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Articles 1 - 27 of 27
Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Before And After The Clean Water Act: How Science, Law, And Public Aspirations Drove Seven Decades Of Progress In Maine Water Quality, David L. Courtemanch, Susan P. Davies, Eileen Sylvan Johnson, Rebecca Schaffner, Douglas Suitor
Before And After The Clean Water Act: How Science, Law, And Public Aspirations Drove Seven Decades Of Progress In Maine Water Quality, David L. Courtemanch, Susan P. Davies, Eileen Sylvan Johnson, Rebecca Schaffner, Douglas Suitor
Maine Policy Review
In the 1950s, Maine established a water quality classification system creating the conceptual scaffolding of a tiered system of management. Passage of the federal Clean Water Act in 1972 drove dramatic advances in science, technology, and policy leading to systematic improvement for the next five decades. Today’s tiered classification system provides a range of management goals from natural to various allowable uses. The state assigns uses and standards for each classification, incorporating physical, chemical, and biological indicators. This system has brought steady improvement in water quality, ecological condition, and overall value for human use. Visible evidence of improvement and adoption …
Preparing For A Changing Climate: The State Of Adaptation Planning In Maine’S Coastal Communities, Eileen Sylvan Johnson, Esperanza Stancioff, Tora Johnson, Sarena Sabine, Haley Maurice, Claire Reboussin
Preparing For A Changing Climate: The State Of Adaptation Planning In Maine’S Coastal Communities, Eileen Sylvan Johnson, Esperanza Stancioff, Tora Johnson, Sarena Sabine, Haley Maurice, Claire Reboussin
Maine Policy Review
Climate change is having a range of impacts on Maine’s coastal communities, impacts that will be further exacerbated by increased coastal flooding, storm events, and a warming Gulf of Maine. To better understand the status of adaptation planning by Maine coastal communities, we conducted a survey and in-depth interviews with decision makers from coastal communities. We found that communities are addressing the effects of climate change and have moved towards specific implementation strategies. Adaptation planning to date includes incorporation of climate change impacts in comprehensive planning and addressing impacts on roads, culverts, and waterfront infrastructure. Respondents indicated the need for …
Interview With Robert Kates, Pathfinder In Sustainability Science, Bridie Mcgreavy, Robert Kates
Interview With Robert Kates, Pathfinder In Sustainability Science, Bridie Mcgreavy, Robert Kates
Maine Policy Review
In this interview, Robert Kates discusses the challenges of sustainability science in moving from what scientists know to actions that can provide solutions to pressing environmental and development problems. Kates notes that sustainability science has the dual mission of addressing core scientific and intellectual questions, while at the same time addressing development in particular places. He suggests that one of the key questions is how to address long-term trends and transition to a “better synthesis between environment and society.”
Wicked Tools: The Value Of Scientific Models For Solving Maine’S Wicked Problems, Tim Waring
Wicked Tools: The Value Of Scientific Models For Solving Maine’S Wicked Problems, Tim Waring
Maine Policy Review
“Wicked problems” are urgent, high-stake socioeconomic-environmental challenges that often involve ideological conflict and have no “best solutions.” Using examples from Maine’s Sustainability Solutions Initiative projects, Tim Waring describes how scientific models can be used to address these kinds of problems. When well-constructed and tested models are used to address policy-relevant issues, include input from stakeholders, and integrate social, economic and environmental dynamics, they can become “wicked tools” to address some of society’s biggest challenges.
Advancing Science And Improving Quality Of Place: Linking Knowledge With Action In Maine’S Sustainability Solutions Initiative, Damon Hall, Linda Silka, Laura Lindenfeld
Advancing Science And Improving Quality Of Place: Linking Knowledge With Action In Maine’S Sustainability Solutions Initiative, Damon Hall, Linda Silka, Laura Lindenfeld
Maine Policy Review
The authors give an overview of how research carried out through Maine’s Sustainabilty Solutions Initiative (SSI) improves traditional models of science by providing a fuller picture of the interaction between social and ecological systems. They provide examples of university-community research partnerships, where there is a continuous communication and feedback process that identifies problems and develops projects with a solutions-oriented focus. SSI projects, they argue, “focus on issues that may make lasting improvements to Maine’s quality of place.”
