Clean air is essential for healthy, happy lives. Clean, renewable energy helps ensure clean air. NRCM works for policies and initiatives that will improve Maine's air quality and reduce global warming pollution throughout the state and region.
NRCM’s climate and clean energy work is focused on where we can have the greatest impact: cleaner cars and trucks, clean and renewable energy production, and greater energy efficiency.
Our work in these key areas is critical to reducing health and environmental problems already plaguing our state. These include high asthma rates, more “bad air days,” rising sea levels due to climate change that threaten coastal communities, and threats to our fall foliage, skiing, and our vital tourism-based industry.
NRCM makes certain that Maine's elected officials and decision-makers are kept up to date about information related to climate change pollution, clean energy technologies, and steps Maine can take to ensure clean air.
Environmental Groups to Make Hard Push to Reverse Maine’s New Solar Rules
They say the PUC’s ‘extreme’ changes, which are opposed by the governor for different reasons, will stifle industry investment and were improperly adopted. by Kevin Miller, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story AUGUSTA — Maine’s largest environmental organization pledged Wednesday to “pursue every opportunity” to reverse controversial solar energy rules adopted by the state Read More
PUC Finalizes Extreme Anti-solar Rules
NRCM Prepared to Fight to Overturn Them in the Legislature Statement of Dylan Voorhees, Climate and Clean Energy Director, Natural Resources Council of Maine “The Maine Public Utilities Commission’s (PUC’s) new net metering rules include some of the most extreme anti-solar elements in the nation. They would roll back solar net metering, destroying good Maine Read More
UNH, UMaine Climate Scientists: Trump Era Brings Challenges
By Deborah McDermott Seacoast Online news story This is a troubling time to be a climate scientist, say professors from the University of New Hampshire and the University of Maine. It is a time of unease and uncertainty, they say, as the Trump administration signals research, data collection and scientific inquiry could be under attack. Read More
NRCM “Deeply Dismayed” by Senate Vote Confirming Pruitt to Head EPA
Statement of Lisa Pohlmann, Executive Director, Natural Resources Council of Maine We are deeply dismayed that the U.S. Senate has voted to confirm Scott Pruitt as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. This is bad news for Maine, because we depend on clean air, clean water, and a healthy environment as a foundation of our Read More
Collins Says She’ll Vote Against Confirming Scott Pruitt to Head EPA
Maine’s Republican senator cites the Oklahoma attorney general’s lawsuits against the environmental agency on ‘numerous issues that are of great importance to the state of Maine.’ by Dennis Hoey, staff writer Portland Press Herald news story Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, breaking with her party again, said Wednesday that she will vote against confirming Read More
EPA Nominee Scott Pruitt Does Not Reflect Maine Values on the Environment
Sen. Susan Collins should join Sen. Angus King in pledging to reject Pruitt to head the Environmental Protection Agency. By Bill Houston Portland Press Herald op-ed KINGFIELD — Mainers hold clean air and water near and dear to their hearts. As a lifelong Mainer who trains young men and women to become outdoor leaders, I Read More
Maine Regulators Approve Rolling Back Solar Credits
by Michael Shepherd Bangor Daily News news article AUGUSTA, Maine — It didn’t go far enough for Gov. Paul LePage, but Maine utility regulators rankled advocates on Tuesday when they rolled back a policy allowing homeowners with solar panels to be credited for excess power sold to the grid. The move was opposed by pro-solar Read More
It’s Possible to Reduce Carbon Emissions Without Sacrificing Economic Growth
By Tom Tietenberg, Special to the BDN Bangor Daily News op-ed In 2005, Maine and eight other northeastern and mid-Atlantic states banded together to create the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative to reduce carbon emissions. The initiative is a form of carbon pricing. It sets an annual cap on the total amount of carbon dioxide emissions Read More
NRCM TV Ads Urge Sen. Collins to Protect Maine By Rejecting Trump EPA Nominee Scott Pruitt
News release Today, the Natural Resources Council of Maine launched a television ad campaign, urging Senator Susan Collins to oppose President Trump’s nominee to head EPA, Scott Pruitt. Pruitt is unfit to head the EPA for many reasons, including that he is beholden to corporate polluters and sued the EPA 14 times to stop air Read More
