NRCM news release May 10, 2022 (Augusta, ME) – A proposed land use plan for Maine’s Moosehead Lake region would significantly reduce the risk of sprawling development while benefiting the economy and protecting the unique character of the region by concentrating new development closer to existing towns and communities, according to an analysis by the Read More
Land Use Planning Commission
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
Wolfden Withdraws Mining Application after Strong Rebuke from LUPC
In January 2020, Wolfden Resources, a Canadian company in massive debt and with no metal mining experience, submitted a rezoning petition to the Land Use Planning Commission (LUPC) for a metal mine at Pickett Mountain. Wolfden hopes to mine for zinc, lead, and copper on 528 acres near Mount Chase, not far from Baxter State Read More
50 Years of Maine’s Land Use Planning Commission
Many who care about Maine’s environment may not be familiar with the relatively unknown state agency that holds the key to the future of much of Maine’s undeveloped areas, including the North Woods and Unorganized Territories (UT). That agency, which was created 50 years ago this month, was originally known as the Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC) but is today named the Land Use Planning Commission (LUPC). For almost as long as the LUPC has existed, the Read More
Your Voice Matters: Preservation of Maine’s Iconic Moosehead Lake Region
There is a view in Maine, one that is not secret and is likely blazoned upon many a postcard and photograph, that takes my breath away and puts me at ease every time I see it. You only get it for seconds, maybe minutes, before it vanishes, not to be experienced until you return to Read More
Development Pressures Driven by Pandemic Underscore Importance of Smart Planning for Maine’s Future
One sure thing about 2020 is this: Maine real estate was red hot. Driven at least in part by the pandemic and its side effects, the Maine Association of Realtors reported that home sales and prices set records in 2020, including in rural and northern Maine. Real estate transactions were up 39.14% in Washington County, Read More
Update: What’s Happening to the Plum Creek Plan for Moosehead Lake?
Fifteen years ago, the Natural Resources Council of Maine and people who love Maine’s North Woods were embroiled in a protracted campaign to prevent the Seattle-based Plum Creek Timber Company from forever ruining the Moosehead Lake region with the largest development proposal in Maine history. Over a five-year period, ending in 2009, we collectively achieved Read More
LUPC Decision on CMP Corridor Ignores Harm Done to Maine
NRCM news release January 8, 2020 (Orono, ME) – Maine’s leading environmental advocacy group, the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM), issued the following statement from Clean Energy Staff Attorney Sue Ely regarding the decision today by the Land Use Planning Commission (LUPC) to certify to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) that Central Read More
NRCM Testimony in Support of LD 1561, An Act To Amend the Maine Land Use Planning Commission Laws and Enhance the Economic Vitality of Neighboring Communities
Good afternoon Senator Dill, Representative Hickman, and members of the Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry Committee. My name is Cathy Johnson. I live in Alna. I am here today on behalf of more than 20,000 members and supporters of the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) to speak in support of LD 1561, An Act to Read More
