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Working for legislation to protect Maine's environment is an essential part of NRCM's mission for the people of Maine. We work for new protections and also to uphold current legislation as it is attacked by industry and others who put profit ahead of our children's health. In-Depth Project Description

	State House News and Information NRCM is at the State House every day during the legislative session, working hard to protect Maine's environment and improve the quality of our air, our forests, our lakes and rivers. Learn More
	Eliminating Toxic Chemicals from Toys and Children's Products NRCM and its partners in the Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine are working with Maine legislators to pass a bill that would eliminate Learn More
	Set Reasonable Energy Standards for New Homes This session, legislators can save Maine families money and protect health and the environment, by setting cost-effective standards for our homes. Learn More
photo by Jon Allen	Alewife Passage in the St. Croix River LD 1957 hopes to halt the eradication of the once great population of alewives by over-turning a 1995 law in order to allow native sea-run alewives to reach their historic spawning grounds in the St. Croix River watershed. Learn More
	Placing Limits on CO2 Emissions from Coal Gasification A recent proposal to build a 2 million ton-per-year coal gasification power plant and diesel refinery in Wiscasset has revealed a major loophole in our state laws: despite its role as the primary pollutant causing climate change, CO2 is still not regulated as an air pollutant. Learn More

In-Depth Project Description

Our Mission for Maine
Working for legislation to protect Maine's environment is an essential part of NRCM's mission for the people of Maine. We work for new protections and also to uphold current legislation as it is attacked by industry and others who put profit ahead of our children's health.

Location, location, location
Our location, just steps from the State House, as well as our commitment to the people of Maine means we are well positioned to watch over what happens within Maine 's Legislature. Each January the Legislature begins a new session to evaluate funding and other priorities. NRCM follows each and every piece of proposed legislation that may affect Maine 's environment and the people who enjoy and rely upon it.

Helping with the Good, Preventing the Bad
During the winter months, much of our time is spent proposing bills and scanning lists of titles for "bad bills" - those that would roll back existing protections or introduce new harms to Maine 's environment. Once we identify bills of interest, we track them throughout the session. A bill is usually then sent to committee, where legislators serving on that committee can pass it, kill it, or recommend an amendment. NRCM staff, with help from our members and volunteers, put tremendous effort into testifying, calling legislators, and working for or against a bill while it is in committee.

Once a bill passes out of a committee, it must go before the House of Representatives and the Senate. NRCM does not rest along the way.  We are there during the committee hearings and in the House and Senate chambers working to ensure protection for Maine 's environment.