Maine Environment: Frontline Voices
The Natural Resources Council of Maine is a nonprofit membership organization protecting, restoring, and conserving Maine's environment, now and for future generations. We work to improve the quality of Maine's rivers; to reduce toxic chemicals threatening the health of Maine families and wildlife; to decrease air and global warming pollution, and to conserve Maine lands. NRCM harnesses the power of the law, science, and the voices of more than 25,000 supporters statewide and beyond. Together, we are making a difference. Help us protect the nature of Maine — become a member today!
Episodes
Hope was renewed again in Washington D.C., when Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Joe Manchin announced a new deal to invest billions of dollars in clean energy and climate action. In this episode, we speak with experts at the Environmental Defense Fund and National Wildlife Federation to find out how the Inflation Reduction Act would lower energy costs for Mainers and help us meet the goals laid out in Maine’s Clima...
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July 21, 2022 • 15 min
In this episode, NRCM Rising Leadership Team member Kate Shambaugh speaks with Isabelle Rogers, Hub Organizer for Sunrise Movement Franklin County, which just celebrated its first anniversary. It is part of a national youth-led nonprofit made up of young activists working on environmental and social justice issues such as climate change. Learn more about NRCM’s new Franklin County coordinator Marc Edwards and his work, as well as w...
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Maine leaders expressed outrage at a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision limiting the ability of the federal government to reduce carbon pollution. NRCM Climate & Clean Energy Director Jack Shapiro discusses what it means for Maine’s environment and also details an interesting new decision by the Public Utilities Commission that provides a snapshot into what the future of our electric grid could look like and how it’ll deliver b...
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June 23, 2022 • 26 min
Though NRCM’s work in the State House is done for the year, our role as watchdog for Maine’s environment never lets up. Advocacy Director Pete Didisheim speaks about some of the topics we’ll be following this summer. The unifying theme that emerges from the discussion is that many out-of-state corporations are trying to take advantage of Maine people and our environment to turn a profit.
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June 9, 2022 • 15 min
State agencies that were reviewing the American Aquafarms proposal to build a massive industrial salmon farm in Frenchman Bay recently announced they were terminating the project’s permit applications. But the company responded by saying they weren’t going away despite overwhelming opposition from local communities. In this episode, we speak with NRCM Staff Scientist Nick Bennett about the fundamental problems with Atlantic salmon ...
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Youth clean water activist and 2022 Brookie Award winner Noela Altvater speaks about her advocacy to ensure clean drinking water for the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik. Learn more about this year’s six Brookies at brookieawards.org. Also, Advocacy Director Pete Didisheim reports back from a staff field trip to the Benton Falls fish lift and talks about the amazing story of alewives returning to China Lake for the first time in more...
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A proposed land use plan for the Moosehead Lake region has been released that balances economic development with conservation. Forests & Wildlife Director Melanie Sturm discusses what the proposal means for the future of the Moosehead Lake area and how NRCM is working to protect the unique character of this special region. Advocacy Director Pete Didisheim also gives his closing thoughts on the 130th legislative session and what...
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April 26, 2022 • 23 min
The second session of the 130th Legislature was marked by significant progress on a broad range of environmental issues, from clean water to climate action. Advocacy Director Pete Didisheim details the new laws that will benefit Maine’s environment and communities for years to come and highlights how several bipartisan votes for priority bills reflect the strong conservation ethic of Maine people.
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March 31, 2022 • 20 min
Bangor High School students Kosis Ifeji and Ogechi Obi speak with NRCM Rising guest host Kate Shambaugh about their journey as climate activists and discuss their efforts to pass LD 1902, a bill to encourage climate change education in Maine public schools. As a climate action leader, Maine has identified the need for climate education – but teachers need support. The bill would support equitable access to climate change education ...
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March 16, 2022 • 21 min
With about one month left in Maine’s legislative session, NRCM’s Advocacy Director Pete Didisheim joins the podcast to provide a status report on how NRCM’s environmental priority bills are doing. Several bills have received positive outcomes at committees and will soon be voted on by the House and Senate, while details about a few others — including utility accountability, tribal sovereignty, and PFAS pollution — are still being w...
