October 1, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Matt Cannon | Campaign & Policy Assoc. Director | Matthew.Cannon@sierraclub.org | 207-761-5616
Or
Becky Bartovics | Volunteer Leader | bbartovics@gmail.com | 207-390-0393
Matt Cannon | Campaign & Policy Assoc. Director | Matthew.Cannon@sierraclub.org | 207-761-5616
Or
Becky Bartovics | Volunteer Leader | bbartovics@gmail.com | 207-390-0393
SIERRA CLUB MAINE ENDORSES YES ON 1
Polls show nearly three-quarters of Mainers also think the CMP project is a bad deal.
October 1, 2021 – Sierra Club Maine’s Executive Committee voted unanimously Tuesday, September 28, 2021, to endorse the “Yes on 1” campaign to stop the CMP corridor. Sierra Club Maine is one of the collaborating environmental groups currently suing the Army Corps of Engineers and the US Department of Energy.
As stated by Volunteer Leader Becky Bartovics, “Sierra Club Maine votes to urge our members and Maine Voters to Vote Yes on 1. We believe that this project is not good for Mainers, and is terrible for the environment.”
The Executive Committee has been closely following the projections of destruction of the boreal forest in Canada and the resultant ecological damage to riverine systems that will result from furthering Mega Dam projects in North America. This results in the poisoning of water sources, and in addition to releases of methane, which over time can be considered equivalent to the environmental impact of coal fired power plants. This greenwashed energy source is not the answer to our climate crisis
The Executive Committee feels that becoming dependent on Canadian Crown-owned corporations to provide electric sources in the northeast United States will undercut the burgeoning renewable energy businesses that are growing here in Maine. Perhaps the most important reason why Sierra Club Maine is endorsing this referendum is that Hydro Quebec's dirty energy causes historical food source damage, public health issues, and dislocation effects on the First Nations people of Canada who have lived in the regions impacted by the Megadams for thousands of years.
More than two thirds of the world's rivers have been dammed to date. Canada plans sixteen more dams to provide power to the US. With all of this in mind, from respecting indigenous sovereignty to actual environmental impacts, the Executive Committee endorses a voting Yes on 1 to stop the CMP/Hydro Quebec transmission line.
More information:
• October 20, 2020 Press Release- Environmental Groups File lawsuit against Army Corps
• One page Fact Sheet from No CMP Corridor, May 2020.
• For more information on the project, you can read the Impact Study on the Northeast MegaDam Resistance website or the Fact Sheets from the Natural Resources Council of Maine
• For more information on the project, you can read the Impact Study on the Northeast MegaDam Resistance website or the Fact Sheets from the Natural Resources Council of Maine
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Sierra Club Maine is one of 64 chapters nationally with 4 million members and supporters. Working in Maine for over 40 years, Sierra Club Maine has over 20,000 members and supporters across the state. As a volunteer-run, grassroots organization, Sierra Club Maine believes in the power of people working together to make change happen. Their mission is to explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the earth; to practice and promote the responsible use of the earth’s ecosystems and resources; to educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; and to use all lawful means necessary to carry out these objectives.