2026 Legislative Priorities for Maine’s Environment

At the beginning of every legislative session, staff at the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) reviews hundreds of bills to identify those that will advance climate action and steward Maine’s forests, wildlife, waters, and our great outdoors.  

The second session of the 132nd Legislature is well underway, and our experts are already working hard at the State House, testifying and attending work sessions to help hammer out the details for some of our top priorities for the legislative session.  

Before the gavel drops for the final time this session, members of the Maine House and Senate will need to complete action on 386 bills carried over from last year and 101 new bills approved for consideration this year, and they’ll need to pass a supplemental budget.   

NRCM has identified a slate of eight priority bills it will be focused on passing. In addition to these priority bills, our team of experts is focused on opposing bills that would roll back progress and support others that would strengthen the safeguards for Maine’s waters, woods, and wildlife, and the communities and Maine people who value a healthy environment.  Visit our bill tracking page to stay up to date on the progress of all the bills we’re following. 

Plug-in Solar to Increase Access to Affordable Clean Energy (LD 1730)

This bill would update Maine rules to allow small plug-in solar energy panels that can be plugged into a standard wall outlet. These systems – widely adopted in Europe – can empower Mainers to save money by reducing how much electricity they need to purchase from the grid. For the average household in Maine, a 1,200-Watt system could cut electricity bills by 21 percent, or more than $400 a year.   

Continue Funding for the Land for Maine’s Future Program

The Land for Maine’s Future (LMF) program is the state’s most popular and successful land conservation program, but it has run out of money. Since its establishment in 1987, LMF has helped to conserve more than 650,000 acres of land across Maine, including working forests, farmland, recreational trails, shoreline on rivers, lakes, and ponds, as wells asworking waterfront properties.  

We’ll continue working with partners at the Land for Maine’s Future Coalition to urge lawmakers to support additional funding for the LMF program this year so we can continue this enormously successful program. 

Make Polluters Pay for Climate Damage (LD 1870)

Mainers across the state are paying the price for extreme weather and flooding made worse by climate change. This year, lawmakers have the chance to provide relief by creating a Climate Superfund. 

LD 1870 would help Maine communities rebuild after climate-fueled storms and invest in resilient infrastructure by measuring the cost of climate damage and making major fossil fuel companies pay for their share of the damage climate change is causing in Maine.  

Recognize Tribal Sovereignty (LD 785)

Over the past several years, lawmakers have considered multiple bills that would recognize the inherent sovereignty rights of the Wabanaki Nations in Maine by implementing consensus recommendations of the 2019 Task Force on Changes to the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Implementing Act.   

NRCM is working with the Wabanaki Alliance alongside countless other organizations and individuals to secure passage of a bill in support of tribal sovereignty.  

Protect Maine Lakes and Conserve Farmland (LD 2141)

Maine lawmakers have an opportunity this year to enhance the protection of the water quality of Maine lakes and to stem the loss of farmland. LD 2141 would provide $2 million annually to the Lake Water Quality Restoration and Protection Fund and $2 million to the Maine Working Farmland Access and Protection Program from a revenue source comprised of unclaimed deposits on beverage containers.  

Currently, as much as $17 million in unclaimed deposits is kept by beverage companies and not used to serve the public good. NRCM has long felt that this is the public’s money and should not be claimed by beverage companies that make tens of billions annually in net profits.      

Maintain Maine’s Involvement in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (LD 2037)

LD 2037 authorizes Maine to continue participating in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) –which has been one of Maine’s most successful energy efficiency and climate programs. Between 2009 and 2024, Maine received more than $246 million in funding  from the RGGI program; in 2023 alone, RGGI investments saved more than $130 million in avoided energy costs for Maine households and businesses.  If we want to address high energy costs facing Maine families and businesses, lawmakers will need to continue to support proven programs like RGGI that deliver relief to hard-working Mainers. 

Expand Battery Recycling and Stewardship Program

Enacted in 1991, Maine law only requires manufacturers of rechargeable nickel cadmium batteries and small lead-acid batteries to provide a system for recycling their batteries. This legislation would require battery manufacturers to help fund an expanded battery recycling and stewardship program for lithium-ion batteries. Right now, the materials in those batteries are not being recovered, and some are causing fires at landfills and transfer stations when improperly disposed of.

Provide a Right to Repair for Electronics (LD 1908)

Maine has a strong culture of repairing things to reduce waste. LD 1908 would protect the rights of Maine people to repair electronic devices that they own, saving money by extending the life of electronic devices and reducing waste going into our landfills.  Many manufacturers prefer to create consumer products that cannot be repaired and must be put in the trash instead, which boosts their profits by forcing buyers to purchase new products. The proposed bill requires manufacturers of digital devices doing business in Maine to provide repair materials that they already provide to repair partners to device owners and independent repair specialists.  

As we do every session, NRCM is proud to be a part of the Environmental Priorities Coalition, an inclusive statewide alliance of 40 conservation, climate action, and public health organizations. We also work with local business owners, youth activists, organized labor, municipal officials, community leaders, and engaged members and supporters statewide. You provide us with inspiration and people power that help us win.   

Maine’s environmental laws exist because of the work and involvement of people like you who value our natural resources.  We can’t do this work without the support of members like you.  

Getting involved in the legislative process – either by attending an event, sending in comments in support of bills, joining us at the State House, or donating to support our work — is a concrete way to make a difference, especially as we’re seeing attacks on the environment at the federal level.  Please consider being a difference-maker today. 

—Pete Didisheim, NRCM Senior Director of Advocacy