NRCM Blog

A Clear Case for Climate Legislation

We are at a critical juncture when we need bold, bipartisan support to help ensure passage of a comprehensive climate and energy bill this year.

This article in Grist by Dave Roberts makes the case clearly. It should give our bloggers the incentive to turn on the political heat that Roberts calls for. Pick up the phone and call Senator Snowe and Senator Collins (in-district office numbers) this week to ask them to be our climate champions and work towards a bill that will pass the Senate. They could make the difference for the planet. The time for hand-wringing is over. We need this sea change towards a clean energy future for Maine's economy and environment and for our children's future. 

Read here:
http://www.grist.org/article/2010-05-17-leaning-forward-why-the-american-power-act-is-worth-fighting-for/PALL/print.

Lisa Pohlmann, NRCM Deputy Director

NRCM Supports Part, Not All, of Kibby Wind Power Expansion

CARRABASSETT VALLEY, Maine — At a public hearing on wind power held today by the Land Use Regulation Commission, the Appalachian Mountain Club, Maine Audubon, and the Natural Resources Council of Maine announced partial support for a proposed expansion of the Kibby Wind Power Project by TransCanada. The organizations said they will support the northernmost eight turbines in the proposed 45 megawatt (MW) expansion on Sisk Mountain, which lies adjacent to Kibby Mountain, where TransCanada is currently completing a 132 MW wind power project. They oppose the location of the southernmost seven turbines, which would be located in the middle of a large block of rare subalpine forest that provides habitat for species of concern like the Bicknell’s thrush. The southern part of the expansion would also negatively impact the nearby Chain of Ponds, a group of ponds rated by the state as having “outstanding” scenic significance, as well as public land and recreational use along the ponds. 

MPBN news story.

NRCM's Polar Plunge - Watch Our (short) Video!

On December 31, some two dozen NRCM staff and supporters plunged into the icy Atlantic off Portland, Maine, to raise awareness of and funds for global warming work. If you weren't there, you can still catch the excitement (sorta). Watch our fun, short Insider video. Thanks to all who joined us!

 

"Climate Change and Google's View of a Clean Energy Planet"- in Portland tomorrow night

 
Why should you plan to attend NRCM's October 7 event featuring Dan Reicher, Google's Director of Climate Change and Energy Initiatives at Google? NRCM staff share our top ten reasons why you won't want to miss it. Watch our video!

Dan Reicher, Director of Climate Change and Energy Initiatives at Google will be the keynote speaker at our annual meeting, Wednesday, October 7, 2009 in at Hannaford Hall, University of Southern Maine, Portland. Learn more and register today. Join us for

National climate blogger calls Mainers to action

The U.S. must get its act together and pass federal climate legislation if we hope to avert a climate disaster. This was the message from climate scientist and clean energy expert Dr. Joe Romm at an August 18th NRCM event at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute. Romm edits the nation's most read climate blog (www.climateprogress.org) and served as Acting Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the Department of Energy. To hear more from Joe Romme, visit the "NRCM Insider."

The fossil fuel industry has launched a massive disinformation campaign and is bankrolling fraudulent lobbying tactics to block passage of climate and clean energy legislation, according to Romm. He explained that the climate bill passed in the House of Representatives this summer will create a huge number of clean energy jobs, especially through massive funding of energy efficiency programs through revenues from a cap and trade program. Establishing a cap on carbon emissions and investing in energy efficiency and renewable energy will be absolutely critical for reducing carbon emissions.

"Anyone who is paying attention to what we are doing to the climate knows that we'd better do something." Romm encouraged Maine people to contact Senator Olympia Snowe (207) 874-8883 and Senator Susan Collins (207) 780-3575 to urge their support and leadership in passing strong climate and clean energy legislation this year. NRCM is encouraging members and activist to get involved in the nation’s most significant environmental legislation in a generation.

Whether or not you’ve attended an event like this one with Joe Romm, we’d like to hear from you here on our blog about your efforts to take action. Did you make a call to one of the Senators? Or write a letter? What motivated you? Did you get a response?

