Senator Hamper, Representative Gattine, and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs, my name is Pete Didisheim. I am the Advocacy Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine. I appreciate this opportunity to testify on behalf of our 20,000 members and supporters in support of LD 1510, which would create Read More
State House
LePage Vetoes Deposit Bill for Nips
By Steve Collins, Sun Journal AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. Paul LePage vetoed a measure to require a deposit for the tiny liquor bottles known as nips. In his veto message, the governor complained about the cost of the proposal but also offered an alternative way to address the littering problem created by the increasingly popular Read More
Fixing Maine’s Solar Policy
by Peter Simmons of Brunswick Times Record op-ed The ongoing dispute between Governor LePage and solar advocates over energy policy deserves serious consideration and demands swift resolution. Although the Governor believes that solar power raises the cost of electricity and incentives only benefit the wealthy, a wisely designed solar policy will lower costs, result in Read More
The Irvings’ Invasion of Maine
by Bruce Livesey, National Observer news story Reprinted with permission in the Lewiston Sun Journal This is one part in a six-part series titled “The House of Irving” by investigative reporter Bruce Livesey of the Vancouver-based National Observer. The series examines the powerful role the Irving family plays in the business, politics and media of Read More
Statement of Lisa Pohlmann in Response to Governor’s June 8 Radio Address
Governor LePage has asked to meet with me and I am certainly prepared to do so, and I will bring with me some of the people in Maine who strongly believe that a clean environment is essential for a healthy Maine economy. In January 2011, we invited the governor to attend a roundtable on the Read More
Gov. LePage Turns Middle Ground into Battlefield
Instead of trying to win an argument, LePage would rather silence the opposition. By The Editorial Board Portland Press Herald editorial The thousands of people who donate every year to the Natural Resources Council of Maine don’t need Gov. LePage to tell them what the organization does. On issue after issue, the Natural Resources Council Read More
Changes to Wind Power Permitting Process Under Consideration in Augusta
by Tom Porter MPBN news story Listen to full news story. AUGUSTA, Maine – Wind power advocates squared off against opponents today as lawmakers heard testimony on two competing bills that could affect wind development projects in Maine’s unorganized territory. Maine’s unorganized territory, or UT, refers to that vast wilderness which has no local government. Read More
NRCM Testimony in Support of LD 278, “An Act to Encourage the Use of Fuel-efficient Vehicles”
Senator Earle McCormick, Chair Representative Adam Good, Chair Joint Standing Committee on Taxation My name is Dylan Voorhees and I am the Clean Energy Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine. Thank you for allowing us to present this testimony. We support a tax credit or exemption specifically for plug-in electric vehicles (EVs), which Read More
Support of LD 39: Resolve, To Require a Review of the Merger That Resulted in the Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry
Good afternoon Sen. Edgecomb, Rep. Hickman, and members of the Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry Committee. My name is Eliza Donoghue. I am here today on behalf of the 16,000 members and supporters of the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) to speak in support of LD 39, a Resolve, To Require a Review of the Read More
