This legislative session was full of historic victories for the people of Vermont. Our legislature passed three of the strongest pollution protection laws in the country, setting the standard for New England and the rest of the country.
“We need only look out our windows to see that climate crisis is real and it is here,” said Emily Green, Staff Attorney at CLF. “We owe it to future Mainers to confront climate change head-on to protect our health, our economy and our way of life before it’s too late. This bill truly makes Maine a national leader in responding to the greatest crisis of our generation.”
Today, Invenergy was denied a permit to pave over a pristine forest in Burrillville to build a fracked gas and diesel oil power plant that would emit carbon pollution for decades. This is a victory for CLF, for the people of Burrillville, and for a world facing a climate emergency.
“By rolling back even modest efforts to curb climate-damaging pollution from the power sector, the EPA has signed the death certificates of thousands of Americans,” said CLF President Bradley Campbell. “Dirty coal and fracked gas spew toxic pollution into our communities and bring the looming climate crisis even closer to reality. Yet again, this administration has sacrificed public health and safety at the altar of the fossil fuel industry.”
“It’s time we leave dirty, polluting fossil fuel plants in the past,” said Emily Green, Staff Attorney at CLF. “The future of energy is clean and local, and these bills come not a moment too soon. Our communities will now be able to harness Maine’s natural resources to power homes and businesses. We must all do our part to preserve a livable planet while we still have time.”
In spite of its critics, clean, renewable energy continues to come down in price and become better able to handle the demands of our electricity grid.
“The Governor’s veto is a giant step backward for clean energy in New Hampshire,” said Melissa Birchard, Senior Attorney at CLF. “Our leaders should be doing everything possible to move us away from dirty fossil fuels, not standing in the way of real progress towards clean energy. Communities across New Hampshire overwhelmingly support this bill, and our legislators must listen to constituents and override this senseless veto.”
“This legislation will make Maine a national leader on climate change,” said Emily K. Green, Staff Attorney at CLF. “We need bold action to stave off the worst impacts of the looming climate crisis. This bill will slash carbon emissions while protecting businesses and spurring new industries. It’s clear that the time for talk and debate is over. We must pass this law.”
Here in New England, we rely too much on fracked gas to heat and power our homes and businesses. If we want to avoid a climate catastrophe, we need to end fossil fuel use by 2050.
Maine just took a big step forward on climate. Last week, Governor Janet Mills announced a bill that could make significant progress toward addressing our climate crisis by drastically reducing climate-damaging emissions while growing our state’s economy.
