Notes from Lisa

Honoring Rachel Carson on Earth Day

I got up early one morning and happened to look out my second-story bedroom window. There in an oak tree, directly across from me, was a Bald Eagle as tall as a skateboard. We were eye to eye, and gazed at each other for a minute or so, before he spread his wide wings and flew. It remains one of my all-time favorite wildlife sightings. And I owe it to Rachel Carson.

The aerial spraying of DDT in the 1950s was responsible for severe population declines in many bird species, and eventually, the Bald Eagle
was put on the federal endangered species list.  

Carson’s renowned book, Silent Spring, was published in 1962, and revealed the connection between pesticides and bird declines. DDT was banned in 1972, and Carson’s work is credited with starting the current-day environmental movement.  Bald Eagles are  no longer on the endangered species list.

The Natural Resources Council of Maine began in 1959, so I like to think that Rachel helped us and we helped her. The committed Maine people who started NRCM to protect the Allagash River and fight against the Big A dam were already questioning the unbridled march of industry across the landscape and its impact on all of nature—air, land, water, wildlife. Rachel Carson gave us a toolkit of scientific facts that would help us in our future work. Together, we challenged the belief that damage to nature was an inevitable cost of progress.

I grew up in the 1960s and 70s with the environmental movement shaping my views, and here I am today, with the best job I can imagine. NRCM has been working to protect Maine’s environment for 52 years. We have helped to pass some of the leading laws in the nation to reduce the amount of mercury, lead, and other toxics from our waste stream and everyday products. The power of citizen action is alive and well in Maine.

Rachel Carson always asked us to tap into that deep sense of wonder that nature brings us, like looking out my window at that majestic eagle and just feeling, “WOW!” When that experience is threatened, and we are faced with ill health due to chemicals or unclean water, when we see fewer and fewer birds every year, when we feel the ever-rising temperatures from climate change, then we feel scared and mad and the intense need to do something. There’s always something we can do.

Earth Day is here, and it’s a good time to be more conscious of the decisions we make every day and to try something new. NRCM is featuring our 55 new solar panels today for our celebration of Earth Day. We’re generating electricity and saving money, too. What can you do?

o Get some facts. Visit the NRCM website. Sign up to be an activist.
o Put in a CFL light bulb.
o Hang your laundry out to dry.
o Wash out and recycle more plastics.
o Walk somewhere instead of driving.
o Contact your local legislator or Congressperson about an issue that matters to you.

And be sure to go outside, take a deep breath, and just experience the wonder of nature. She’s there for us, every day.

Lisa Pohlmann, NRCM Executive Director

Related:
Get to know the Bald Eagle, an NRCM website Creature Feature

New study finds songbirds at risk from mercury - take action to protect them

 

"Redneck Legacy" & Mountaintop Removal Mining: Thoughts on a Presentation by a West Virginia Activist

Chuck Keeney, from Friends of Blair Mountain, gave a fabulous presentation at Bowdoin College last night on the history of coal mining and the unionization of miners in West Virginia. His great grandfather played a central role in the miners’ early resistance to coal company exploitation that eventually led to the Battle of Blair Mountain in 1921. This was one of the largest civil uprisings in United States history and the largest armed insurrection since the Civil War. For five days in Logan County, West Virginia, around 10,000 coal miners confronted an army of 30,000 police and strikebreakers backed by coal operators. The battle ended after the U.S. Army intervened by presidential order.

This longstanding resistance to the coal companies, according to Chuck, is not taught in school textbooks anywhere in Appalachia but is passed down through storytelling from generation to generation. The United Mine Workers were strong in West Virginia for about 50 years but as coal companies turned to mountain top removal and the greater use of machinery, the number of workers was halved, and the strength of the unions has been weakened. The coal company lobby remains stronger than ever, and the devastation left by continued mountaintop removal mining is horrific, now covering an area the size of Delaware in moonscapes across Appalachia. Chuck listed off a deeply disturbing list of human health problems in areas where mountaintop mining takes place: cancer rates double in towns around mountaintop removal mining; there’s an increased rate of brain tumors and birth defects. There’s also increased flooding; water resources in these areas becomes poisoned. Hear Chuck talk about some of these environmental impacts on this short YouTube video we put together from the event.

