Thanks to a robust grassroots effort by the MidCoast community, the proposed fracked gas line from Belfast through Thomaston has been stopped!
As Chapter Director, Sarah Leighton writes in her Portland Press Herald op-ed The Power of Community Organizing and the Truth About Fracked Gas, "the announcement by Summit Natural Gas of the withdrawal of their plan to extend a fracked gas pipeline from Belfast through Thomaston is a win for our health, planet and economy. It’s also a testament to the power of community organizing." Read the entire op-ed here.
Earth Day Celebrations!
Join Sierra Club Maine in celebration of the 51st Earth Day by participating in our virtual speaker series!
Faye Christoforo, Co-Executive Director of the Post-Landfill Action Network will present on the factors that fuel the waste crisis, from planned obsolescence to landfills and incinerators. Faye will also provide examples of how a zero waste world is possible.
Sue Inches, author of Advocating for the Environment, How to Gather Your Power and Take Action (to be released in June), will share effective strategies for advocating for the environment. Attendees will leave this conversation feeling both empowered and motivated to use their new skills.
Paul Mayewski, Director of Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine will share his expeditions across Antarctica, the Southern Ocean, the Arctic, the Himalayas, and the Andes and how what he has learned about Climate Change there is affecting us here in Maine.
On Earth Day, we will host a panel discussion on the intersectionality of racism, economy, and climate change. Speakers will include Josh Wood, Race & Climate Justice Organizer and Co-Organizing Director for Maine Strikes, Ania Wright, Grassroots Climate Action Organizer for Sierra Club Maine, and Davis Taylor, Professor of Economics and Quantitative Social Studies at College of the Atlantic.
Today, Earth Day is widely recognized as the largest secular observance in the world; a day of action to change human behavior and create global, national, and local policy changes to benefit our environment, and all inhabitants of our Earth. While we celebrate just once a year, we hope to inspire others to continue the sentiment surrounding Earth Day all year long.
Changing the ownership structure of Maine’s two largest utility companies from investor to consumer owned will allow for more renewable energy and allow us to keep profits in Maine that we can then use to reinvest in infrastructure. This transformation will be vital for Maine to meet its climate goals and democratize our energy system.
Now is the time to move forward with a COU - a vital and essential service whose allegiance is to its customers and not to investors. A COU can make the necessary changes to our electric grid at a lower cost.
On this day of action, we will gather virtually to mobilize as many people as possible in support of a COU for Maine. Our goal is to contact all of our legislators in advance of the public hearing scheduled for Earth Day, April 22nd. Please join us by registering here!
The Truth About Solar Energy
By Gary Friedmann, Sierra Club Maine Executive Committee Member & Bar Harbor Town Councilor
Last year, the Maine Public Utilities Commission (PUC) put forward an astonishing number: if all of the net energy billing projects with current agreements become operational and the owners of those projects receive their credits, utility companies in Maine could lose $160 million or more a year in revenue. Those costs, said the PUC, would be passed on to consumers, resulting in increases of more than 20 percent for ratepayers, many of whom are already struggling to keep up with bills that already go up each year.
It was a staggering figure, and critics of net energy billing (also called net metering) quickly seized on it, arguing, via slick PR campaigns and highly-paid lobbyists, that such policies don’t “get Maine climate right.”
But that argument completely ignores more than a hundred years of tax policy and incentives that have subsidized utility companies and the fossil fuel industry to the tune of trillions of dollars. In its most recent report, the International Monetary Fund estimated that annual global subsidies for fossil fuels were expected to increase from $4.7 trillion in 2015 to $5.2 trillion in 2017. The United States was expected to be the second largest subsidizer of the industry, after China, offering an estimated $649 billion to companies. As of 2019, the “underpricing of fossil fuels,” as the authors pointed out, “remains pervasive and substantial.” Read Gary's entire article here.
Volunteer Opportunity of the Month
Consider joining our Energy and Conservation Teams to help us build more grassroots power!
Our Energy Team is building momentum to educate Mainers about our energy grid, working to influence the Public Utilities Commission to act on climate, and organizing with our friends to oppose megadams.
Our Conservation Team is beginning to organize around several important issues, but we need your input. Mining is proving to be an on-going issue. Industrial aquaculture is using Maine as a testing grounds for massive projects. And, we continue to advocate for woods and water protection for all Mainers.
Compostable or biodegradable glassware and utensils may seem like a silver lining to using single-use products, but are they really much better for the environment?
While nice in theory, the majority of these products will end up in a landfill, where it's debated that they will either decompose anaerobically and release C02, or remain intact and consume landfill space. Actually composting these products requires commercial/industrial composting facilities (but don't assume they accept them!) since most backyard piles don't get nearly enough heat to facilitate decomposition. It's far from a perfect solution, and yet another reason to remember to BYOU (bring your own utensils)!
This community conversation will analyze current industrial aquaculture projects in Maine and their potential future. Specifically, we will look at both land-based and water-based finfish operations proposed in Maine and discuss their impacts on our climate and environment.
Panelists from state government, tribal, and non-profit groups in Maine will share ambitious solutions to combat climate change in Maine. The Q&A and discussion will focus on how to translate those solutions to tangible actions. How can ordinary citizens advance climate solutions?
Speakers:
Hannah Pingree, Director of the Governor's Office of Policy Innovation and the Future and Co-Chair, Maine Climate Council
Maulian Dana, Penobscot Nation Ambassador and Representative of Maine’s Tribes to the Maine Climate Council
Ania Wright, Sierra Club Maine and Maine Youth Representative to the Maine Climate Council
David Costello, Climate and Clean Energy Director, Natural Resources Council of Maine
First Nations will join this webinar, hosted by the North American Megadam Resistance Alliance, to explain first hand why Hydro-Quebec's electricity is not clean energy" but environmental racism. This webinar will show the stark reality behind the "green" claims about Canadian hydropower and the export corridor being promoted by Massachusetts as a climate solution.
This event will discuss upcoming legislation to create the Maine Clean Energy and Sustainability Accelerator, a statewide Green Bank to improve financing for efficiency, clean energy, and other climate solutions.
Jill Pelto is an artist and science communicator based in Westbrook, Maine. Jill's artwork incorporates scientific research and data into watercolor paintings to communicate human-environment connections. She's conducted field research around the world, including the mountain glaciers of Washington and Antarctica. She recently created a custom data-art painting for the cover of TIME Magazine in July 2020.
This webinar, hosted by the North American Megadam Resistance Alliance, will review new science that confirms why hydropower should not be part of any climate action plan or the Green New Deal.
Donate Your Old Car, Boat, Motorcycle, or RV!
Looking to upgrade your car, boat, truck, motorcycle, or RV? Consider donating your old one to Sierra Club Maine and give yourself a tax break! Your old vehicle, boat, or RV can have a big impact. In fact, the money we receive from it goes directly to protecting Maine’s air, water, lands, and wildlife. Donating is easy. Simply complete an online form here then someone will come pick it up for you for free - that’s it! Find out more online here and make sure to designate your donation to “Sierra Club Maine.”
