MAINE PUBLIC • January 12, 2026
A new state law would require outdoor lighting across Maine to be dimmed at night in an effort to protect the state's wildlife and dark skies. Maine Audubon's Director of Advocacy Francesca Gundrum said the measurehelps protect Maine's dark night skies from increasing development. "Darkness is a natural resource just like land, just like water and it is absolutely deserving of conservation," Gundrum said. "And the only way you conserve it is if you take steps to regulate, in particular, outdoor light pollution." The bill only affects publicly funded lighting, like streetlights or lights on schools or town offices.