Dylan Voorhees, NRCM Clean Energy Project Director

Watch NRCM's hilarious new video!

The Natural Resources Council of Maine encourages you to join others around Maine for Commute Another Way Week next week - May 11-15, 2009.  We thought we would give you some ideas of ways to commute to work that won't pollute or harm the environment.  Let us know how you are commuting to work, and what you think of our video! 

To sign up or learn more about Commute Another Way Week, visit http://www.gomaine.org/cawday/.  

Thanks! 

Hot Tips, Cool News

When it comes to energy issues, everyone agrees that Maine needs a new direction. There are 100 energy bills being discussed in Maine’s State House. For the first time, the federal government is seriously focused on global warming legislation—as an opportunity to further stimulate our economy with a clean energy renewal. Here at NRCM we are working to design and help build a secure energy future for Maine. With so much going on we wanted to let you know about some great events, as well as opportunities for you to get involved.

About once a month, NRCM sends an e-news update called Hot Tips, Cool News! to our members and activists interested in clean energy and global warming. If you haven't yet signed up to receive this e-newsletter, you can sign-up today by sending an email with your name and email address and a subject line of "energy news" to nrcm@nrcm.org. 

Hot Tips
Get Audited  Have an energy audit done on your house to find out exactly how you use the energy you are paying for and where you can start economizing.  It's more fun than getting audited by the IRS and more likely to save you money. For a list Maine certified energy auditors click here.
Keep It Low  Turn down your thermostat 10 degrees or more when you are sleeping or away from home.  An automatic timer makes this task easier.
Our Environment's in Hot Water  Install a tankless "on-demand" hot water heater.  Running a conventional hot water heater is like leaving a kettle boiling 24 hours a day in case you want a cup of tea!

Cool News
Maine businesses urge congressional delegation to lead fight to help stop climate change Business leaders from across Maine gathered at the Maine State House on February 4th to release a letter to Maine’s congressional delegation, urging swift, strong, and effective action to help address the threat of climate change. The letter was signed by more than 100 leading Maine businesses such as Hannaford Brothers, Lee Auto Malls, Oakhurst Dairy, Verso Paper, Lamey Wellehan, Mattson Development, and the Harraseeket Inn. To read the letter and to learn more click here.

A green cheer for the stimulus bill The stimulus package will invest $37.5 billion in energy savings, including $4.5 billion to boost the energy efficiency of federal buildings; $6.3 billion for local energy efficiency and conservation grants; and $5 billion to weatherize homes, all of which promises to put idle construction workers back on the job, and the list goes on. Read more here.

America has become the world leader in wind power Last year the U.S. ramped up wind-power capacity to 25,000 megawatts (MW), overtaking the previous leader, Germany. The U.S. added 8,400 MW of installed power in 2008, more than any other country. Read more about this news here, or visit NRCM’s wind power pages to find out what’s happening right here in Maine.

As you can see, this is a busy time for clean energy work in Maine. Please consider signing up for our monthly energy and global warming e-newsletter. To sign up, please send an email with your name and email address and a subject line of "energy news" to nrcm@nrcm.org. To learn more about upcoming energy-related events, visit www.nrcm.org/energy_events.asp. 

Thank you for your interest in Maine’s clean energy future,

Emmie Theberge
NRCM Clean Energy Outreach Coordinator

NY Times editorial - Judicial Rebukes on Clean Air

Judicial Rebukes on Clean Air - 2/18/2008 New York Times editorial

The federal courts have been a bulwark against the Bush administration’s relentless efforts to weaken 40 years’ worth of environmental law, including statutes protecting the nation’s forests, wetlands and endangered species. The courts have been especially important in resisting the administration’s assault on the 1970 Clean Air Act, which began with Vice President Dick Cheney’s 2001 energy report and continues to this day.

