by Seth Koenig, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story PORTLAND, Maine — A Canadian environmentalist and mining expert said Thursday there’s almost no way Bald Mountain can be mined without polluting nearby water, potentially for thousands of years. Ramsey Hart of MiningWatch Canada was tapped as the keynote speaker for the Natural Resources Council of Read More
On Anniversary of Julie N Accident, a Warning on Pipeline Proposal
Portland Press Herald op-ed Sept. 27, 1996, was a fateful day in the history of Portland Harbor. It was almost eight years after the Exxon Valdez oil spill. On that day, the oil tanker Julie N hit the former Million Dollar Bridge, punching a 30-foot hole in the tanker’s side and spilling 93,198 gallons of Read More
Appreciating Autumn and NRCM
by Tony Owens, M.D., former board NRCM member I awoke this morning early, simultaneously aware of two sensations—a feeling of warmth radiating from the wood stove, and the aroma of onions sautéing from the kitchen. This could only mean one thing: vegetable soup for dinner. A quick, “Good morning,” was followed by “would you make Read More
New Report: A Turning Point for Maine Offshore Wind Energy
Will Federal and State Leaders Take Advantage of Our Golden Opportunity? Press Release Portland Maine — Maine can protect the environment and create jobs while powering our homes and businesses with local, clean energy, but only if our elected officials and regulators take the right steps now, according to a new report released today by Read More
Support of Chapter 882, Citizen Initiated Petition to Prohibit the Sale of Certain Children’s Products Containing BPA
Chairwoman Lessard and members of the Board of Environmental Protection, I am Lisa Pohlmann, Executive Director of the Natural Resources Council of Maine. NRCM represents over 12,000 members and supporters from all corners of the State and many of them have interacted directly with us about the issue of BPA. I am here today to Read More
Creature Feature: White-tailed Deer
White-tailed Deer Odocoileus virginianus borealis Cool Fact: The summer coat hairs of the white-tailed deer are short, thin, and straight; its winter coat hairs are longer, thicker, curly—and hollow, so that the shafts will fill with air for added warmth. Rare is the person who does not recognize a white-tailed deer when they see one! Their Read More
New Clean Vehicle Standards Historic Step in Fight for Clean Air
Will Spur Jobs, Protect Wildlife, and Decrease Oil Dependence News release Augusta, Maine — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s standards for vehicle fuel efficiency and climate-changing pollutants are set to become final. These new standards will double the number of miles we can drive on a gallon of gasoline for new cars, SUVs, and Read More
The Folly of Tar Sands Oil in Existing Pipelines in Maine
by Merrylyn Sawyer Bangor Daily News op-ed Recently three separate articles have appeared in the Bangor Daily News concerning tar sands oil and the possible use of the present pipeline that runs between Portland, Maine, and Montreal, known as the Portland Pipe Line. One article mentioned that the Montreal Pipe Line Ltd. and the Enbridge Read More
State Alewife Policy Hurts Fishing Industry
Stringent limits on the species’ reintroduction to the St. Croix River deprive fish harvesters of a critical source of bait. by Nick Bennett Maine Sunday Telegram op-ed AUGUSTA – Gov. LePage could have given a big boost to Maine lobstermen and fishermen by supporting full restoration of the alewife population in the St. Croix River. Read More