Student Perspective: Margaret Chase Smith Library 2011 Essay Contest:, Zoe Anderson, Ali Clift, Allaina Murphy
Student Perspective: Margaret Chase Smith Library 2011 Essay Contest:, Zoe Anderson, Ali Clift, Allaina Murphy
Maine Policy Review
Each year, the Margaret Chase Smith Library sponsors an essay contest for Maine high school seniors. The focus of the 2011 contest was environmental protection. The essay prompt quoted a 1972 statement from Sen. Smith: “We must recognize that we’re not going to eliminate pollution overnight. It’s going to be a hard, long fight. It’s going to take a long time and a lot of sacrifice on the part of each one of us.” By happy coincidence, the essay contest topic fits perfectly with the subject matter of this special issue of Maine Policy Review on sustainability. We feature here …
Attitudes Toward Offshore Wind Power In The Midcoast Region Of Maine, James Acheson
Attitudes Toward Offshore Wind Power In The Midcoast Region Of Maine, James Acheson
Maine Policy Review
Given the likelihood of the development of offshore wind farms in Maine and the increasingly politicized nature of discussions about wind power in general, there is a need for more systematic information on Mainers’ opinions about offshore wind power. In this article, James Acheson provides information on the range of public opinion about offshore wind power based on a survey of fishermen, tourism-related business owners and coastal property owners in Midcoast Maine. He assesses the accuracy of some public concerns and discusses the broader policy issues raised about offshore wind development.
Sustainability: The Challenges And The Promise, George J. Mitchell
Sustainability: The Challenges And The Promise, George J. Mitchell
Maine Policy Review
Senator George J. Mitchell’s Margaret Chase Essay reflects on sustainable development. He discusses how teams of Maine faculty and students are working in partnerships across business, government and non-governmental organizations to seek solutions for a wide range of ecological and economic challenges.
The Path To Sustainable Water Resources Solutions, John Peckenham, David Hart, Sean Smith, Shaleen Jain, Whitney King
The Path To Sustainable Water Resources Solutions, John Peckenham, David Hart, Sean Smith, Shaleen Jain, Whitney King
Maine Policy Review
Water is essential both to human survival and to the ecosystems on which people depend. Although Maine is blessed with abundant water sources, managing them is crucial for both short and long-term uses. The authors describe the varying time and spatial scales involved in managing water resources, pointing out that policy decisions made at one time can have far-reaching consequences. They provide illustrations of water-resource projects from Maine’s Sustainability Solutions Initiative, ranging in size from Sebago Laketo vernal pools on individual properties.
Land Use Planning On A Grand Scale: A Decision Maker’S Perspective, E. Bart Harvey Iii
Land Use Planning On A Grand Scale: A Decision Maker’S Perspective, E. Bart Harvey Iii
Maine Policy Review
The author of this commentary, who served as a commissioner on the Maine Land Use Planning Commission (LURC) discusses the ground-breaking 400,000-acre concept plan by Plum Creek Corporation for development of the Moosehead Lake region in Maine. The highly-contested plan approved by LURC involves rezoning for hundreds of acres to allow for single family homes and resorts, and sets aside significant acreage in conservation.
The Clean Water Act In Maine: Goals And Financing, Andrew Fisk
The Clean Water Act In Maine: Goals And Financing, Andrew Fisk
Maine Policy Review
Andrew Fisk gives an overview of the history of the federal Clean Water Act and of Maine’s efforts to improve the quality of the state’s lakes, rivers and streams. He describes how the Clean Water Act works and how its provisions are implemented. While the quality of Maine’s water bodies has improved greatly, much work still remains to be done in the areas of rain and stormwater runoff and mercury pollution, and in having adequate financing and infrastructure over the long term.
Confronting Global Warming: Maine’S Multi-Sector Initiatives, 2003–2008, David P. Littell, Gary S. Westerman, Malcolm C. Burson
Confronting Global Warming: Maine’S Multi-Sector Initiatives, 2003–2008, David P. Littell, Gary S. Westerman, Malcolm C. Burson
Maine Policy Review
David Littell, Gary Westerman and Malcolm Burson describe Maine’s pioneering efforts in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, promoting energy efficiency, and developing less carbon-intensive and more sustainable energy sources. They discuss in particular the goals and accomplishments of the state’s Climate Action Plan and Maine’s participation in several multi-state and regional efforts, including the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).
