Environmental & Natural
Resources Policy

Recent Activities

Jonathan Rubin spoke at the Northeast Sun Grant regional Feedstock Summit on November 11-13, 2007 entitled "Maine Forest Bioproducts Research Initiative and Green Chemistry: Opportunities for Bioproducts"

In February, some of Maine's leading experts on environmental policy participated in a conference on the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). RGGI aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity sector by ten percent below 2009 levels by 2019.  More information about the conference, news, and presentations are available online. (February 2007)

Recent Articles/Reports

Biomass and Biofuels in Maine: Estimating Supplies for Expanding the Forest Products Industry (November 2007).  Full Report  (pdf. 85KB)

Potatoes to Plastic (June 2007).  Executive Summary (.pdf 49KB) Full Report (.pdf 143KB).

Sogonoff, S. & Rubin, J. (2007, March). The regional greenhouse gas initiative: taking action in Maine. Environment 49(2), 9-16.

A Primer for Maine:  Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, October 2006, February 2007

Climate Change in Maine: Northeast Climate Impacts Assessment - Slideshow (NECIA), February 7, 2007

Maine's Recovery of Recreational Damages Due to Coastal Oil Spills, August 2005

Current Research

Environmental Marketing of Green Vehicles:  Exploring Effective Design and Performance, August 2003 - August 2005
This research project seeks to implement and study the effects of an eco-labeling and marketing program for vehicles sold in Maine.

MtBE in Groundwater: The Maine Experiment, March 2002 - February 2004
MtBE is a gasoline additive that has contaminated groundwater nationwide. This research will:

1. Examine the spatial distribution and persistence of MtBE on the town and statewide scales

2. Evaluate the costs of using and remediating MtBE to lower levels

3. Evaluate the economic benefit in reduced remediation costs by switching to low, or no-MtBE fuels. 

Measuring the Economic Damages from  Oil Spills in Maine's Marine Economy, 2003 - 2005
Beginning in 2003, The Margaret Chase Smith Center for Public Policy will begin a two year research project that will enhance Maine's ability to evaluate the full economic impact of both small and large oil spills on recreation and tourism. 

Research & Reports

Maine's Recovery of Recreational Damages Due to Coastal Oil Spills, August 2005

2003 Blaine House Conference on Natural Resources-based Industries: Final Report

The Scope and Treatment of Threats in Endangered Species Recovery Plans, June 2002
This article appears in the June 2002 issue of Ecological Applications.  The authors investigated the nature and the treatment of threats in recovery plans for 181 threatened and endangered species.  They examined the types of threats facing species, as well as the degree to which threats were understood and addressed. 

The Alternate Fuel Transition: Results from the TAFV Model of Alternate Fuel Use in Light-Duty Vehicles 1996-2000, September 2000
This research project helps provides Department of Energy with the Transitional Alternative Fuels and Vehicles (TAFV) Model to simulate the use and cost of alternative fuels and vehicles over the time period of 1996 to 2010.

A Guide to Forestry Regulations in Maine, December, 2000

Residential Expansion as a Continental Threat to U.S. Coastal Ecosystem, May, 2000 

State of Maine Climate Change Action Plan - Responding to Global Climate Change and Achieving Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions in Maine: Roles for Industry, Business, Government and Citizens, 2000 

Solid Waste Management (SWM) Options: The Economics of Variable Cost and Conventional Pricing Systems in Maine, June 1995

Flexible Greenhouse Gas Emission Banking Systems

Impacts of Rising Sea Level on Coastal Populations in Maine and California

Hierarchical Modeling for Integrated Environmental Assessments

Linking Watershed-Scale Indicators of Changes in Atmospheric Deposition to Regional Response Patterns