Last winter, I wrote a blog post, Joys of a Maine winter, sharing my love for winter fishing in Maine. But this winter has been disappointing. With the warm December and January, and early spring (summer, really) temperatures, the ice fishing season was much abbreviated. I got out on the ice maybe only five times this Read More
Clean Air Act
Warming Winters Threaten Maine’s Outdoor Traditions
“On Thin Ice” Report Details Impacts on Maine’s Outdoor Heritage Natural Resources Council of Maine and National Wildlife Federation Augusta, Maine—Near-record warmth in the winter of 2011-2012 left wildlife and outdoor enthusiasts and the businesses in winter-based sectors scrambling to adapt—and it’s just a preview of what’s to come in a warming world, according to Read More
Who Wants Dirty Air from Away? Not Us!
The EPA has finalized the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule to reduce harmful emissions from power plants in the eastern half of the U.S. These clean air protections are called for under the Clean Air Act and protect people in states like Maine, that are downwind from polluting plants in other states. Maine is expected to Read More
Maine Groups Join Forces to Fight Attacks on Clean Air Act
by A.J. Higgins MPBN Radio news story A new coalition of public health advocates is urging Maine’s two U.S. senators to take a stand against what they describe as a full-scale assault on the Clean Air Act by powerful corporate interests. The Maine Healthy Air Coalition says that rather than weaken the federal laws that protect Read More
Supreme Court Ruling Garners Mixed Reviews from Maine’s Eco Groups
MPBN Radio news story Maine environmental groups are taking a mixed view of a U.S. Supreme Court decision handed down today on greenhouse gas emissions. In a unanimous ruling, the justices said states, cities and private entities can’t ask federal judges to put caps on how much toxic gas power plants can release. The ruling Read More
40th Anniversary of the Clean Air Act: Statement by NRCM
Statement by Emmie Theberge, NRCM Clean Energy Project Outreach Coordinator My name is Emmie Theberge, and I am the Clean Energy Outreach Coordinator for the Natural Resources Council of Maine. Thank you for coming here today to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Clean Air Act. The Clean Air Act has been a tremendous success Read More
Governor King Talks about Leadership and Edmund Muskie – A Great Evening at Bates!
NRCM co-sponsored this year’s Edmund S. Muskie Lecture at Bates College on Wednesday night. The lecture was given by former Maine Governor Angus King, with an introduction by Brownie Carson, NRCM’s executive director. I was very excited to attend this event, and I got to bring Marshall Burk with me — NRCM’s first-ever paid staff 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
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