Transportation And Climate Change, Jonathan Rubin
Transportation And Climate Change, Jonathan Rubin
Maine Policy Review
The transportation and residential sectors in Maine use a large proportion of fossil fuels, primarily petroleum products, and are a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Jonathan Rubin’s article on transportation reviews mechanisms by which petroleum demand and greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced, emphasizing state and federal legislation to achieve these goals. He describes ways in which transportation systems will be affected by and have to adapt to climate change.
The Maine Woods: A Legacy Of Controversy, Richard W. Judd
The Maine Woods: A Legacy Of Controversy, Richard W. Judd
Maine Policy Review
In the Margaret Chase Smith Essay, Richard Judd reflects on the history of Maine’s North Woods. He discusses the divergent interests with a stake on the North Woods over the centuries, but notes that there has been a long-standing interest in conservation and in the heritage represented by this vast region.
Are The Economics Of A Sustainable Maine Forest Sustainable?, Mike Levert, Charles S. Colgan, Charles Lawton
Are The Economics Of A Sustainable Maine Forest Sustainable?, Mike Levert, Charles S. Colgan, Charles Lawton
Maine Policy Review
Mike LeVert, Charles Colgan and Charles Lawton discuss the transformation of the economic environment of Maine’s forests over the past two decades. Paper companies have sold most of their holdings; residential and conservation demand for land has increased; forestland prices have skyrocketed; and new classes of landowners have different strategies, objectives, and time horizons than the old industrial landowners. The authors believe that management of Maine’s forests must now address changes in the economic environment with the same intensity as threats such as the spruce budworm were addressed if we are to keep Maine’s forests as forests.
Easements And Conservation Policy In The North Maine Woods, David J. Lewis
Easements And Conservation Policy In The North Maine Woods, David J. Lewis
Maine Policy Review
Recently Maine has embarked on a new policy direction in its use of conservation easements to protect large tracts of commercial timberland. David Lewis argues that the effectiveness of using easements as a long-term conservation policy depends on many factors that may not be fully considered in the decision-making process currently used in choosing easements for landscape-scale conservation. Lewis indicates that the root of the problem lies in the fact that the state lacks a comprehensive policy describing the conservation goals desired in the North Woods. Before progressing further, Lewis suggests that the ultimate goals of conservation need to be …
“The Skeptics Agenda” And What Science Now Says About Global Warming, Robert Kates
“The Skeptics Agenda” And What Science Now Says About Global Warming, Robert Kates
Maine Policy Review
In the Margaret Chase Smith essay, Robert Kates discusses global climate change. He notes that there is no longer any doubt that global warming is occurring, caused most likely by increased greenhouse gasses. Costs of preventing warming are mixed, and appropriate timing of such efforts is unknown, but there is no doubt that societal attention is needed for adaptation.
Maine Implements The Clean Air Act: Federalism, Environmentalism And Interest Group Accountability, Jon Reisman
Maine Implements The Clean Air Act: Federalism, Environmentalism And Interest Group Accountability, Jon Reisman
Maine Policy Review
The implementation of environmental policy initiatives often brings about a complex interplay between science and policy, public opinion, interest groups, federal and state mandates, and political machination. Jon Reisman uses Maine’s recent experience of compliance with the 1990 Clean Air Act to illustrate this complexity. In doing so, he addresses several important, but often ignored, issues, such as stakeholder participation in the policy making process, interest group accountability to implementation, and the long term consequences to the environment if these issues are avoided.
