Maine Environment With Nrcm

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 Maine by talking about the climate connection to utility accountability and housing bills being considered by the Legislature.

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 take action visit wabanakialliance.com.

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 protect more habitats for Maine’s unique plants and animals. Download our special report at: https://www.nrcm.org/our-maine/publications/maines-ecological-reserves-publication

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 visit https://jordankendallparks.com to view Jordan’s work.

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 Maine Legislature and reflections about the January 6, 2021, failed insurrection of the U.S. Capitol Building.

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.

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 sovereignty by visiting the Wabanaki Alliance website at wabanakialliance.com.

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.

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 corridor.

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 polluting mine in the shadow of Katahdin.

It’s Drive Electric Week and Ford just announced an $11 billion investment in new electric truck and battery manufacturing plants! Electric cars and trucks are coming to a dealer near you faster than any of us expected, so we sat down with NRCM's Climate & Clean Energy team to learn what’s new about EVs and to answer some frequently asked questions about electric vehicle performance and the benefits of going electric.

Colin is excited about the first electric school bus in Maine, and then speaks with Advocacy Director Pete Didisheim about the most important federal climate bill ever, and what it means for Maine’s Climate Action Plan. They also discuss a lawsuit NRCM filed against Brookfield for violating federal environmental law on the Kennebec River and killing endangered Atlantic salmon.

As students and teachers return to school, Colin speaks with NRCM’s Sustainability Coordinator Chrissy Adamowicz about tips for reducing food and plastic waste at schools. Chrissy shares the experiences of schools she has worked with and gives some great ideas for how anyone concerned about reducing waste can get started. As we do every time, Colin also gives some quick updates on environmental stories that have been in the news recently.

In this episode, host Colin Durrant talks with Advocacy Director Pete Didisheim about the findings from the sixth report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which show that global warming is dangerously close to spiraling out of control, and that the actions that have been taken to date are nowhere near enough to avert the worst impacts of climate change. Political leaders must take immediate steps to transition away from fossil fuels and give states like Maine the resources needed to accelerate our efforts to create a clean energy economy.

In this episode, Climate & Clean Energy Director Jack Shapiro and Forests & Wildlife Director Melanie Sturm join Advocacy Director Pete Didisheim to discuss the top issues they are paying attention to now that the Legislature has adjourned and work is heating up in other places.

In this episode Federal Program Director Emmie Theberge joins Colin to discuss how a bold infrastructure investment from Congress would benefit Maine people, our environment, and our economy.

In this episode Advocacy Director Pete Didisheim joins Colin to highlight some of the climate mitigation and adaptation bills that made climate action a stand-out theme of the 2021 legislative session. Though the work of implementing Maine’s Climate Action Plan has just begun, the victories this year help lay the foundation for tackling climate change in Maine.

In this episode, Advocacy Director Pete Didisheim joins Colin to discuss the furious pace of lawmaking at the State House in recent days as they voted on hundreds of bills, including many big victories for Maine’s environment. Pete will describe some big themes that emerged from this year’s action, what’s left to be done, and when lawmakers will finally adjourn.

In this episode Colin speaks with Advocacy Director Pete Didisheim about the proposal to create a consumer-owned utility and the Biden Administration's suspension of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Pete also provides a legislative update as lawmakers return to the Maine State House for the first time.

In this episode Colin speaks with Sustainable Maine Director Sarah Nichols about one of NRCM’s top legislative priorities for 2021: LD 1541, a bill to save taxpayers money and improve recycling by implementing an Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging program. The bill asks big corporations to share responsibility for the flood of packaging that is increasing waste disposal costs for cities and towns across the state, like they're already doing in other countries. Advocacy Director Pete Didisheim highlights record alewife numbers and provides updates on legislative action, Kennebec River, and CMP corridor.