I am here today to announce the decision by the Natural Resources Council of Maine to oppose the coal gasification facility proposed by Point East for the town of Wiscasset. NRCM has many members in Wiscasset and the surrounding towns. They and many others asked us to examine this proposal closely. We have concluded that Read More
Clean Water
Clean, healthy waterways are vital to our day-to-day lives. They help ensure safe drinking water, suitable habitat for fish and other wildlife, and recreational opportunities that make Maine a special place to live, work, and visit. NRCM is working hard to protect and restore Maine’s lakes, rivers, and streams, now and for generations to come.
Summary of NRCM’s Androscoggin River Discharge Permit Appeal
On Wednesday, May 2, 2007, the Board of Environmental Protection (BEP) began 6 days of hearings to consider an appeal by NRCM and others of the Department of Environmental Protection’s proposed wastewater discharge license for the Verso papermill in Jay, Maine, formerly owned by IP. More than three decades after former Maine Senator Edmund Muskie Read More
Allagash Wilderness Waterway Deserves Stronger Protection
By Dean and Sheila Bennett Maine Sunday Telegram op-ed On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the creation of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, it is important to recognize and appreciate what the voters of Maine did in November 1966 when they approved a bond issue to develop the maximum wilderness character of the land Read More
Removal of Dam Ready to Begin
By Larry Grard, Staff Writer Kennebec Journal news story NORRIDGEWOCK — Breaching of the Sandy River Dam, a project designed to restore salmon and other sea-run fish from the Kennebec, is scheduled to begin this morning. Contractors will begin the removal of the dam located between Norridgewock and Starks on the Sandy River. The dam Read More
NRCM Responds to March 30th Plum Creek Announcement
Today’s announcement proposes an interesting framework for conservation in the Moosehead Lake region, but Maine people are still in the dark about how Plum Creek will scale back its massive, sprawling development scheme. Although we are encouraged by elements of today’s announcement, it is premature to judge this proposal until we know how much Plum Read More
NRCM Responds to Decision on Lawsuit
Effort to Clean Up the Androscoggin River Will Continue NRCM News Release The Natural Resources Council of Maine today expressed disappointment in yesterday’s court decision to dismiss, on administrative technicalities, NRCM’s lawsuit against International Paper. NRCM said that it would not give up on its efforts to compel International Paper to reduce its pollution of Read More
Vernal Pool Rules Nothing New for Maine
Rep. Ted Koffman and Sen. Scott Cowger Portland Press Herald op-ed The Legislature’s Committee on Natural Resources has worked over the years to build on our predecessors’ work to advance a reasoned and commonsense approach to environmental conservation and public health protection. The Natural Resources Protection Act, enacted in 1987, has provided protections for special Read More
Leading the Way in e-Waste Recycling
In 2003, NRCM took on the task of resolving the developing crisis of discarded and highly toxic electronic waste, or “e-waste.” Maine was not the first state to discover it had an e-waste problem but took the lead in finding a workable solution. “Our investigation showed that e-waste was being stockpiled in people’s homes and Read More
Most Mercury Found in Swordfish and Tuna Bought in Maine
NRCM: Warnings Needed Where Fish Is Sold, Clean-Up Still Needed AUGUSTA – Today, the Natural Resources Council of Maine released the results of a major mercury testing project which included samples of swordfish and tuna taken from Shaw’s in Portland ME. The swordfish and tuna steaks from Maine supermarkets contained the most mercury contamination of Read More
