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.

LD 341, An Act to Amend the Maine Tree Growth Tax Law to Encourage Housing Construction
Testimony in Opposition to LD 341, An Act to Amend the Maine Tree Growth Tax Law to Encourage Housing Construction Senator Grohoski, Representative Perry, and members of the Committee on Taxation, I am Melanie Sturm, the Forests and Wildlife Director at the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM), and I appreciate the opportunity to provide testimony Read More

LD 924, a Resolve to Provide Legislative Approval of Northern Maine Transmission Infrastructure
Testimony in Support of LD 924, a Resolve to Provide Legislative Approval of Northern Maine Transmission Infrastructure Senator Lawrence, Representative Zeigler, and members of the Joint Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology, my name is Jack Shapiro. I am the Climate and Clean Energy Director at the Natural Resources Council of Maine. NRCM has been Read More

Support of LD 542 to Reform Electricity Rates
Senator Lawrence, Representative Zeigler, and members of the Joint Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology, my name is Rebecca Schultz. I am a Senior Advocate for Climate and Clean Energy at the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). NRCM has been working for more than 60 years to protect, restore, and conserve Maine’s environment, on Read More

LD 894, An Act to Preserve Heating and Energy Choice by Prohibiting a Municipality from Prohibiting a Particular Energy System or Energy Distributor
Testimony in Opposition to LD 894, An Act to Preserve Heating and Energy Choice by Prohibiting a Municipality from Prohibiting a Particular Energy System or Energy Distributor Senator Nangle, Representative Stover, and members of the Joint Committee on State and Local Government, my name is Jack Shapiro. I am the Climate and Clean Energy Director Read More

Willow Oil Project Approval Ignores Urgency of Climate Change
On Monday March 13, 2023, the Biden Administration approved the Conoco-Phillips Willow project, a massive oil drilling proposal that would become the largest on federal lands in the United States. In response, the Natural Resources Council of Maine released the following statement from Federal Project Advocate Anya Fetcher: “The Biden Administration’s approval of the Conoco-Phillips Read More

New Bill Could Block Clean Energy Progress
This week, the Legislature will consider a fossil fuel pre-emption bill that would strip Maine’s communities of their ability to set policies that improve health, lower energy costs for residents, and tackle climate change with the urgency it requires. This bill would set back the progress we’ve made in creating new jobs from the state’s Read More

LD 43 and LD 622 Bills to Remove 100-megawatt Limit on Renewable Resources
Testimony in Opposition to LD 43, An Act to Reduce the Cost of Electricity by Removing the 100-megawatt Limit on Renewable Resources of Energy; and LD 622, An Act to Create Equal Opportunity Access to Clean Energy by Removing the 100-megawatt Limit on Clean Energy Sources Senator Lawrence, Representative Zeigler, and members of the Joint Read More

LD 524, Installation of EV Charging Stations in New Parking Lot Construction
Senator Lawrence, Representative Zeigler, and members of the Joint Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology, my name is Josh Caldwell. I am the Climate & Clean Energy Outreach Coordinator at the Natural Resources Council of Maine. NRCM has been working for more than 60 years to protect, restore, and conserve Maine’s environment, on behalf of Read More

Support of LD 519, A Resolve, to Conduct a Vehicle-to-grid Pilot Project Using Electric School Buses
Senator Lawrence, Representative Zeigler, and members of the Joint Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology, my name is Rebecca Schultz. I am a Senior Advocate for Climate and Clean Energy at the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). NRCM has been working for more than 60 years to protect, restore, and conserve Maine’s environment, on Read More