Timeline of NRCM's History and Successes
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| The Allagash Wilderness Waterway. Photo by Brownie Carson. |
From establishment of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway the cause upon which we were founded in 1959 to passage of last year’s “kid-safe products law,” NRCM has been at the forefront of major victories that have helped keep Maine a special place to live, work, and play.
Learn more about NRCM's history.
1959 |
The Natural Resources Council of Maine is founded and incorporates as Maine’s first statewide environmental advocacy organization on June 25, 1959. |
1960 |
NRCM holds its first annual meeting, focusing on the Allagash, pesticides and pollution. |
1962 |
NRCM releases the Allagash Report, providing a key evaluation of the Allagash area. |
1966 |
NRCM leads campaign to create the Allagash Wilderness Waterway to preserve the wild Allagash River. As a result, it is now protected forever from dams and development. |
1966 |
Maine voters pass $1.5 million bond for the Allagash; voting 2:1 in favor. |
1969 |
With critical support from NRCM, the Town of Trenton opposes plans for a nuclear reactor and aluminum smelter, next door to Acadia National Park. |
1969 |
NRCM helps remove billboards from Maine’s highways. On December 31, 1967, Maine had 4,832 billboards. |
1970 |
NRCM works to end the spraying of DDT in our forests, a practice that almost wiped out Maine’s bald eagles. |
1971-1972 |
NRCM works to help create Conservation Commissions: In 1971, the Council urged towns to organize conservation commissions. By 1972, 100 towns had established conservation commissions. |
1974 |
New England’s first Critical Areas Bill becomes law, growing from NRCM’s Natural Areas project. Maine becomes the first New England state to designate natural areas. |
1976 |
Bigelow Mountain Preserve referendum passes with strong support from NRCM. |
1977 |
NRCM activities motivate 50,000 voters to sign petition against Dickey–Lincoln Dam Project which would have flooded the headwaters of the magnificent St. John River. |
1979 |
State referendum to continue Bottle Bill passes with 84% of the vote. NRCM takes bill opponents to court for deceptive advertising. |
1983 |
NRCM helps pass the Maine Rivers Act, protecting 1,100 miles of Maine’s outstanding rivers from development. |
1983 |
NRCM fights a ten-year battle to keep a major oil refinery from being built in Eastport, an inappropriate site that would have been treacherous for navigation by supertankers. The refinery proposal was dropped and Cobscook Bay was saved. |
1984 |
NRCM is catalyst for Maine’s first toxic waste cleanup bond issue, supported by Legislature and citizens. |
1986 |
NRCM leads coalition effort to preserve the West Branch of the Penobscot River, defeating the “Big A” dam. The dam would have drowned one of the most scenic stretches in Maine and the nation’s finest landlocked salmon fishery. |
1988 |
In response to runaway development and land speculation, NRCM wrote and spearheaded the fight for the Growth Management Law which helps towns to protect rural character, natural resources and wildlife habitat while preventing haphazard development sprawl. |
1988 |
NRCM efforts succeed in creating a dioxin monitoring program for Maine. |
1989 |
NRCM secures passage of landmark recycling law, reducing the state’s waste stream by more than 25%. |
1989 |
NRCM assists with drafting and passage of toxic use reduction law to protect workers and communities from hazardous chemicals. |
1990 |
NRCM leads efforts to encourage the federal government’s designation of the Caribou-Speckled Wilderness. After many years, 12,000 acres of the White Mountain National Forest in western Maine was set aside as the Caribou Speckled Wilderness Area. Logging, road construction and other disturbances are forbidden in this area. |
1991 |
NRCM-led ballot initiative creates Maine’s Sensible Transportation Policy Act, requiring the DOT to consider alternatives to road expansions, including the widening of the Maine Turnpike. |
1991 |
NRCM works with concerned citizens to develop state mining regulations in the face of intense lobbying pressure by multinational mining companies interested in developing several large copper, nickel and cobalt deposits in Maine. The resulting rules place a strong emphasis on ensuring that mining activities do not pollute waterways and groundwater. |
1993 |
NRCM joins with local residents to halt a proposed coal-burning plant in Bucksport, saving Acadia National Park from increased air pollution. |
1994 |
NRCM succeeds in efforts to create Surface Water Ambient Toxics and effluent toxic programs. |
1994-1998 |
NRCM co-sponsors Maine Forest Biodiversity Project. |
1999 |
After a decade of work, NRCM and its coalition partners achieve removal of the Edwards Dam, restoring 17 miles of the Kennebec River. The coalition convinces FERC to rule for the first time ever that the value of a free-flowing river exceeds its value as a hydro-electric facility. The news is heard around the world. |
