by Yvon Chouinard Bangor Daily News reprint of LA Times op-ed American politicians have always been obsessed with running government “like a business.” They promise to make bureaucracies leaner and let the free market fix all our problems. Well, if America’s public lands were a business, shareholders would be shocked by the gross negligence of Read More
Maine Deserves a Chance to Capitalize on the North Woods Monument
By Zack Klyver, Special to the BDN Bangor Daily News op-ed Gov. Paul LePage’s latest political attack on the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument is a colossal blunder. On Feb. 14, he sent a letter to President Donald Trump asking him to rescind the executive order that created the national monument. For a governor Read More
Trump’s Proposed NOAA Cuts Imperil Wells Reserve in Maine
The president wants to end the funding that covers 70% of the operating costs for the wildlife sites used by the public, researchers and educators. By Colin Woodard, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story The Wells Reserve at Laudholm could become a casualty of a Trump administration plan to slash the budget of the Read More
Jugtown Plains
With the rapid spread of development in southern Maine, it is increasingly hard for woodland owners to keep their lands in production. The Jugtown Plains property, located on prime, sandy soils within 25 miles of Maine’s two largest urban centers, was particularly vulnerable. It straddles three of the fastest-growing towns in Maine, which experienced population Read More
Your Takeout Order Could be Harming the Environment. Bangor is Considering a Way to Fix It
By Danielle McLean, Staff Writer Bangor Daily News news story In an effort to reduce the volume of plastic littering, Bangor city councilors are mulling a proposed law banning local merchants from selling food and drinks in Styrofoam cups or containers. If passed, Bangor would join Portland, South Portland and Brunswick in banning polystyrene, the Read More
Support of LD 469, An Act to Establish a Generally Applicable Regulatory Standard to Address Impacts of Sea Level Change and Increased Storm Surges
My name is Dylan Voorhees and I am the Climate & Clean Energy Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine. Thank you for allowing us to present this testimony. We appreciate the effort of the sponsor to bring forward this important bill, and thank the members of this committee, including the co-chairs, who co-sponsored Read More
Support of LD 540, An Act to Help Municipalities Prepare for Changes in Sea Level
Senator Paul Davis, Chair Representative Ronald Martin, Chair Joint Standing Committee on State and Local Government My name is Dylan Voorhees and I am the Climate & Clean Energy Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine. Thank you for allowing us to present this testimony. We support this common-sense legislation, which would integrate critical Read More
Kennebec Highlands
From the highest points in the Kennebec Highlands, a 6,400-acre expanse of wooded hills and wetlands just north of Augusta, one can see to the White Mountains, Mt. Katahdin, and the Camden Hills. Foreground views encompass the Belgrade Lakes and vast stretches of contiguous forest land – broken only by an occasional blueberry field, marsh, Read More
Fight for Solar Continues Despite Opposition
by Darcie Moore, Times Record Staff Times Record news story The Natural Resources Council of Maine continues to fight for solar-friendly policies at the State House, aiming to reverse a new Maine Public Utilities Commission rule that threatens the future growth of solar power in Maine. NRCM Senior Director of Advocacy Pete Didisheim said at a Read More