Brownie Carson, NRCM’s former executive director, and Henry Heyburn (link), current NRCM board member, both originally from the Appalachia region, participated in the 2011 March on Blair Mountain along the route of the 1921 march of the miners to battle. NRCM took the opportunity of this presentation to call upon the audience to support the recently released, first-ever carbon emissions standards  for new power plants issued by the Environmental Protection Agency. These draft rules are a critical first step in addressing climate change, which is why they will be heavily lobbied against by the same coal companies that Chuck says still rule West Virginia today. Across the country, we are working to collect over one million supportive comments on the rules in the next few months. Please take a minute and write a comment here and we will deliver it to the EPA. Thank you!

Lisa Pohlmann, Executive Director

Related: Take Action: the Carbon Emission Standard

             Take Action: Mercury and Air Toxics Standard

Why the Rush? Last-minute Bills Undermine Democracy

There are bills that have been introduced in this “emergency” second year of the legislative session that are truly alarming for those of us who care about Maine’s environment. We knew when the session started in January that some of them were coming. We knew that we faced the “takings” bill that would require taxpayers to pay landowners to obey the law when environmental protections negatively impact property values. The bill to weaken the ability of the Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC) to protect Maine’s North Woods was in play. Others appeared early in the session, such as a bill to restrict the public from appealing agency decisions (LD 1647) and the bill to ban dam removals (LD 1718). You have been with us, turning out for hearings, calling your legislators, and writing letters that appeared in your newspapers. You have made a positive difference in how legislators are dealing with these bills as we get closer to the finish line. Elements of some of these harmful bills are still in play and will be through next week at least.

But in the final days of this session, there is a new “sneak attack.” A truckload of bad bills were introduced just recently with the clear intention of ramming them through with little public notice or debate. This is not against the rules; it’s just very bad process. This late in the session, bills can be introduced with only 24 hours notice to the public. Who has time to take off work and come to testify with that kind of short notice? What kind of window does that allow for you to learn about the bill and call your legislator? Such an onslaught of bills on so many fronts borders on being undemocratic. These proposals have been rejected before or are, understandably, unpopular with most Maine people.

These late bill introductions are also meant to tie the hands of groups like the Natural Resources Council of Maine, who carefully anticipate, track, analyze, and strategize around all bills that could have an impact on Maine’s environment. It is our role to keep our members informed and poised for action. NRCM supporters care deeply about clean water, clean air, protecting special places—the qualities that make Maine special. As we have seen this session and going back decades, when given enough notice, you contact your legislators and participate in the public dialogue of letters-to-the-editor where issues are considered openly and on a reasonable timeline.

So we were shocked and outraged when a bill to gut Maine’s mining laws (LD 1853) suddenly appeared just last week. This sweeping, complex bill was drafted by Nevada lawyers and the Pierce Atwood law firm in Maine. Maine’s existing mining standards took 18 months to write, yet LD 1853 was released for “public review” less than 24 hours before the public hearing. Now Pierce Atwood is pressing hard for the bill to be adopted immediately. J.D. Irving, Limited, from Canada, wants to create a huge open-pit mine in Maine’s North Woods and this bill would open the door for mining everywhere in the state. Such projects could seriously pollute our water and land, putting the health of wildlife and people at risk. We are working with the legislators on both sides of the aisle to beat back this misguided bill.

Another example is the late introduction of Governor LePage’s four bad energy bills intended to destroy the independence of Efficiency Maine and undermine Maine’s renewable energy progress. These are issues that Maine people and businesses care deeply about, but Governor LePage apparently has decided to subsidize Canadian government-owned Hydro Quebec, and allow it to flood the Maine market and undercut the Maine businesses and jobs in Maine’s growing renewable energy industry. Bringing these controversial bills to the table so late in the session flies in the face of the “transparency” the Administration has been touting.

