Senator Brenner, Representative Tucker, distinguished members of the Committe on Environment and Natural Resources. My name is Josh Caldwell. I am the Climate and Clean Energy Outreach Coordinator at the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM), and I am submitting this testimony today in support of LD 2026, Resolve, Regarding Legislative Review of Chapter 180: Appliance Read More
State House Watch
Holding Maine’s Utilities Accountable
The primary pathway to meet Maine’s climate and clean energy goals will be electrifying key sectors of our economy, especially transportation and buildings, while sourcing more and more of our electricity from zero-emission sources. Clearly, this is no easy task. We all rely on electricity, and we need to transition to clean energy sources and Read More
Testimony in Support Certain Provisions of LD 1995 Related to Dept. of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry
Testimony in Support of LD 1995, An Act To Make Supplemental Appropriations and Allocations for the Expenditures of State Government, General Fund and Other Funds and To Change Certain Provisions of the Law Necessary to the Proper Operations of State Government for the Fiscal Years Ending June 30, 2022 and June 30, 2023 Senator Breen, Representative Pierce, Read More
Support of LD 1964, An Act To Update Certain Water Quality Standards and To Reclassify Certain Waters of the State
Senator Brenner, Representative Tucker, and Members of the ENR Committee: My name is Nick Bennett, and I am the staff scientist for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM), which is Maine’s largest environmental advocacy group with more than 25,000 members and supporters. I am testifying in support of LD 1964. Both Maine and federal Read More
Opposition to LD 1979
Senator Brenner, Representative Tucker, and members of the ENR Committee: My name is Nick Bennett, and I am the staff scientist for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM), Maine’s largest environmental advocacy group with more than 25,000 members and supporters. I am testifying in strong opposition to LD 1979. This primary purpose of this Read More
Support of LD 1974, An Act To Establish and Fund the Maine Climate Corps Program
Senator Brenner, Representative Tucker, distinguished members of the Committe on Environment and Natural Resources. My name is Josh Caldwell. I am the Climate and Clean Energy Outreach Coordinator at the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM), and I am testifying today in support of LD 1974, An Act To Establish and Fund the Maine Climate Corps Program Read More
Support of LD 1959, An Act To Ensure Transmission and Distribution Utility Accountability
Senator Lawrence, Representative Berry, and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Energy, Utilities, and Technology, my name is Rebecca Schultz. I am the Senior Advocate for Climate and Clean Energy for the Natural Resources Council of Maine. I am testifying in support of LD 1959, with suggested changes to strengthen the legislation. We believe Read More
Classification Upgrades Protect Maine’s Clean Water
Maine’s clean water is central to our identity, supporting recreation and local businesses, and providing high-quality drinking water to people across the state. Strong federal and state laws are the biggest reasons why Mainers enjoy such clean water. We’re approaching two milestones in 2022 that really reinforce these critical underpinnings of Maine’s clean waters. The Read More
Debunking Claims Made by Companies Profiting Off Maine’s Out-of-state Waste Loophole
This legislative session, a bill (LD 1639) that would close Maine’s out-of-state waste loophole is gaining momentum. You see, Maine’s State-owned Juniper Ridge Landfill (JRL) was never supposed to accept out-of-state waste, and there is no good reason why it should. The State purchased the landfill to provide disposal capacity for Mainers’ waste, not the Read More
