By Ray Owen, Special to the BDN Bangor Daily News op-ed I have spent much my life working to improve Maine’s environment. I was a professor of wildlife ecology at the University of Maine for 32 years, commissioner of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife for four, and chaired Maine’s former Land Use Read More
water quality
Support of LD 216 and LD 319, Two Water Quality Bills
Testimony in Support of LD 216, An Act To Protect Water Quality by Standardizing the Law Concerning Septic Inspection in the Shoreland Zone; and LD 319, An Act To Standardize the Laws Concerning Property Transfers and To Protect Water Quality Senator Carson, Representative Tucker, and members of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee: My name Read More
Canadian Company Presents Plan for Mining Thousands of Acres in Northern Maine
by A.J. Higgins Maine Public news story Dreams of excavating mineral riches in northern Maine have persisted since the late 1970s, when a geological survey confirmed significant deposits of zinc, copper, silver and lead in the region. Since then, mining companies have had their eyes on the Pickett Mountain area north of Patten, but have Read More
LD 400, Construction/Placement of Decks within Shoreland Zone
Senator Saviello, Representative Tucker and members of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee. My name is Nick Bennett, I am the staff Scientist for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM), and I reside in Hallowell. I am testifying in opposition to LD 400 on behalf of NRCM and its 20,000 members and supporters. Maine’s Read More
Opposition to LD 1082, An Act To Amend the Laws Governing the Granting of a Variance from the Dimensional Standards of a Zoning Ordinance
Good afternoon Senator Davis, Representative Martin, and members of the State and Local Government Committee. My name is Cathy Johnson. I am a resident of Alna and the Forests and Wildlife Project Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine. I am here today on behalf of the 20,000 members and supporters of the Natural Read More
Opposition to LD 930, An Act To Protect Maine Families by Enhancing Well Water Regulation
Senator Saviello, Representative Tucker, and members of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee: My name is Nick Bennett, and I reside in Hallowell. I am the Staff Scientist for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). NRCM is Maine’s largest environmental advocacy group with more than 20,000 members and supporters. I am testifying in opposition Read More
State Shouldn’t Relinquish Water Quality Permitting Authority
by the BDN editorial board Bangor Daily News editorial Unfortunately, a water quality dispute involving state and federal regulators and the state’s Indian tribes is moving further away from resolution. The uncertainty over water quality standards has gotten so bad that Gov. Paul LePage is threatening to quit a system that allows the state to Read More
LePage Asks Maine Delegation to Intervene in Tribal Waters Dispute with Feds
By A.J. Higgins MPBN news story AUGUSTA, Maine – As the impasse between Maine and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over water quality standards deepens, the LePage administration is threatening to relinquish some or all of the state’s delegated authority to ensure compliance with the Clean Water Act. Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Patty Aho Read More
Volunteers Help Keep Maine Waters Strong for Future Generations
by Roberta Hill, Invasive Species Program Director, Maine Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program The Maine Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program (VLMP) is the oldest and largest statewide citizen lake monitoring program in the nation. The mission of the VLMP is to help protect Maine lakes through widespread citizen participation in the gathering and dissemination of credible scientific Read More
