NRCM news release June 19, 2019 – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today took the final step of replacing the Obama Administration’s Clean Power Plan (CPP) with an alternative that will increase levels of harmful air pollution nationwide, endangering human health and increasing premature deaths. Most at risk from this rollback will be children, Read More
Federal Climate & Energy Issues
U.S. House Passes “Climate Action Now” Act
NRCM thanks Reps. Pingree and Golden for sponsoring H.R. 9 NRCM news release May 2, 2019 (Augusta, ME) – The U.S. House of Representatives today voted 230-190 to pass, H.R. 9, the Climate Action Now Act, which would ensure that America honors its commitments made under the 2015 international Paris Climate Agreement. Both of Maine’s Read More
Maine Lawmakers Urge EPA to Drop Rollback of Mercury Pollution Protections
NRCM news release April 16, 2019 (Augusta, ME) – With final action today, the Maine Legislature has unanimously passed a bipartisan resolution calling on the President to direct the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to drop its planned rollbacks of mercury pollution protections. EPA has proposed scaling back the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS), Read More
NRCM Testimony in Support of LD 955, An Act to Prohibit Offshore Oil and Natural Gas Drilling and Exploration
Senator Carson, Representative Tucker, and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources. My name is Kristin Jackson. I am an outreach coordinator for the Natural Resources Council of Maine, and I appreciate this opportunity to testify in support of LD 955, which would prohibit offshore oil and natural gas drilling and Read More
“Green New Deal” Contributes to Climate Conversations
Statement of Emmie Theberge, Federal Director, Natural Resources Council of Maine “Scientists from Maine and across the world have made clear we must take bold action on climate at the state and federal levels. The Green New Deal, like other climate proposals put forward in Congress, is stimulating the right conversation in Washington, D.C. and Read More
Moms Oppose Changes to EPA Mercury Rule
Maine has public-health advisories against eating fish from 14 bodies of water contaminated with mercury. By Andrea Sears Public News Service News Story March 20, 2019 AUGUSTA, Maine – Do your job, protect our kids. That’s the message dozens of mothers from 15 states took to Washington, D.C., this week. The Environmental Protection Agency has Read More
Mills Pulls Maine Out of Governors Group that Advocates for Offshore Oil and Gas
Former Gov. Paul LePage joined the group in 2015 and was the only New England governor in the coalition, staffed by oil and gas lobbyists. by Scott Thistle, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story AUGUSTA — Gov. Janet Mills said Monday that Maine will no longer participate in the Outer Continental Shelf Governors Coalition, Read More
It’s Official: 2018 was the Fourth Warmest Year on Record
by John Schwartz and Nadja Popovich New York Times news story View graphics from news story. NASA scientists announced Wednesday that the Earth’s average surface temperature in 2018 was the fourth highest in nearly 140 years of record-keeping and a continuation of an unmistakable warming trend. The data means that the five warmest years in Read More
Trump Dismantling Mercury Pollution Ban Exemplifies Embrace of Coal
By Former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy and Rev. Mitch Hescox The Hill op-ed The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is in the business of protecting public health and our environment — or at least it used to be. The agency and its acting administrator, a former coal lobbyist, have been waging an offensive on public health Read More
