Read some highlights from this month’s news stories and opinion pieces related to the environment, including Maine’s air, land, water, and wildlife, in this April 2022 News & Noteworthy from the Natural Resources Council of Maine. April 28, 2022 Last week on Earth Day, several NRCM staff members joined community members in Farmington (more than Read More
landfills
Legislative Session Marked Again by Big Environmental Accomplishments
Bipartisan votes on many bills highlight strong conservation ethic NRCM news release April 26, 2022 (Augusta, ME) — The Maine Legislature yet again delivered significant progress on a broad range of environmental issues that will benefit Mainers across the state, according to an analysis by the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). NRCM praised Governor Read More
New Law Will Close Out-of-state Waste Loophole
Don’t Waste ME | Community Action Works | Natural Resources Council of Maine news release A bill to stop filling Maine’s State-owned Juniper Ridge Landfill with out-of-state waste was signed into law yesterday by Governor Janet Mills. LD 1639 will close a loophole in the state’s waste laws that had allowed private corporations to import construction Read More
Maine Closes the Out-of-State Waste Loophole
In 2022, NRCM worked with our allies from Community Action Works, the Maine Environmental Priorities Coalition, and Don’t Waste ME, an alliance of impacted community residents and tribal citizens to pass LD 1639. Together, we succeeded in closing a loophole that allowed toxic out-of-state waste to be disposed of in Maine’s State-owned landfill located in 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
Maine Environment Fall/Winter 2021 Newsletter
Maine Environment Fall/Winter 2021: What’s Inside! In this issue of Maine Environment, we feature a story about our work to close a loophole in Maine law that allows toxic out-of-state waste to fill our State-owned landfills like Juniper Ridge in Old Town. We also update you on our work to restore the Kennebec River above Read More
Maine Should Not Be New England’s Dumping Ground
This is an old familiar tale of wealthy corporations exploiting Maine’s laws and natural resources in pursuit of profit, and the underrepresented people who are being affected banding together and fighting back. The setting for this story is Maine’s State-owned Juniper Ridge Landfill (JRL) in Old Town/Alton; its protagonists are the working-class people living adjacent Read More
Support of LD 1639, An Act To Protect the Health and Welfare of Maine Communities and Reduce Harmful Solid Waste
Senator Brenner, Representative Tucker, and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, my name is Sarah Nichols, and I am the Sustainable Maine Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). I appreciate this opportunity to testify in strong support of LD 1639. The time has come for Maine to Read More
Recognizing the Unjust, Disproportionate Health Impacts of Our Waste System
There is more to our waste crisis than meets the eye as a new United Nations (UN) report makes clear. The study, released by the United Nations Environment Program and the environmental justice nonprofit Azul shows that at every stage of the life-cycle for plastics – from production to disposal — there are significant human Read More
