Here are 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 month’s News & Noteworthy from the Natural Resources Council of Maine. July 29, 2021 News about Maine being the first state in the nation to pass an Extended Producer Responsibility Read More
sea-level rise
Top 10 Climate and Clean Energy Accomplishments from Maine’s 2021 Legislative Session
Maine’s Climate Action Plan is appropriately titled Maine Won’t Wait. With record-breaking temperatures and wildfires in the western U.S., deadly floods in Germany, and a heatwave sweeping across Siberia, it is abundantly clear that the planet can’t wait any longer for the necessary widespread, global, and transformative actions required to address the mounting impacts of Read More
Creature Feature: Piping Plover
Piping Plover Scientific name: Charadrius melodus Cool fact: A Piping Plover parent will attempt to lure a potential predator away from its nest by feigning a broken wing. A small, pale-brown bird that nests on sandy beaches, the Piping Plover, along with its sand-colored eggs and chicks, can be difficult to see. Thus camouflaged, they Read More
NRCM Testimony in Support of LD 1679, the Governor’s Climate Bill
Senator Brownie Carson, Chair Representative Ralph Tucker, Chair Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources My name is Lisa Pohlmann, CEO of the Natural Resources Council of Maine. NRCM strongly supports LD 1679 because it is the right vehicle to jump-start Maine’s efforts to tackle climate change in ways that will benefit Maine people, Read More
NRCM Testimony in Support of LD 797, An Act to Limit Greenhouse Gas Pollution and Effectively Use Maine’s Natural Resources
Senator Brownie Carson, Chair Representative Ralph Tucker, Chair Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources My name is Dylan Voorhees and I am the Climate & Clean Energy Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). NRCM strongly supports this framework legislation, which we view as essential to tackling climate change in the Read More
NRCM Testimony in Support of LD 563, An Act to Help Municipalities Prepare for Changes in Sea Level
Senator Ned Claxton, Chair Representative Ronald Martin, Chair Joint Standing Committee on State and Local Government My name is Dylan Voorhees and I am the Climate & Clean Energy Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine. Thank you for allowing us to present this testimony. We support this common-sense legislation, which would integrate critical Read More
It’s Official: 2018 was the Fourth Warmest Year on Record
by John Schwartz and Nadja Popovich New York Times news story View graphics from news story. NASA scientists announced Wednesday that the Earth’s average surface temperature in 2018 was the fourth highest in nearly 140 years of record-keeping and a continuation of an unmistakable warming trend. The data means that the five warmest years in Read More
Portland Students are Rising Up on Behalf of Solar Energy
Kids understand the urgency of taking action, and they are ready to be heard by adults. by Siri Pierce of Portland, a Casco Bay High School junior and an organizer of SolaRISE Portland, a collaboration among student leaders, residents and educators to promote environmental stewardship. Portland Press Herald op-ed Kids are used to adults not Read More
Climate Change Calls for Immediate Action on the Part of Maine Officials
Eight years of denial have only made it harder to prevent catastrophic loss. Portland Press Herald editorial Back in 2010, the state Department of Environmental Protection completed a report on the kind of risks Maine faced as a result of climate change. Although it contained 60 recommendations, it was not a climate response plan. It Read More
