Governor signs bill to improve air quality by reducing sulfur levels in oil Today Governor Baldacci signed legislation that will help cut air pollution by reducing the sulfur level allowed in heating oil and related oil products used by industry. Improving air quality continues to be a top concern in Maine. The legislation was a Read More
air pollution
NRCM and Other Conservation Groups Sue EPA Over Power Plant Air Toxic Pollution
WASHINGTON D.C. — Today, a coalition of state and national public health and environmental groups, including the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM), filed a lawsuit in federal court here, seeking a firm and enforceable new deadline for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to require deep reductions in mercury and other toxic air pollutants emitted Read More
Maine Third Northeast State to Pass RGGI Law
* Natural Resources Council of Maine * Environment Northeast * Environmental Defense * Conservation Law Foundation * The Nature Conservancy * Environment Maine Today, the Maine Senate voted 35-0 for final passage of “An Act To Authorize the State’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative” (LD 1851, known as RGGI). Today’s vote makes Maine Read More
NRCM Study Says Global Warming Could Put Chunks of Maine Coast Under Water
By Kevin Miller Bangor Daily News news story An environmental organization predicted Tuesday that rising ocean levels tied to global warming could submerge tens of thousands of acres along coastal Maine, severely damaging popular oceanfront communities and inflicting “incalculable” harm to local tourism. Natural Resources Council of Maine representatives said that, based on their calculations, Read More
States Win Air Quality Appeal
Portland Press Herald news story In a stinging setback for the Bush administration, a federal appeals court sided with Maine and 13 other states Friday and blocked the Environmental Protection Agency from easing clean air rules on aging power plants, refineries, and factories. Industry representatives had lobbied hard for the rule changes, arguing that the Read More
Court Rejects (on Procedural Grounds) Carmakers’ Challenge to Maine’s Car Pollution Rule Process
Natural Resources Council of Maine * Conservation Law Foundation The Kennebec County Superior court has denied a request by the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers to stay Maine’s new clean car standards. The court also refused to send the matter back to the Maine Board of Environmental Protection (BEP) for reconsideration. “This is a good step Read More
NRCM Sues EPA Over Mercury Pollution
NRCM news release WASHINGTON D.C. — On April 28, state and national conservation groups sued the federal government to force the Environmental Protection Agency to require maximum achievable reductions in mercury and other toxic air pollutants emitted by coal and oil-fired power plants, as required by the Clean Air Act. The lawsuit against EPA was Read More
NRCM Comments on EPA’s Proposed Rulemaking on National Standards for Reduction of Mercury Emissions from Power Plants
My name is Brownie Carson. I testify here today on behalf of the Natural Resources Council of Maine, a citizen supported environmental advocacy organization with 8000 members and supporters. Thank you to Congressman Tom Allen for giving us all the opportunity to express our views on the critical environmental issue of proposed national standards for Read More
Getting Wyman Station to Clean Up Its Act
Gazing out across the waters of Casco Bay, a layer of gray soot was almost impossible to miss. It covered boats, moorings, marinas, and was an ominous presence throughout neighborhoods on Cousins Island and beyond. Air pollution, moving on prevailing winds, spewed across the mid-coast to Penobscot Bay, Acadia National Park, and even to Downeast Read More