NRCM’s job is harder than ever, but I am proud of our dedicated staff that works at the State House every day and late into the evening talking to legislators and gathering information so we can share it with you. We don’t like the way this process is playing out but we are determined to make sure your voices are heard from near and far, and to fight for what we know is right. And I’m proud of you. Some of you have made it to hearings and called your legislators despite the last-minute calls to action.

Your voices are so critical. Thank you. We will continue to keep you informed and ready for the next step.

Lisa Pohlmann, NRCM Executive Director

Related:
No Gold Rush Mentality on Mining Rules

Maine Lawmakers Should Not Back New Energy Policy

Daffodils, Tornadoes, and Global Warming

I’ve been traveling lately. I recently vacationed on the Florida Keys where it was so unseasonably hot one day in late February that locals remarked how odd it was. And I just returned from a meeting in Washington, D.C., where daffodils were already in bloom and the annual Cherry Blossom Festival has been moved up two weeks.

Sound nice? Not really. In Maine we received a blanket of snow last week, but overall those of us who live in typically snowy states have had a warm and relatively snowless winter. Meanwhile, Indiana, Kentucky, and Illinois are picking up from a series of devastating tornadoes that took the lives of dozens of people and left behind a long and tragic path of destruction. 

We are seeing signs of climate change everywhere: from severe weather and ocean acidification to melting glaciers, eroding shorelines, and northern shifts in the ranges of plants and animals.

Maine has experienced our share of extreme weather, and the consequences of global warming that will result in sea-level rise are on the minds of many of us. NRCM produced maps showing the impact of sea-level rise on a number of Maine’s coastal communities. The city of Portland has taken this threat seriously and has begun to consider how it might deal with rising sea levels. For the third time, the Sebago Lake Fishing Derby, a local and much-loved tradition that has attracted as many as 6,000 anglers in years past, was canceled due to lack of ice, and this year was the earliest cancellation ever: February 2.

A new study by the USDA shows that Maine—and the nation—are getting increasingly hotter, as shown in their new map of hardiness zones, the reference book for farmers and gardeners who use it to determine which plants will best thrive in a particular geographic area. Based on real temperatures for the last 30 years, parts of Maine have moved into a warmer growing zone. Is Maine on track for a shift that makes our temperatures here feel more like Washington, D.C., as experts have suggested?

The EPA soon will be coming out with new standards for climate-changing pollution for power plants. As Scientific American reports, the U.S. currently has about 500 fossil fuel-fired power plants and 150 oil refineries. Together, they emit more than 2 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other global warming pollution per year, accounting for nearly 40 percent of total emissions in the U.S.

The EPA’s new standards are critical to address climate change, and we should all be cheering. Here in Maine, where our environment is woven into our economy and our way of life, we know and care deeply about what’s at stake. To stay informed about this issue, join the Natural Resources Council of Maine's Action Network. We’ll let you know when you will have the opportunity to weigh in on the new standards and call upon Maine’s delegation to support them.

Lisa Pohlmann, Executive Director
 
Related:
Publication: Global Warming in Maine: Warning Signs, Winning Solutions

USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map

Global Warming Brings More Oddball Winter Weather to Maine

A Day in Support of Maine's North Woods

Today, it was abundantly clear: Maine people care about the North Woods.

For NRCM staffers, our day started with a press conference complete with cameramen, photographers, journalists, and friends and members of NRCM tuning in to the words of five eloquent spokespeople sharing their unique perspectives and passion for Maine’s North Woods. They came to speak in opposition to LD 1798, a bill to implement the recommendations put forth by the LURC Reform Commission. These spokespeople included:

• Gordon Mott, a forester and longtime resident of Lakeville Plantation; 
• Gary McGrane, a Franklin County Commissioner for 23 years;
• Howard Trotzky, former Republican Senator from Bangor;
• Horace “Hoddy” Hildreth Jr., chairman of Diversified Communications, a former Republican State Senator and candidate for Congress, and son of the late Gov. Horace Hildreth; and
• Norton “Buzz” Lamb, vice president of NRCM’s Board of Directors and a retired businessman who has spent time in the Unorganized Territories (UT) for 68 years, owns four parcels in two UT counties, manages several hundred acres of forestland, and whose family has owned and farmed land in Maine for almost 300 years.

