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 which state recently became the fourth to pass an EPR for Packaging Law. Maine was the first state to pass such a law in 2021.

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 benefits to Maine people.

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.

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 net-pen aquaculture and why the American Aquafarms proposal would devastate the clean ocean waters of Frenchman Bay.

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 than two centuries.

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’s next for NRCM’s advocacy priorities.

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.

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 by funding professional development for Maine teachers through community partnerships.

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 worked out.

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.