds Microplastics in Four Distinct Regions
The Friends of Casco Bay assessment identifies pieces of the plastic waste, which marine life can ingest and which attract toxins. But none of the microbeads banned in Maine in 2015 showed up. By Mary Pols, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story The first survey of Casco Bay for microplastics, the troubling, hard-to-see fragments Read More
Opposition to LD 1667, An Act To Prohibit the Entry of Anadramous Fish Species into Sheepscot Pond for 3 Years and To Study the Consequences of the Presence of Anadromous Fish in Sheepscot Pond
Senator Cyrway, Representative Duchesne, and members of the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IFW) Committee: My name is Nick Bennett, and I am the Staff Scientist for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). NRCM is Maine’s largest environmental advocacy group with more than 20,000 members and supporters. I am testifying in opposition to LD 1667, Read More
Bill Adams, One of Maine’s Environmental Pioneers, Dies at 89
By Steve Collins, Staff Writer Sun Journal news story AUBURN — Sometimes one person in the right place makes all the difference. Back in 1973, a New York-based firm called the Pittston Co. sought to construct an oil refinery astride Passamaquoddy Bay in Eastport. The refinery would take in 250,000 barrels daily from tankers that Read More
Increased Offshore Drilling is Not the Answer to America’s Energy Future
Bangor Daily News editorial The recent announcement from the Trump administration that it wants to open nearly all U.S. oceans to oil and gas drilling is certainly concerning. But there is not reason to panic, yet. The announcement, from Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, is no surprise as the Trump administration is focused on undoing every Read More
Support of LD 1510, An Act To Authorize a General Fund Bond Issue To Fund Wastewater Infrastructure Projects
Senator Hamper, Representative Gattine, and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs, my name is Pete Didisheim. I am the Advocacy Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine. I appreciate this opportunity to testify on behalf of our 20,000 members and supporters in support of LD 1510, which would create Read More
Proposal to Drill in Waters Off Maine Coast Widely Opposed
By Jennifer Mitchell Maine Public news story On Thursday, the Trump administration announced a draft proposal that would open large swaths of federal waters to potential oil and gas drilling, including the coast of Maine. The proposal would open most of the outer continental shelf to oil and gas drilling for a five-year lease period Read More
Trump Plan Would Open Maine Waters to Oil Drilling
Five-Year Offshore Plan could devastate Maine’s coastlines, fisheries and coastal communities Statement of Lisa Pohlmann, Executive Director, Natural Resources Council of Maine “The Trump Administration today released a dangerous five-year plan for offshore oil and gas leasing in the Atlantic Ocean—including off the coast of Maine, Pacific Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and Arctic Ocean. This Read More
