Statement of Kevin Carley, executive director, Maine Audubon and Brownie Carson, executive director, Natural Resources Council of Maine Natural Resources Council of Maine and Maine Audubon “Our organizations respect and appreciate the enormous service of the staff and commissioners of Maine’s Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC) in regard to the unprecedented Plum Creek proposal to Read More
Maine Environmental News
Maine environmental news often comes quickly and with little warning. Stay up to date on Maine environment news.
From issues such as climate change, healthy waters, Maine forests and wildlife, and sustainability—and environmental policy that could impact them—you’ll find NRCM’s up-to-the-minute news releases to see our perspective on the most pressing issues facing Maine’s land, air, waters, and wildlife. This includes findings relating to our role as Maine’s watchdog of activities of state environmental agencies—we stand ready to blow the whistle when regulations are not enforced.
You can also find our news “round up,” News & Noteworthy, which puts the spotlight on media stories that do a particularly good job capturing current news about Maine's environment. We hope you find this part of our website helpful and informative!
Partners in Penobscot River Restoration Project Receive National Cooperative Conservation Award
Penobscot River Restoration Trust Old Town, ME – Partners in the Penobscot River Restoration Project have been awarded a 2008 Cooperative Conservation Award from the U.S. Department of the Interior. The award recognizes the unprecedented collaboration to restore 11 species of sea-run fish while rebalancing hydropower generated on the river. Representatives from the Penobscot River Read More
Maine’s Electronic Waste Recycling Law Huge Success
Collects 8 Million Pounds of Waste, Saves Mainers $3 Million, Keeps 1 Million Pounds of Lead from Environment The Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) released a report detailing the accomplishments of Maine’s two-year-old, first-in-the-nation electronic waste recycling program that requires manufacturers to establish and pay for collection and recycling centers. “By any measure, Maine’s Read More
Allagash River among America’s Most Endangered Rivers
Wild and Scenic Protections Threatened The people of Maine realized they needed a State policy to save their own wilderness areas. They petitioned their elected representatives to protect the last great wild river in the eastern United States, and the Maine legislature responded by creating the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, so that the people could own Read More
Maine Legislature Passes Law that Sets Energy Efficient Building Standards for New Homes
News release Today, by a vote of 20-15, the Maine Senate approved legislation (already passed by the House 78-58) to establish building standards to reduce fuel consumption in new homes. Maine joins 40 other states with statewide energy efficiency standards for new homes. Maine’s new law has several elements that make it better than just Read More
Plum Creek Offers Up No Changes In Post-Hearing Brief
No Changes Despite Overwhelming Public Criticism of Moosehead Plan AUGUSTA, March 18, 2008 —Maine’s two leading environmental organizations said today that Plum Creek, the nation’s largest commercial landowner, has submitted a post-hearing brief that dismissed long lists of concerns raised during hundreds of hours of public testimony by Maine residents and technical experts about Plum Read More
10,000 Square Miles of Maine Included in USFWS Lynx Protection Proposal
Includes Moosehead Lake Forests Where Plum Creek Proposes Massive Development Today, the Federal Register published a proposed rule by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) that would protect Canada lynx and their habitat including more than 10,000 square miles of the Maine woods in a “critical habitat” zone, which would require separate review and stricter Read More
LURC Takes One Step Forward for Clean Energy, Not Two
NRCM news release Today, Maine’s Land Use Regulation Commission made two important decisions on the future of wind power in Maine. “The Commission could have taken two steps forward on clean energy for Maine; instead they took one,” said NRCM Clean Energy Director Dylan Voorhees. The Land Use Regulation Commission voted 4-2 to recommend rejecting Read More
Revitalized River Flows to Healthy Future
by Larry Grard, staff writer Kennebec Journal news story There was a time within many people’s lifetimes when almost no one would have fished the confluence of the Kennebec and Sebasticook rivers in Winslow. Tanneries, factories and mills dumped municipal sewage into the Kennebec and its tributaries, fouling the waters as they flowed through Augusta Read More