Each of them stated their concerns about the LURC reform legislation, giving voice to problems that are plaguing the proposal and could lead to scattered development and fragmentation of the North Woods, spoiling forever this treasured landscape. They spoke of the risks associated with allowing county commissioners to appoint themselves as LURC commissioners, without experience or review, and about the county opt-out that would, essentially, abolish LURC one county at a time.  You can read their press release here. We hope that Maine people will hear these concerns in the media and be moved to join us in speaking out to urge their legislators not to vote in favor of this bill without major improvements. 
    
From there, we returned to NRCM headquarters, where we were joined by many members and friends, who heard first-hand from NRCM’s North Woods project director Cathy Johnson about the proposal. Following lunch we marched across the street to the top floor of the State House, no doubt making an impression on the committee members, with our “Keep LURC Strong” sticker badges and strength in numbers.
    
So many people showed up that the overflow room was packed, standing (and sitting!) room only, with many seated on the floor. Most were there to show their passion for Maine’s North Woods and to urge its protection.

Back in the hearing room, Cathy Johnson and I sat through many hours of testimony before giving NRCM’s, which you can read here.    

So, after long and busy day, I want to say thank you. This is for all of you who took time out of your busy schedules to attend this hearing—some of you, I know, traveled great distances. Others of you, I know, were with us in spirit, and we truly appreciate this. To stay informed of this issue as it moves along this legislative session, be sure to sign up for our Action Network at www.nrcm.org. Thank you for caring so deeply about Maine’s environment.

Related:
North Woods Protection & LURC

County Government Has Outlived Its Usefulness, Why Expand It?

Major Land Sales in Maine

LURC Reform Proposal Side-swiped by Partisan Politics

If some of the recommendations put forth by the Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC) Reform Commission last week weren’t reason enough for concern, now the LePage Administration has really thrown a wrench into things. And it’s Maine’s treasured North Woods that’s at stake.

Although NRCM agrees with some of the Reform Commission’s recommendations (for example, more regional involvement in developing regional zoning plans, though in partnership with LURC), big concerns remain. We object to allowing counties to opt out of LURC, as this would likely lead to piecemeal planning and is the equivalent of abolishing LURC, one county at a time. Our concerns also include transferring review of all large development projects to DEP, with small projects going to the counties and mid-sized projects handled by LURC—rather than reducing red tape, such a change would likely increase it, since proposals would need to be shepherded by three entities rather than one.

Then this week, the Reform Commission’s work was sideswiped, when the chair of the Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (ACF) Committee, Sen. Roger Sherman (R-Aroostook), turned responsibility for drafting what should be the ACF Committee bill over to the co-chairs of the Reform Committee, DOC Commissioner Bill Beardsley and Sarah Medina, of Seven Islands Land Management Company. Giving this responsibility to citizens—neither Beardsley nor Medina are elected officials—is unprecedented.

Cathy Johnson, NRCM’s North Woods project director, says, “In my 22 years following the Legislature, I have never seen a committee hand over drafting of a committee bill to unelected citizens.” Chairman Sherman also barred the involvement of legislators.

Typically, the legislative committee charged with drafting a bill discusses the recommendations of any study commission assigned to the issue. Once they come to agreement on the elements they think belong in the bill, their legislative staff drafts a bill for the committee.  That is then usually followed by a public hearing.

By bypassing committee discussion and agreement on the bill, and by barring legislators from the drafting process, the committee has polarized the debate and ignored the will of Maine people. During the meetings that took place last fall, two-thirds of the people who testified urged the Reform Commission to protect Maine’s North Woods by keeping LURC strong. The group was charged with the task of creating a bipartisan plan. The process we saw this week amounts to a breakdown of civil discourse. This, coupled with disregard for the normal legislative process, puts the process at risk for extreme solutions rather than reasoned compromise. Maine’s North Woods are too important to let that happen.

