Each month, we highlight news stories and opinion pieces related to the Natural Resources Council of Maine’s work to protect Maine’s air, land, water, and wildlife.
April 2024
On the last day of the 2024 legislative session, the House and Senate passed a bill that will help move ahead with an offshore wind port at Sears Island in Maine’s midcoast. The Portland Press Herald spoke with NRCM Climate & Clean Energy Director Jack Shapiro and others about what this will mean for Maine meeting its climate goals.
On April 16, the Maine Legislature voted in support of LD 1156, the Maine Trails Bond! This was a high-priority issue for NRCM in 2023 and 2024, along with more than 520 Maine towns, local and statewide organizations, and ATV and snowmobile clubs. Read our news release. And read more in this Maine Public story.
NRCM Federal Policy Advocate Anya Fetcher is quoted in this news story about reinstated protections of the Endangered Species Act: great news for endangered wildlife, including those trying to adapt to changes brought about by climate change.
Boston news station WCVB re-ran a piece about the renewal of Augusta after the removal of the Edwards Dam 25 years ago. The Natural Resources Council of Maine and NRCM Senior Advocacy Director Pete Didisheim are featured in this story.
Rockland unveiled Maine’s newest high-speed electric vehicle charging station this month, with funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act.
The Maine Trails Bond received unanimous support from the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee, which means it now heads to the House and Senate for votes. This $30 million bond would provide funding for development and maintenance of trails for non-motorized and motorized activities. Learn more about the Trails Bond.
NRCM Staff Scientist Nick Bennett, who helped get Maine’s mining law, the strictest in the country, passed in 2017, is quoted in this Portland Press Herald article about his testimony on LD 1471, a bill to adopt provisional mining rules. You can read Nick’s full testimony on this bill here.