Why Conservation Matters And What We Can Do About It, John C. Sawhill
Why Conservation Matters And What We Can Do About It, John C. Sawhill
Maine Policy Review
While environmental and economic needs have long been considered to be in direct opposition to one another, a new approach to environmental conservation is emerging. Called the "ecosystem" approach, it focuses not only on protecting the environment and its species, but also seeks new ways of balancing these interests with human needs. The article is drawn from a speech delivered by John C. Sawhill at the Summer Lecture Series of the College of the Atlantic,Bar Harbor,Maine, on August 2, 1994. Sawhill outlines the conservation principles that guide The Nature Conservancy and provides examples of how the ecosystem approach has led …
The Complexities Of Decision-Making Related To Health Risk Assessments, Barbara A. Knuth
The Complexities Of Decision-Making Related To Health Risk Assessments, Barbara A. Knuth
Maine Policy Review
Maine, like the nation, has focused a great deal of recent attention on determining acceptable levels of environmental and human health risk. Barbara discusses the role and uses of scientific information in risk assessment and public policy debate. Similar to Kevin Boyle's previous article (featured in the December 1994 issue of Maine Policy Review), Knuth discusses the 1992 Maine Board of Environmental Protection hearings which focused on the human consumption of fish potentially contaminated with dioxin.
Regulatory Updates: Great Pond Task Force, Nick Houtman
Regulatory Updates: Great Pond Task Force, Nick Houtman
Maine Policy Review
No abstract provided.
Climate Change Policy: Mixing Politics And Uncertainty, Dean Marriott
Climate Change Policy: Mixing Politics And Uncertainty, Dean Marriott
Maine Policy Review
Global climate change has garnered some media attention, but has failed to gather the attention of most governmental decision makers and the public. In an effort to advance concerns about the issue, the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers sponsored a three-day symposium on climate change last May 19-21 in Portland. At the symposium, scientists and public officials from both the U.S. and Canada explored the science of climate change, the potential implications and impact of climate change on this region, and the possible policy responses. Dean Marriott [and James Bruce and Mark Victor, this issue] reflecting the breadth …
Canadian Provincial Perspective On Climate Change, Mark Victor
Canadian Provincial Perspective On Climate Change, Mark Victor
Maine Policy Review
Global climate change has garnered some media attention, but has failed to gather the attention of most governmental decision makers and the public. In an effort to advance concerns about the issue, the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers sponsored a three-day symposium on climate change last May 19-21 in Portland. At the symposium, scientists and public officials from both the U.S. and Canada explored the science of climate change, the potential implications and impact of climate change on this region, and the possible policy responses. Mark Victor [and James Bruce and Dean Marriot, this issue] reflecting the breadth …
Regional Response Options To Global Climate Change, James P. Bruce
Regional Response Options To Global Climate Change, James P. Bruce
Maine Policy Review
Global climate change has garnered some media attention, but has failed to gather the attention of most governmental decision makers and the public. In an effort to advance concerns about the issue, the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers sponsored a three-day symposium on climate change last May 19-21 in Portland. At the symposium, scientists and public officials from both the U.S. and Canada explored the science of climate change, the potential implications and impact of climate change on this region, and the possible policy responses. James Bruce [and Dean Marriott and Mark Victor, this issue] reflecting the breadth …
Implications Of The Clean Air Act Amendments For The Northeast, Joseph Belanger
Implications Of The Clean Air Act Amendments For The Northeast, Joseph Belanger
Maine Policy Review
The Clean Air Acts Amendments (CAA) of 1990 continue to affect public policy at the federal, state and local levels of government. At the PURE ’93 Conference last January, "Alternatives to Traditional Regulation," one panel explored the implications of the CAA on the Northeast. Joseph A. Belanger of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection provided this assessment of Title 1 of the CAA, particularly with respect to ozone attainment requirements.
Maine’S Public Interest Groups: The Natural Resources Council Of Maine
Maine’S Public Interest Groups: The Natural Resources Council Of Maine
Maine Policy Review
The actors in public policy include not only elected and appointed public officials, but also the public interest groups that promote various agendas. To help understand the perspectives of some of these groups, Maine Policy Review continues its profile of Maine's public interest groups in each issue, featuring in this article the Natural Resources Council of Maine.
Bridging The Gap Between Energy And The Environment, John Flumerfelt
Bridging The Gap Between Energy And The Environment, John Flumerfelt
Maine Policy Review
Energy and environmental policies have always been intertwined, but the exact nature of those interrelationships is often difficult for the non-technical reader to understand. In an analysis that was originally included in an appendix of the Report of the Maine Commission on Comprehensive Energy Planning, the former director of Maine's Office of Energy, John Flumerfelt, provides a clear and concise graphical summary of the relation between energy use and air pollution in Maine. His presentation frames the issues in ways that identify important energy and environmental questions for the state.