NRCM news release Today Congresswoman Chellie Pingree sent a letter, co-signed by 17 other members of Congress, including Congressman Michael Michaud, asking that the owners of the Portland Pipeline not be allowed to pump tar sands oil from Canada through Maine without applying for a new permit and undergoing environmental review. The letter was addressed Read More
Tar Sands Oil
Tar sands oil is the dirtiest and most climate-destructive form of oil in the world. When it spills, it is almost impossible to clean up. There was a proposal to bring tar sands oil through an existing nearly 70-year-old pipeline in Maine. It crosses some of Maine’s most pristine watersheds and ends at Casco Bay. This plan would have put our lakes, rivers, and coastal waters at risk, and threatened communities and drinking water from Sebago Lake along its path. NRCM was the first organization to bring the threat of tar sands to the public’s attention in Maine in 2009, and was a leader on this issue statewide.
Tar sands oil is one of the dirtiest forms of energy on the planet and is a growing threat in Maine and the Northeast. Extracted from huge open-pit mines in Alberta, Canada, tar sands oil is 20% more carbon intensive than conventional crude oil.
Sending tar sands crude oil to Maine would have required reversing an existing pipeline owned by Portland Montreal Pipe Line, a pipeline that passes next to Sebago Lake, the drinking water supply for more than 15% of Maine people. It would have endangered Casco Bay and our fishing and lobster industries. Many Maine cities and towns passed resolutions in opposition to transporting tar sands oil through their communities, and South Portland passed the Clear Skies Ordinance to protect their community.
Tar Sands Cause Heated Environmental, Economic Debate in Maine
by Whit Richardson, staff writer Bangor Daily News news story SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine — Since 1941, oil tankers have been a common sight in Casco Bay. They arrive at Portland Head Light sitting low in the water, heavily laden with crude oil from the Middle East or Africa’s offshore oil rigs and destined for refineries Read More
Portland Tar Sands Rally and March
Press advisory about tar sands rally in Portland Press release Northeast tar sands pipeline maps (4MB) Facts about tar sands oil and its possible effects on Maine’s environment Media stories: Mass. Residents Join Maine Oil Pipeline Protest Boston Globe news story Huge Crowd Turns Out to Denounce Possible Transport of Tar Sands in Region Portland Press Herald news story Portland City Read More
Biggest Rally Ever Against Tar Sands in Northeast Converged in Portland
News Release Portland, Maine – Today, in the largest protest yet in the northeast against tar sands, hundreds of people from across Maine, New England, and from Canada carried signs and marched across Portland to rally at the Maine State Pier. The rally and march were held to oppose an emerging proposal to send dirty Read More
Huge Crowd Turns Out to Denounce Possible Transport of Tar Sands in Region
Foes and backers dispute whether there are plans to transport the substance to Casco Bay. by Beth Quimby and Edward D. Murphy, staff writers Portland Press Herald news story PORTLAND — An estimated 1,400 to 1,500 people marched from Monument Square to the Maine State Pier on Saturday to protest the use of the Portland Read More
Portland Mayor, Councilor Endorse Making Portland City Operations Tar Sands-Free
Portland City Council to Vote This Evening on Policy Modeled after Commitments Already Made by 18 Major Corporations Press Release Portland, Maine—Portland Mayor Michael Brennan and City Councilor David Marshall today joined Environment Maine, the Sebago Lake Anglers Association, 350 Maine, NRCM, and others to press for passage of a new policy that would make Read More
Campaign Opposing Canadian Tar Sands Oil Comes to New England
Between the Lines radio news story Interview with Dylan Voorhees, Clean Energy Director of the Natural Resources Council of Maine, conducted by Melinda Tuhus On Jan. 26, hundreds of protesters are expected to converge in Portland, Maine, for what’s being billed as the largest tar sands protest in the Northeast. The impetus is what organizers Read More
Casco Passes Tar Sands Resolution
KeepMECurrent.com news story CASCO —Casco residents voted Saturday to pass a municipal resolution stating opposition to sending tar sands oil through Exxon Mobil’s Portland-Montreal Pipeline, making it the first Maine town to publicly and officially oppose the proposal, said Judy Berk, spokeswoman for the Natural Resources Council of Maine. The environmental group says the 62-year-old Read More
Casco is First Maine Town to Pass Resolution Opposing Sending Tar Sands Oil Through Town
NRCM news release Casco, ME — Casco residents voted today to pass a municipal resolution stating opposition to sending tar sands oil through Exxon Mobil’s Portland-Montreal Pipeline, making it the first Maine town to publicly and officially oppose the proposal. The 62-year-old pipeline, which stretches 236 miles from Montreal to South Portland, is being considered Read More