2000-2001 |
Working with local residents, NRCM helps ensure clean up of Wyman Station power plant in Yarmouth. Together, we gather 2,500 petition signatures, and 200 people attend the hearing in Augusta. In 2001, the Board of Environmental Protection votes unanimously to develop a clean-up plan for Maine’s most polluting power plant – one that had violated its pollution permit 348 times in 7 years. |
2000 |
NRCM and the Georges River Tidewater Association sue the Warren sewage treatment plant to stop it from polluting the St. George River estuary, in violation of its wastewater discharge license. The estuary is home to rich commercial shellfish beds. To settle the lawsuit, the plant pays $200,000 in attorneys' fees and agrees to change its practices to reduce its pollution. |
2000 |
NRCM successfully leads efforts resulting in legislation that requires the recycling of mercury-containing products. Products containing mercury must be labeled to alert consumers to the need to recycle and the bill calls for a household hazardous waste program that serves as an educational program. |
2002 |
To protect Maine’s precious watersheds, NRCM helps pass a bill requiring major users of water from Maine rivers such as ski areas to report on their annual water withdrawals from public waters. The bill also directs the Board of Environmental Protection to identify those watersheds most at risk and to set standards to help protect aquatic life. |
2002 |
Spurred by NRCM and concerned citizens, Maine is the first state to pass a law requiring major auto manufacturers to establish and fund a system for the removal and safe disposal of mercury containing components in old cars before they are scrapped. |
2003 |
In response to a campaign by NRCM, Maine’s Legislature enacts the first law in the nation setting goals to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other global warming greenhouse gases at the state level. The law also requires Maine to develop a Climate Action Plan. |
2004 |
NRCM leads efforts to pass Maine’s electronic waste (e-waste) law, with overwhelming support in both the House and the Senate. This bill protects Maine people from the toxic substances found in electronics by ensuring safe disposal of them. It also saves taxpayers money by requiring manufacturers to pay for end-of-life disposal of electronic products. |
2005 |
As a member of the Land Bond Coalition, NRCM works hard to secure $10 million to enable the State to purchase more wildlife habitat, working farms, and other areas through the Land for Maine’s Future program. These beautiful and unique natural areas are what make Maine so special. |
2005-2008 |
NRCM works with concerned citizens statewide who oppose Plum Creek’s massive development proposal for Moosehead Lake. More than 5,000 comments are submitted to the Land Use Regulation Commission in opposition to the development, and hundreds of citizens attend the four public hearings to voice objections and express their love of this beautiful region. |
2006 |
NRCM releases comprehensive analysis and mapping depicting the impact of rising sea levels due to global warming on Maine’s coastline. |
2007 |
NRCM works diligently to pass the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative that authorizes Maine’s participation in a 10-state cap-and-trade program to reduce global warming pollution from fossil-fuel fired power plants. RGGI can save electricity customers 5 to 15 percent on electric bills, generate an “energy fund” worth up to $30 million to help Mainers save money through energy efficiency, and provide energy-saving opportunities for everyone from dairy farmers to high-tech companies. |
2007 |
NRCM works with coalition partners to pass legislation that bans the toxic chemical “Deca” from being used as a flame retardant in furniture, electronics and other products. Deca can permanently damage brain and reproductive systems and cause learning disabilities in children. |
2008 |
After more than five years of legal battles by NRCM and our partners, the Fort Halifax Dam at the mouth of the Sebasticook River in Winslow is finally removed. Now, this section of the river flows freely again and native sea-run fish – striped bass, salmon, sturgeon, and shad – can return to waters they have not seen in a century. |
2008 |
NRCM along with coalition members and concerned activists leads efforts to pass a bill to protect children from toxic chemicals in toys and consumer products and overcome more than two dozen out-of-state lobbyists. Maine will now take a big step forward in protecting our children’s health and will systematically identify and eliminate toxic chemicals in consumer products. |
2008 |
NRCM advocates for energy efficient building codes and pushes for the Legislature to pass a bill requiring new residential homes to meet energy efficient standards. |