NRCM will continue to follow this issue closely and will do all we can to help get the process back on track. Maine’s North Woods is too special a place to be relegated to partisan politics. We’ll let you know when and what you can do to help.

Recommended reading:

Coalition Concerned LURC Reform Proposal Headed Off-track

North Woods Protections and LURC

Lisa Pohlmann
Executive Director

A Gift of Clean Air

Yesterday, the EPA released new standards for power plant emissions that will significantly cut emissions of mercury, arsenic, acid gases and other toxics from power plants. This is great holiday news for Maine, since we are located downwind from coal-burning power plants to the South and West that have polluted our air, lakes, and streams for too long.

Earlier this week, NRCM met our coalition partners in downtown Portland to highlight the importance of these rules with a press conference featuring physicians, a biologist, and parents— and even a “real” Santa putting “clean air” and “healthy kids” packages in our stockings— thwarting the Grinch, who was there symbolizing out-of-state polluters, with bags of dirty coal.

We need Senators Snowe and Collins to join us in the spirit of giving clean air to the people of Maine, and to stand up for these new standards and against attacks and delay tactics from their Congressional counterparts. I can’t think of a better gift for us all! Happy Holidays from all of us at NRCM, and thanks for all you do for Maine's environment.

Lisa Pohlmann
Executive Director

Notes from the LURC Study Meeting

I attended the LURC study commission meeting on Thursday in Greenville. Commission members reached consensus on several proposals that we believe threaten LURC’s ability to protect the integrity of the North Woods. For example, they are currently considering letting counties “opt-out” of LURC, which could lead to a lack of uniform protections, a tax shift onto county residents, and piecemeal development across the area. Many thanks to Maine citizens, including NRCM members, who came and spoke passionately about the importance of keeping a statewide focus on the North Woods. The commission has one more meeting on December 1 in Bangor where it will grapple with how and whether to acknowledge the statewide significance of Maine’s North Woods, and the “adjacency” rules that protect the core of the North Woods, while allowing development near existing roads and other development. These are two critical issues NRCM will be working on so we can continue protections for the largest remaining forest in the east, and the people, jobs, wildlife and ecosystems that depend on this precious resource. Please visit our blogs and website often to stay informed.

Lisa Pohlmann
Executive Director

I'm Dipping - Are You? Discount Ends Today!

Today is the last day for early bear registration for NRCM’s Polar Dip and Dash on New Year’s Eve. C’mon! Take the plunge with me and help fight climate change so we can keep that old Atlantic Ocean plenty cold like it should be. Get all the details and watch our fun (short!) video here to find out how you can help us get my friend Dylan out of that pesky polar bear suit! Thanks. Register now and save!

Powering Up for a Clean Energy Future for Maine

It’s the day after the 2011 November elections, and many NRCM staff, board members, and volunteers are catching up from an invigorating day at the polls collecting signatures from Maine people in support of a new citizens initiative to increase clean energy in Maine. The measure aims to protect our environment by requiring electric utilities, such as CMP, to invest in all cost-effective energy efficiency to help consumers reduce their energy costs. It would also require that 20 percent of Maine’s electricity come from new renewable energy sources such as solar and wind by 2020. As a result, we would increase our state’s energy independence, create jobs, and control energy costs—while cleaning up our air and water!

No wonder voters yesterday responded in droves! Preliminary results show that we beat our election-day goal for numberof signatures! This means we are closer than we anticipated toward the necessary 60,000 we need by the end of January to get this measure on the November 2012 ballot.

You can help!

Although we’re off to a strong start out of the gate, we’ve got a long way to go and we need your help. Would you be willing to help us collect signatures? Please contact NRCM’s clean energy outreach coordinator Emmie Theberge at emmie@nrcm.org. We will work with you to make sure you have all the information you need; our campaign volunteer coordinators are here for you!

Find out more about this important citizens initiative to make clean energy and efficiency a priority in Maine. Thank you!

Lisa Pohlmann
Executive Director