NRCM Blog

Timing, Commitment, and the Need to Stay Involved

“Timing is everything” or so the expression goes. I’m not sure where this bit of wisdom originated from, but it rings true today. Allow me to reflect once more on the Polar Dip and Dash from New Year’s Eve 2011 and how lucky I was with timing. On the day of the Dip and Dash, it was a balmy 30+ degrees. Now, two weeks later as I type this, it is -2 degrees outside. I feel very lucky with my timing! Even if the temperature had been hovering below 0, I was committed to going in no matter what. There is no turning back once the gun has sounded and you’re facing the ocean!

Enough with metaphors, but timing and commitment remain relevant and are resonating right now. NRCM’s first board meeting of 2012 took place on January 17, and one of our big agenda items was to finalize and approve our strategic plan. This document, produced by the staff and board after hours of productive meetings, began last summer. The final document will be our compass now through 2014. All staff departments and the board have set goals, strategies to achieve them, and benchmarks to measure our success. As supporters of NRCM, you should be proud, as these goals are ambitious but achievable if we all pitch in and take our personal commitment up a notch (or two).

Speaking of pitching in, I had the pleasure of collecting signatures for the Clean Energy ballot initiative. NRCM is part of a coalition that has made it a priority to get this initiative onto the November 2012 state ballot and then working hard to ensure its passage.  The governor has already come out against it, asking Maine citizens not to sign the petition. However, Maine people think for themselves, as my experience collecting signatures proved, with 100% of those I asked eager to sign on. In fact, many were dismayed that the renewable portfolio mix for 2020 was only 20%.

Remember in my December blog, how I discussed testifying at the BEP hearing on “moderate value” wading and shorebird habitat? Compelling testimony given that day by NRCM’s Nick Bennett encouraged BEP to seek further comment by wildlife biologists, and the outcome was a win for the environment, Maine’s wildlife, and all who appreciate the importance of protecting this valuable habitat. Strong work, Nick. 

The last bit of news is from Maine Superior Court. I attended the appeal of the court’s previous decision to remand back to LURC its decision on Plum Creek. Although the arguments can sound arcane to those of us not fluent in “legalese,” our attorney Russ Pierce again made a clear, logical case for sustaining the Superior Court’s initial decision. The court’s final answer is expected sometime this summer.

Finally, I want to alert you to an important date, Tuesday, Feb. 28th, which is NRCM Citizen Action Day. This is your chance to be briefed first-hand by NRCM’s experts, get a primer in citizen lobbying, and head to the State House for some persuasive conversation with your legislators.  It is a privilege and honor to serve you and our great state. I hope to meet as many of you there as possible.

Learn more:

Maine Citizens for Clean Energy Expects Lower Electricity Costs with Ballot Initiative

Maine High Court Hears Arguments in Plum Creek Development Case

NRCM Polar Dip and Dash Slideshow

Tony Owens, MD
NRCM Board President

Weathering the Storm and a Dip in the Icy Atlantic

Having survived (can I say “enjoyed?”) NRCM’s New Year’s Eve day Polar Bear Dip & Dash and welcoming in the New Year with a sunrise walk with the dog through the Spurwink Marsh, I feel like I am entering 2012 with a good reserve of energy and optimism. Looks like we will all need lots of both. Before I go further, let me thank all those runners and dippers who joined us for the Dip and Dash (that's me in the middle, with NRCM Board Treasurer Chris Bond and Executive Director Lisa Pohlmann). Record numbers and lots of enthusiasm—put it on your calendar for December 31, 2012, bring an old pair of sneakers, and the rest is easy.

No sooner had I submitted a letter-to-the-editor of the Portland Press Herald praising the EPA and our Congressional delegation for finally enacting strong controls on mercury than our governor’s administration garners front-page attention by stating it costs $6,000 to keep a pound of mercury out of our environment. This mercury, if not reclaimed, could end up in our land, or water, or head to be burned in an incinerator and become airborne.

