By Susan Sharon Maine Public news story Scientists are speaking out about what they say have been “remarkable improvements” in curbing mercury emissions under Obama-era regulations that are now under threat by the Trump administration. Mercury is a toxic chemical most commonly associated with coal-burning power plants. Because they are downwind from coal-burning states, Maine Read More
Mercury Pollution
Estimated Cost of Penobscot River Mercury Cleanup Balloons to More than $240M
By Bill Trotter and Judy Harrison, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story The recommended remediation of the Penobscot River estuary due to mercury pollution from a defunct chemical plant would cost between $246 million and $333 million, according to a report filed Tuesday in federal court in Bangor. That is far higher than a Read More
Removing Mercury from Penobscot River Likely Won’t be Easy
By Bill Trotter, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story Exactly how does someone clean toxic mercury deposits out of a section of a tidal river more than 30 miles long? That’s the main question a federal judge is expected to decide next year as part of a court-ordered cleanup of mercury dumped over decades Read More
EPA Nominee Scott Pruitt Does Not Reflect Maine Values on the Environment
Sen. Susan Collins should join Sen. Angus King in pledging to reject Pruitt to head the Environmental Protection Agency. By Bill Houston Portland Press Herald op-ed KINGFIELD — Mainers hold clean air and water near and dear to their hearts. As a lifelong Mainer who trains young men and women to become outdoor leaders, I Read More
April 9, 2016: Penobscot Watershed Conference, Northport
Penobscot Watershed Conference: Sharing our Heritage, Challenges, and Future. The Penobscot Watershed Conference brought together scientists, researchers, business leaders, nonprofit organizations, fishermen, government representatives, and others to discuss the state of the watershed past, present, and future: what needs to happen, what individuals might do, and recommendations for action. Four NRCM staff members participated in this Read More
Judge Orders Mallinckrodt Manufacturing to Fund Mercury Cleanup Plan for Penobscot River
The ruling is a step toward requiring the company to pay to clean up pollution from the former HoltraChem site – a cost estimated at $130 million. By Kevin Miller, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story A federal judge ordered Mallinckrodt Manufacturing Co. on Wednesday to pay to develop a detailed plan to clean Read More
Judge Seeks Plan for Cleanup of Penobscot River at HoltraChem Site
By Dawn Gagnon, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story BANGOR, Maine — A federal court judge issued a ruling Wednesday ordering that an engineering firm be hired to develop a plan to clean up mercury deposited in the Penobscot River by a defunct Orrington chemical plant. HoltraChem, which operated from 1967 to 1982, produced Read More
NRCM Testimony in Opposition to LD 1045, An Act to Modify the Laws Regarding the Collection and Recycling of Mercury-added Thermostats
Senator Saviello, Representative Welsh, and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, my name is Sarah Lakeman and I am the Sustainable Maine Project Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine. I appreciate this opportunity to testify in opposition to LD 1045. While we oppose this bill, we do believe Read More
Maine Environmental Board OKs Higher Mercury Emissions Limit for Dragon Cement
By Darren Fishell, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story PORTLAND, Maine — The Maine Board of Environmental protection will permit the Dragon Cement plant in Thomaston to operate under federal emissions standards that raise the amount of mercury the plant could release into the air by 68 percent, as production increases. Marc Cone, head Read More