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March 3, 2022 • 22 min
The latest international climate report included bleak warnings about the impacts of climate change accelerating faster than anticipated. But scientists also left us with a sliver of hope, making clear that if the world acts quickly on climate, we have a chance at avoiding some of the worst impacts. Climate & Clean Energy Director Jack Shapiro joins the podcast to bring this international news down to a local level here in Main...
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February 17, 2022 • 17 min
Penobscot Nation Tribal Ambassador Maulian Dana joins the podcast to discuss the bill to restore self-determination and self-governance to the Wabanaki tribes. Based on consensus recommendations from a bipartisan task force convened by the Maine Legislature, the legislation addresses long-standing issues with a land claims act passed in 1980 that governs the relationship between the state and the tribes in Maine. To learn more and ...
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February 3, 2022 • 23 min
In this episode, we speak with UMaine Farmington forest ecologist and Professor of Biology Dr. Drew Barton about Maine’s 19 ecological reserves and the value these 97,000 acres of public lands provide to Maine people. NRCM Forests & Wildlife Director Melanie Sturm speaks about the challenges facing Maine’s woods and waters, and why now is the time to expand the state’s ecological reserve system to mitigate climate change and pr...
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January 20, 2022 • 24 min
In this episode, we kick off a new series of interviews with Maine’s young environmental leaders to elevate their voices and share their stories. Our special co-host NRCM Rising Leadership Team member Kate Shambaugh speaks with 2020 Brookie Award Winner Jordan Kendall Parks about connecting people to nature through art and what winning a Brookie Award has meant to her. Learn more about the Brookie Awards at brookieawards.org and vi...
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January 6, 2022 • 23 min
Maine lawmakers have convened for the second session of the 130th Legislature and will consider dozens of bills that could impact Maine’s healthy air, clean water, and rich natural resources. In this episode, Advocacy Director Pete Didisheim details NRCM’s top environmental priorities for 2022 and why they matter for our collective work to protect the nature of Maine. Pete provides his thoughts about the opening session of the Main...
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December 9, 2021 • 20 min
Two new reports showed that the U.S. ranks as the leading contributor of plastic waste and detailed how plastic production is worsening the climate crisis. We check in with NRCM Sustainable Maine Director Sarah Nichols to get her reaction to these reports and provide updates on the steps Maine is taking to tackle the plastic pollution crisis and reduce waste.
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November 23, 2021 • 29 min
On November 2, CMP suffered a stunning setback for its controversial corridor project and now the project’s future is in doubt. In this episode, NRCM’s Advocacy Director Pete Didisheim dissects what’s happened since the overwhelming vote by Maine people to terminate the CMP corridor. November is Native American Heritage Month, and NRCM encourages listeners to learn more about Maine’s native Tribes and the campaign for Tribal sovere...
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November 12, 2021 • 28 min
Climate & Clean Energy Director Jack Shapiro joins the podcast to talk about how cleaner trucks and buses will benefit Maine, what the new infrastructure bill passed by Congress means for Maine communities, and what lessons can be learned from the decisive vote by an overwhelming majority of Maine people to ban the CMP corridor.
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October 29, 2021 • 26 min
CMP and Hydro-Quebec have spent more than $70 million on a desperate political campaign full of scare tactics and misinformation. As Election Day nears, and just days before Halloween, Colin and Pete tick down the top 10 spooky scare tactics and dirty tricks used by CMP. Voters should treat Question 1 as a referendum on CMP because of these tactics. NRCM urges Mainers to send CMP a message by voting Yes on 1 to reject the CMP corri...
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October 15, 2021 • 22 min
As Election Day inches closer and closer, Colin and Pete discuss one of the top issues on the ballot: Question 1, the citizen’s initiative to stop the CMP corridor. We explore some of the key issues voters should keep in mind and why voting YES on Question 1 is the right approach for stopping the CMP corridor. Pete also highlights a major victory for Maine’s environment that came when a company withdrew its application for a pollut...
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