Our long-standing commitment to the North Woods faces another key test January 10th when the Superior Court hears oral arguments on our Plum Creek appeal. Remember, we appealed the initial LURC decision based on two key areas. First, was the issue of “paid mitigation,” an oxymoron if there ever was one. Plum Creek was reimbursed for conservation that they were required to provide to offset the damage that would result if the company’s  massive Moosehead development becomes reality. Second was the impropriety of LURC commissioners voting to approve Plum Creek’s revamped development application without proper and required public input. We won our appeal, and this most recent court appearance is the appeal of that decision. Our attorney, Russ Pierce, has done great work throughout this process and will be representing us.

I’d like to end with a sincere thanks to you all for your loyalty to and generous financial support of NRCM. You have helped us weather the “perfect storm” of challenges, continued economic recession, a transition at the senior leadership position, and a hostile state administration and Legislature. To have faced those challenges and emerged in our current strong position is really a testament to your commitment to protecting the nature of the state we love. Full speed ahead.

Tony Owens, MD
NRCM Board President

Recalling the Cold Sledgehammer: NRCM’s Polar Dip and Dash

By Jeff Wells

I have felt the cold sledgehammer of ice water closing in on my head before—that’s what it felt like to me when I plunged under the icy waters of the Atlantic Ocean at Portland’s East End Beach during the Natural Resources Council of Maine’s (NRCM’s) Polar Plunge in 2009. That was a special occasion; I was participating as a way to celebrate NRCM’s 50th anniversary. I didn’t really think I might do it again.

Fast forward to 2011. With December 31st—New Year’s Eve—almost upon us, I have pushed aside my memory of that first polar plunge and am getting myself mentally ready for another dive into the waters off Maine’s coast, for NRCM’s Polar Dip and Dash.

I will heave my protesting body into the frigid Atlantic for three main reasons:

1) To raise money for a great organization—the Natural Resources Council of Maine—that is leading efforts to protect Maine’s air, water, and lands for future generations.

2) To help increase awareness about what is arguably the most urgent environmental issue of our time: global climate change. With so much coastline, Maine is especially vulnerable to the sea-level rise that is inevitable unless we take action quickly to address climate change.

3) It’s a wild and crazy thing to do! No wonder it’s on so many bucket lists! It’s also the kind of thing you can do regardless of age. In fact, why not make it a family event this year?

In fact, I believe so much in the importance of this event that I’m not only participating, I’m helping promote it! This morning, my thirteen-year-old niece Kerry and I were guests on Fox TV’s “Good Day Maine” show. Kerry will be joining this year for the plunge, and we had fun sharing our excitement about the event with viewers of this live television show. You can watch the short segment here —hopefully, it will inspire you, if you are not already convinced!

Please join me in taking part in NRCM’s Polar Dip and Dash. You can do just the dash (a 5k run or walk from Portland’s Back Bay parking lot to East End Beach) or just the dip (the plunge into the waters at East End Beach) or both. Visit the NRCM website for more details, including registration.

Come join me and all the others who will be jumping into the water on Saturday! What a way to kick off a New Year!

Dr. Jeffrey Wells, a birder and scientist, is a Visiting Fellow at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology who works from a satellite office in Maine. He is the author of Birder’s Conservation Handbook and Boreal Birds of North America.

Mean Mr. Grinch Thwarted this Holiday Season

On a recent blustery winter day, I found myself skulking and slinking around Portland’s Monument Square dressed as Dr. Seuss’ the Grinch. Sporting a three-piece, pinstriped suit and hauling bags of dirty coal over my shoulder, I spread holiday fear wherever I went. But why, you ask? I have never considered myself a Grinch by any means, especially during the holiday season. I love all that this time of year offers, especially here in Maine. I enjoy the powdery snow that blankets our rolling hills, skating on frozen ponds, and breathing the crisp, clean air. So why the Grinch outfit, you ask?

I was acting in a fun street theater performance co-sponsored by NRCM applauding new standards that will clean up Maine’s air! Thanks to new standards issued by the EPA regulating air emission of mercury, arsenic, nickel, selenium, and cyanide from the nation’s dirtiest power plants, Mainers can all breathe a bit easier this holiday season! The new Mercury and Air Toxics Standard will slash domestic mercury air emissions by 90 percent by requiring all power plants to utilize existing pollution abatement technology.

To raise awareness about this important new public health safeguard, we pitted the Grinch (think dirty coal-fired power plants) against Santa Claus (think EPA) in a street theater performance. As Santa stuffed Maine’s Christmas stocking with presents representing clean air, safe children, and healthy wildlife, the Grinch tried to put dirty coal in Maine’s stocking. Thanks to the EPA’s new rules, I think we all know how that turned out.

