By Kevin Murphy, Legal Intern
This fall I’ll be a second year law student at Boston College Law School. My internship this summer with Sierra Club Maine has been so valuable, both for the professional experiences I’ve had and for the connections I’ve made being part of this wonderful Sierra Club community here in Maine. My summer internship culminated in two overarching projects: filing an appeal to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection over the approval of a wastewater permit for an aquaculture facility in Jonesport and submitting comments to Efficiency Maine on their draft Triennial Plan.
In the appeal, one of the arguments I made was that the decision to allow wastewater to be pumped into the bay near Jonesport is antithetical to the Maine Won’t Wait climate action plan because the wastewater would degrade the water quality for eelgrass, an important species for wildlife habitats and carbon sequestration. While the DEP did not overturn their decision, it was exciting to file this appeal because it serves as a test of the goals and promises outlined in Maine Won’t Wait. This experience really helped me see a gap in the environmental movement between the climate goals that the government has and how these goals are implemented. After law school, I hope to find a career in pushing the government to actually implement and enforce their climate goals.
I also worked on submitting comments to Efficiency Maine on their draft Triennial Plan. It was really interesting to learn about all the programs that Efficiency Maine offers and it was a great experience to be a part of the process of shaping their plan for the next three years. Apart from advocating for more electrification and more accessibility to the Efficiency Maine Programs, it was great to collaborate with other environmental groups in Maine.
Along with my professional experiences with the Sierra Club, it was also great to get to know and work with the staff and volunteers. This is the first time I’ve had an internship with an organization specifically focused on the environment and it was so motivating to sign on to work everyday and exchange ideas with the staff and volunteers on climate change, conservation, and renewable energy. This experience really solidified my desire to commit my career to environmental law and policy.
My experience this summer was truly rewarding, and honestly it went by way too fast! Thank you to everyone who made it so great. I look forward to crossing paths with you all again as we fight together for a clean, sustainable, and equitable future.