In 2006 and 2007, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and the Supreme Court ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to follow the law and require utilities to install pollution controls when upgrading power plants. Another Supreme Court decision last year held that the Clean Air Act required the E.P.A. to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles, an obligation the agency continues to duck.

This month, the D.C. Circuit ruled that the E.P.A. had once again ignored the law by failing to require deep and timely reductions in mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants. Like most clean air cases, this one was mind-numbingly complex. The gist of it was that the E.P.A. — seeking as usual to please industry — had approved a weak set of regulations that would let many plants off the hook for emissions reductions that would be required under any honest reading of the law.

The D.C. Circuit, by no means a radical group of judges, has become so exasperated that it has taken to quoting Lewis Carroll. In 2006, in a reference to “Through the Looking Glass,” the court said that the E.P.A.’s reading of the law would make sense “only in a Humpty Dumpty world.” This month, invoking “Alice in Wonderland,” the court said the agency’s reasoning recalled “the logic of the Queen of Hearts, substituting the E.P.A.’s desires for the plain text” of the law.

Desire still burns bright at the E.P.A., which reportedly intends to make one last-ditch effort to weaken the rules requiring new pollution controls on upgraded plants. Our advice to the agency would be to take a dispassionate look at its losing streak in the federal courts and, for once, leave the law alone.

Update on energy issues for 2008

Happy New Year from NRCM’s Clean Energy Team!

This winter has been off to a wonderful start for those of us who enjoy snowy outdoor activities, including my dog! I love the four seasons we have in Maine, and this most certainly includes winter! Hopefully everyone is taking advantage of the bountiful snow, since the most recent years have been disappointing as the climate has been changing. Of course, the colder and snowy winter does come with higher energy costs to keep our homes warm and cozy; and this is a real hardship for many Mainers, especially with the rising prices of oil and gas. So what are we doing about this here in Maine?

This legislative session, which began yesterday, has several bills which address global warming and rising energy costs. There is a bill we are working on at NRCM which will require new homes to meet minimum energy efficiency standards and provide incentives for high-efficiency homes, and provide home buyers with more information about energy performance. This way you’ll have an idea how much it will cost to heat and cool your home; this is information I’m sure many people would have liked to have before buying or renting their current place. There is also a bill to require carbon capture and sequestration of any new proposed coal facility in the state, since this would be a huge source of carbon emissions which could undermine the steps we have already taken to lower Maine’s global warming emissions. There is legislation to make it easier to do small renewable projects and provide funding for rail transportation, much needed since Maine’s largest source of global warming pollution is from transportation. The Governor’s Task Force on Wind will also be making recommendations later this month, and the Land Use Regulation Commission will make their decisions about both the Black Nubble Wind Power and Kibby Wind Power proposals on January 14^th.  As you can see this winter is off to a busy start…

We hope that in 2008 we will resolve as a state to move toward a cleaner, healthier future, but we need your help! Make sure to sign up through our action network at http://supporters.nrcm.org/site/Survey?SURVEY_ID=1180&ACTION_REQUIRED=URI_ACTION_USER_REQUESTS to stay updated about energy and global warming issues. We’ll let you know when we need you to contact your legislator, government officials, or rally support in your community!  We hope you will join us.

Sara Lovitz

Clean Energy Outreach Coordinator

Second Mars Hill Wind Tour Participants Enjoy Beautiful Fall Foliage, a Strong Breeze, and Learning First-hand about Maine’s Only Up-and-Running Wind Farm

Many Mainers joined the Natural Resources Council of Maine on Saturday, September 29th, for our second excursion to Maine —and New England’s— only large wind farm, located at Mars Hill.  The group toured the ridge line, met with wind farm developer UPC Wind, enjoyed the incredible fall colors, and went round the mountain to gain perspectives from town officials and residents about the benefits of wind power to our environment and on local communities and to hear the project on a windy day from multiple locations. The weather ended up cooperating and we had at the very least partly sunny skies and steady winds, hot summer sun and beautiful fall colors greeting us in Mars Hill.