The EPA estimates that the Mercury and Air Toxics Standard will prevent 11,000 premature deaths and 4,700 heart attacks a year in the United States. The standards will also help America’s children grow up healthier – preventing 130,000 cases of childhood asthma symptoms. This is especially good news for Maine which is downwind from so many coal-fired power plants and has one of the highest rates of childhood asthma in the country. This is why Maine has been dubbed the “tailpipe state” of the nation.

Power plants are responsible for half of the mercury and over 75 percent of the acid gas emissions in the United States.  Today, more than half of all domestic coal-fired power plants already utilize pollution control technologies. Once implemented, these new standards will ensure the remaining plants – about 40 percent of all domestic coal-fired power plants - take similar steps to clean up their act. This will save lives, prevent diseases, protect our children’s healthy, and reduce mercury pollution in our lakes, rivers, and streams.

NRCM is pleased that the Obama administration made good on its promise for clean, healthy air this holiday season. We urge Maine Senators Snowe and Collins not to be Grinches and to protect the health of Maine families by voting against all efforts to delay air pollution rules in Congress.

-Todd Martin, NRCM Outreach Coordinator

Blue Christmas…but hope for a “green” New Year

My family has a lot of holiday traditions: decorating the tree while listening to carols, making gingerbread cookies, going to visit my great aunt and uncle – bringing them some of Mom’s homemade Christmas bread and my aunt giving us her delicious homemade Chex mix. But, my favorite tradition started several years ago (before there were CD players in vehicles) on a ride home from my grandmother’s house.

My mom is an Elvis fan. Always has been. Always will be. So, we would get excited whenever Elvis’ “Blue Christmas” came on the radio. My mom, who is not a “singer,” would start belting out Elvis’ part, and my sister and I would sing the “ooh, ooh, ooh” back up parts. We wouldn’t win any singing contests, but we would giggle with delight as we headed home singing as if we WERE Elvis and his back-up singers. And to complete the tradition, my elderly stepfather would quietly reach up and turn off his hearing aid. And a Merry Christmas was had by all.

So, while we wait and hope for a “Blue Christmas” – my hopes for the New Year are that it is not blue, but instead “green.” Last January, a lot of us felt “blue,” because the governor and his Administration proposed rollbacks to important, long-standing laws that protect our clean air, healthy waters and wildlife, and vibrant forests. Governor LePage wanted to eliminate Maine’s wildly successful bottle recycling bill. End the ban on billboards on Maine roadsides. Reduce protections to important wildlife habitat on shorelands, in wetlands, and vernal pools. And the list goes on and on.

Luckily, NRCM and our members, supporters, friends, and the public spoke out loudly and often to legislators, the governor’s office, committees and state agencies saying that Maine’s environment should be protected and not open for the business of destroying it for the sake of polluting companies who don’t care about Maine’s natural resources.

Well, it’s nearly 2012 and the start of a new legislative session. We defeated most rollback bills last year, but we can be sure that more are on the way. That’s why we can’t sit back and wait for others to do the work of protecting Maine’s air, water, wildlife, and forests. We need to start contacting our legislators today to urge them to support bills that reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, protect Maine’s 10.4-million-acre North Woods, protect Maine’s wildlife, and reduce toxic pollution from consumer products.

If you haven’t yet signed up for NRCM’s Action Network, please do so today. Visit http://supporters.nrcm.org/Action_Network_signup and sign up to receive emails about projects that interest you. You will then receive emails when your voice is most needed to protect the Maine we know and love, now and for future generations.

Happy Holidays!

Beth Dimond
NRCM Public Affairs Coordinator

Independent Report: Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative a Major Boon for Maine

Very exciting news today on the clean energy front! Many of you are familiar with "RGGI"  (the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative). NRCM played a leading role in helping Maine join this innovative 10-state program to reduce climate changing emissions from power plants. Since then,  several studies  have documented RGGI’s results. (You can see a fact sheet and case study on the benefits of RGGI in Maine on our webpage.)

Today, one of the most comprehensive studies of RGGI was released. It found that RGGI has yielded $1.6 billion in net benefits to the region’s economy. The biggest benefit was from reduced energy costs and associated economic benefits—keeping that money circulating in the Maine economy instead of being sent out of state for imported fossil fuels. Here are some the highlights from the report, which focused on the first three years of RGGI (2009-2011):

• RGGI led to a net increase in Maine’s economy of approximately $92 million.
• RGGI reduced the flow of money out of New England for imported fossil fuels by $210 million.
• Maine’s participation resulted in an increase of 918 “job-years,” a mix of permanent and temporary jobs.
• Electricity bill reductions from RGGI-funded energy efficiency investments totaled $120 million in Maine. These savings far outweighed the incredibly small price increase that comes from requiring power plants to pay a small cost for carbon pollution.
• The report found energy efficiency was the most beneficial use of RGGI dollars—something we know because Maine has invested a relatively high percentage (84 percent) of RGGI dollars in energy efficiency, through new and existing Efficiency Maine programs.

Efficiency Maine used a portion of initial RGGI dollars to support a grant program for large energy consumers in Maine. (RGGI money also boosted efficiency programs for residential and smaller business consumers.) The new report included a success story from Maine: a multi-million dollar set of energy efficiency improvements at Twin Rivers Paper in Madawaska that will save 6 million kwh/year—as much as used by 1000 homes.  “We are reinventing ourselves as a low-cost specialty papers manufacturer,” said Phil Nadeau, their engineering manager. “Being a sustainable company means saving money on every front. We are a new company and these projects would not have happened without support from these grants.” (You can read another case study from Maine’s industrial sector—Madison Paper—on our website.)

Part of why RGGI has been so beneficial is because it is supporting energy efficiency investments and programs. One of the best ways to further reduce fossil fuel pollution and reduce energy bills is with more energy efficiency. That’s one reason we are so excited about a new clean energy ballot initiative that would significantly increase energy efficiency investments in Maine.

A legislative proposal to withdraw Maine from RGGI failed in the 2011 session, and just last month, the bipartisan Legislative Council rejected a similar bill from being considered in 2012. Today’s report is yet another indication that RGGI is working and providing significant benefits to Maine, in terms of our economy, environment, and energy independence.

- Dylan Voorhees, NRCM Clean Energy Director

Marching for the Mountain

“Retirement” – to me, that word means having no schedule, no plans, and spending a lot of time relaxing and doing all the things one never had time to do while they were working. Over the past few years, I have seen my mother “retire” – and now work more hours at her “part-time job” and be more involved in activities than she was while working. And now…Brownie Carson retired after 27 years as NRCM’s executive director, and what is HE doing? He’s still working hard to protect the environment. 

I talk to Brownie weekly, it seems, to catch up and see what he is up to during his first months of retirement. After being his assistant at NRCM for 12 years, I had gotten used to seeing him and talking to him every day. So, it’s nice to still be in touch as frequently as we are. He tells me of trips to visit his best friend. He talks of time spent with his granddaughter. And occasionally, he still calls to ask for my “assistance” on one project or another. 

Last week’s request came in the form of a phone call early on Saturday morning. He was looking for a place to park his car in West Virginia. Yes…West Virginia. I told him of a friend who used to live down there and after contacting her via Facebook, we found him a place to park his car for a week. “And what will you be doing in West Virginia for a week?” I asked. 

Brownie said he would be marching 50 miles in five days to (according to the March’s website) “commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Battle of Blair Mountain in 1921, when 10,000 coal miners rose against the rule of the coal operators and fought for the basic right to live and work in decent conditions.” This peaceful march is also to raise awareness of the threats to Blair Mountain from mountain top removal mining. 

The day Brownie, a Virginia native, decided to participate, he had gone to the Brunswick Farmer’s Market and run into an NRCM board member, originally from Kentucky. They started talking and decided they would both go to West Virginia and do this march together. So, off they went, not expecting the extreme heat, but knowing that they had to be a part of this event, which ends this weekend on Blair Mountain. Brownie’s last email from the trip to me is that it is “hotter than hell,” but onward he marches….continuing to do what he and NRCM have done for years – speaking up and speaking out about protecting our natural places. Speaking up for clean energy and for clean air. And doing so even when the conditions are tough. NRCM members, staff, and supporters are always willing to go that extra mile (or 50) to raise awareness of the importance of a clean and healthy environment. 

To learn about the March on Blair Mountain, see videos and photos of the week’s events, and more, visit http://marchonblairmountain.org/.

- Beth Dimond, NRCM Public Affairs Coordinator

New Web Feature: Updates from the State House

With so much happening at the Legislature on bills that will affect Maine’s environment, we know that it’s hard to keep track of important developments. That’s why NRCM has   launched a new feature on our website that provides fresh updates and news. We encourage you to check out this new feature, which will report both the good news and bad news on our efforts to stop rollbacks of laws that protect Maine’s land, air, and water. 

Just yesterday, for example, the DEP Commissioner Darryl Brown testified in strong support of a bill that would dramatically weaken regulation of development. The bill was developed by the Maine Realtors and Developers Association (MEREDA), which gave an award last year to Darryl Brown. Also up yesterday was a bill that would undermine DEP’s regulation of “overboard discharge systems,” which pose a threat to coastal water quality and clam flats. The Maine Clammers Association slammed the bill as a threat to their ability to provide a living for their families. Further information like this is featured in the updates posted from yesterday.

This new State House Updates feature is a companion to our legislative tracking page, which provides a list of bills were working on, along with position memos describing NRCM’s views and links to testimony delivered by NRCM staff.

Together, these web features should help you stay up-to-date on the latest developments from Augusta – where the pace of activity is intense, and NRCM staff are at work every day trying to stop the rollbacks of Maine’s environmental laws.

Pete Didisheim
Advocacy Director 

 

Join Us February 14 in Augusta: Notes from the Auburn Hearing

The Regulatory Fairness hearings being held around the state by the Legislative Regulatory Reform Committee are bringing out large numbers of Maine citizens and business owners who want to see Maine’s environmental standards strengthened, not weakened. During the hearings there have been specific suggestions to improve the implementation of particular laws, but generally, little to no call for complete repeal of any laws. 

I attended the Auburn hearing on February 3 that was covered by the Lewiston Sun http://www.sunjournal.com/city/story/981130. During the time I was there, most people spoke about the importance of protecting Maine’s natural resources and the quality of life they provide. Buzz Lamb, a retired computer industry businessman from New Gloucester and NRCM board member, spoke from more than 40 years experience working with industries throughout Maine, including forest products, wholesale, retail, manufacturing, transportation, and health care industries. He challenged the premise put forward by the LePage Administration that regulation was killing jobs, noting instead that the real causes of job loss in Maine have been the rise of big box stores that eliminated healthy downtown retail districts; consolidations in wholesale distribution, banking, insurance and other industries that moved headquarters and jobs out-of-state; global labor rates that drew shoe and textile manufacturing jobs overseas, and the resulting decline of many other supporting jobs in the community. He said, “I find blaming Maine’s business environment on environmental regulation to be very misguided. In fact, it makes me question whether or not the governor’s team has done an adequate job in problem determination.” 

Buzz argued against the environmental rollbacks proposed by the LePage administration and some current legislators, saying that they will increase long-term costs to both business and government due to the rise in cost associated with toxics clean up, public health, and sprawl. He specifically discussed the legislative proposal to weaken shoreland zoning laws. As the owner of approximately 3000 feet of farm and woodland affected by shoreland zoning, he said the proposal of a 75 foot setback (instead of the present 250 feet) could not be proposed “with a straight face.” He said that 75 feet does not even begin to address the run off issues facing our lakes and streams during spring run off and heavy rains. “Once eutrophication (the introduction of artificial substances to a fresh water system) begins, it is difficult to stop and eventually feeds itself. The long term costs of watershed deterioration will be very high, including clean up costs, land value decline, expensive filtration equipment for public water supplies, and flood damage from faster run off.” He does not find being a good shoreland steward “onerous or difficult.” See Buzz’s full testimony here. 

Comments like these from Buzz Lamb about actual experience with our environmental standards in Maine have been delivered by hundreds of people throughout the hearing process. We hope the Legislature will listen and submit real solutions to real problems, rather than gut environmental laws that continue to serve Maine citizens well. 

If you have not contacted your legislator yet to express your concerns about the proposed environmental rollbacks, I encourage you to do so today. You can learn more at our website, where you can also find contact information for your legislator, at http://www.nrcm.org/stop_environmental_rollbacks.asp.

You can also join us for the final hearing in Augusta in Room 208, Cross State Office Building, Capitol Street, on Monday, February 14 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. to say a few words to the committee. Join us at noon for a rally to protect Maine’s environment in the Hall of Flags at the State House. Hope to see you there!

-Lisa Pohlmann, NRCM Executive Director

Maine People and the Environment: Report from the Roundtable

More than 500 citizens from across the state poured into the Augusta Civic Center on January 20th to participate in the first public meeting with Governor LePage about the importance of environmental protection to Maine's economic and public health. A panel of 28 businesses, sportsmen, health professionals, religious leaders, and youth discussed how the laws that have cleaned up once heavily polluted rivers, have kept Maine's woods and fish stocks intact, have kept our landscapes protected and relatively pristine, and have cleaned up our air - and saved us money -- by conserving energy, are necessary and welcome to those who have chosen to set up businesses in Maine, have worked the land for generations, or visit here to enjoy our quality of life.

NRCM is proud to have sponsored this event with numerous partner organizations and to have seen so many members from the NRCM family across the state in attendance. We have shown once again that the people of Maine are deeply committed to environmental protections and are willing to stand up and fight for them. Please see the extensive news coverage here: http://www.nrcm.org/news.asp

We will soon be posting the remarks of the panelists, as well as video of the event, but today's snow slowed us down a bit. Check our website next week (www.nrcm.org) for more from the Roundtable.

Here are some of the remarks from the panelists, who we thank so much for participating in this event:

William Bennett, Pres. & CEO, of Oakhurst: "After all the cows that produce Oakhurst milk literally eat drink and breathe the Maine environment so it's in everyone's best interest to keep Maine's environment clean, safe and healthy."

Unity College student Deirdre Birbeck also had a chance to speak directly to the Governor. "It seems to me that my generation's future jobs will depend on careful stewarding of our natural resources."
 
“If our coastal waters are not clean, it is impossible for all commercial fishermen, not just clammers, to market the Maine brand,” said Chad Coffin, president of the Maine Clammers Association.

“Regulations aren’t perfect, and some may need fixing,” said Harry Dwyer, a licensed forester and logger who owns Ghost Dance Forestry in Fayette. “But regulations are not the enemy. They are an important tool” to protect resources for future generations.

Horace “Hoddy” Hildreth, a former Republican state senator who is chairman of Diversified Communications, a company with 200 employees, said many of the laws protecting Maine’s air, land and water were enacted by Republican-controlled legislatures responding to the industrial abuses of the 1960s and 1970s.

“Their implementation has from time to time caused frustration and even outrage,” Hildreth said. “But I submit to you that working on the regulations to make sure they are responsive to the plain intent of the statutes is a better way to go than gutting or repealing the laws.”

Corky Ellis, founder and Chairman of Kepware, a software company in Portland, says they could have moved to North Carolina or Texas with lower taxes and minimal environmental regulations, but they wanted to live in Maine. "Please bear in mind that many businesses like ours are here in Maine precisely because of the protected beauty and the conservation efforts of the past."

And MPBN's news story quoted Ernie Hilton, former chair of the Maine Board of Environmental Protection (read and listen to the full MPBN news story here):

Ernie Hilton is a lifelong Republican, an attorney and civil engineer from Madison who previously chaired Maine's Board of Environmental Protection, and whose wife chairs the Land Use Regulation Commission, or LURC.

Hilton says he's worried Maine's quality of place may be threatened as the new administration and Legislature look to relax environmental permitting and reuglations and do away with agencies such as LURC, which governs zoning and planning in Maine's North Woods.

"I'm concerned when I see, as I did yesterday, a list of some of the statutes which are pending before the Legislature dealing with shoreland zoning and with LURC, and it strikes me as being a race to the bottom approach to our environment," Hilton said.

Hilton says it's not environmental rules or regulations that are the biggest impediments to job creation in Maine but rather the high cost of health care. He points out that over the last eight years more than 10,000 permits by rule were issued for small projects, and $5 billion dollars worth of major projects permitted by the Department of Environmental Protection alone.