Artwork by Ed Nolde, Artist & Sierra Club Maine Volunteer
June 2024
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Our 2023 Impact Report Is Here!
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The work we have done at Sierra Club Maine in the past year—from advocating for a fossil fuel-free future, to fighting to protect our wildlands, waters, and biodiversity—is engaging communities and individuals across the state and beyond. The ripples of our movement grow stronger each year. They must. We are at a critical tipping point here in Maine and across the globe. The climate crisis is already impacting our day-to-day lives and our response will define the future for generations to come.
As you will see in this year's report, the incredible impacts Sierra Club Maine has inspired across our beautiful state in 2023 has created a ripple and we plan to create an even bigger splash in 2024! At the core of this work is our community: staff, volunteers, supporters and members. We cannot do this work without the power of the people, and our focus in 2024 and beyond will be to grow our movement—from Kittery to Caribou.
Whether strategizing with our statewide climate and community action teams, joining a Sierra Club outing along the coast or through the north woods, or lobbying for environmental policies in Augusta, there’s a place for everyone in our Sierra Club community! We hope you'll join us.
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Sierra Club and Partners
Are Suing the State of Maine
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In recent years, communities across Maine have increasingly shouldered the brutal burden of climate change. From millions of dollars of storm damage to long summer days of poor air quality, there is no denying that decades of fossil fuel reliance have left a profound impact on our health and ecosystems. To address these consequences, Maine passed its landmark Climate Law in 2019, seemingly ushering in an age of action to fend off the climate crisis.
However, the wave of actions never arrived. After enacting the Climate Law, the state specifically tasked its agencies, including the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Board of Environmental Protection (BEP) with implementing its targets. Nearly five years later, BEP has adopted only two rules aimed at achieving the law's greenhouse gas reductions, and none to address emissions from the transportation sector, which contributes more than 50% of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. In short, we are nowhere near achieving the goals required by law to protect our communities. Something must be done, and quickly.
That is why, the Sierra Club—alongside the Conservation Law Foundation and Maine Youth Action—has filed a lawsuit against the state of Maine for failing to address the climate crisis. The lawsuit seeks to compel the State to carry out its obligations to pass rules that comply with and achieve the Climate Law’s goals. Continue reading here. |
Restore the Kennebec:
Public Comment Period Ends June 4!
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We're working with Mainers who care about the future of the Kennebec to reunite the river so endangered Atlantic salmon and other sea-run fish have the chance not only to survive but thrive. Right now, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is conducting a dam relicensing and license-amendment process for four dams on Maine’s Kennebec River. This includes the release of a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). FERC’s process only occurs every 30 years or so, presenting a once-in-a-generation opportunity to restore the remaining portion of the lower Kennebec and the species that used to thrive there.
FERC will accept public comments on the draft EIS through June 4. This is an important opportunity to make our voices heard and is the next step in opening access to important sea-run fish to their historical spawning grounds. Natural Resources Council of Maine, along with the Kennebec Coalition, has created a petition to collect signatures that will then be submitted into FERC’s official docket. Signing the petition is one of many ways you can help! You can also submit written testimony directly into the FERC docket before June 4. Please also send a copy to blechtman@nrcm.org for their records. Thank you!
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Our offices will be closed on June 19th to commemorate Juneteenth. This holiday celebrates the day in 1865, more than two years after President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, during which Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas with news that the Civil War had ended and that the last enslaved Black Americans in Texas were emancipated.
Juneteenth, also known as “Juneteenth Independence Day”, “Freedom Day” or “Emancipation Day,” was finally recognized as a federal holiday in 2021, when President Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law. Juneteenth is an opportunity to reflect on this country’s roots in institutionalized slavery, how far we have come, the resilience and achievements of Black Americans, and how far we have yet to go to secure true liberation for Black persons and a brighter future for all. Black communities across the United States continue to experience the legacy of slavery every day due to the systemic and institutional racism that perpetuates inequities in health care, criminal justice, employment, education, and access to clean air, clean water, and nature.
In the words of Vice President Kamala Harris, “America is a promise—a promise of freedom, liberty and justice. The story of Juneteenth as we celebrate it is a story of our ongoing fight to realize that promise. Not for some, but all.”
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You're Invited: Outings Team Potluck!
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People protect what they know and love, and there's so much to love about Maine's forests, lakes, streams, mountains, and seaside. Sierra Club outings are a great way to find out about local conservation issues while enjoying the great outdoors with family and friends!
Sierra Club outings leaders across the U.S. offer day hikes, overnight camping, cycling, snow shoeing, cross-country skiing, conservation-oriented walks, bird watching, canoeing, and coastal island-hopping kayak trips. The Maine Chapter seeks to assemble a group of outings leaders who will implement these types of outings, with potential for week-long backpacking trips into one of Maine's fabulous backwoods areas.
Interested in leading outings in Maine? Join us on Friday, June 7, 5-7pm in Westbrook for a community potluck to learn more about our outings program and how you can become an outings leader in Maine. We'll meet at 51 Emery St., Unit 1, in Westbrook. Please RSVP here.
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Photo by Megan Steele Photography
Get Involved: Community & Climate Action
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A Community & Climate Action Team is a group of community members who come together to work on climate, justice, or community issues in their locality. Interested in joining or starting a Community & Climate Action Team? Local Community Action Teams are organizing throughout Maine to implement climate solutions now; including:
- Spearheading community solar projects
- Installing solar panels on schools or town buildings
- Developing town energy efficiency plans
- Advocating for public transportation
- Launching recycling/compost programs
- Opposing dirty energy projects
- and much more!
Creating powerful, intersectional change starts with grassroots organizing. By engaging with your community, you have the power to change your town or city, and mobilize others to join the movement to fight climate change.
Please join us June 17, 4-5pm for a virtual introduction to our Community & Climate Action program and to learn more about how you can join or start a CAT team in your area! We encourage folks from rural communities to sign up as we hope to increase our rural organizing capacity. Register here.
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Photo by Photo by Dennis Schroeder, National Renewable Energy Laboratory 47315
New Sierra Club Policy
on Siting Renewable Energy Facilities
By David von Seggern, Sierra Club Maine Volunteer
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In the next 25 years, Maine will undergo an energy transition as we seek to electrify everything. This transition will share identity with that happening in states across the U.S., but also be appropriate to Maine. What will doubling, or tripling, of Maine’s energy supply and distribution look like? Until now, Maine has been highly reliant on energy production done in other states. We are only now seeing the type of energy production of the future—wind and solar facilities on the land. Also, the state will see the unique development of the Gulf of Maine potent wind resource in deep waters.
Not every site for a solar or wind farm will be acceptable; not every electrical transmission corridor will be acceptable. What’s to guide our input on siting issues during this transition while keeping pristine the major portion of Maine’s scenic and recreational environment that we all enjoy and while adhering to important conservation and justice values?
The Sierra Club Board of Directors just approved (May 18, 2024) a revised energy siting policy that will direct the club’s response to the energy transition in the years to come. This policy is a revision of the 2022 policy which many activists felt was incomplete. We now have the policy direction to balance the goals of the club in regard to both energy and environment. A more detailed guidance document will follow in the next few months.
Siting issues are often contentious. Alternatives must be carefully examined. The revised policy guarantees that the national staff will work effectively with chapter local knowledge and local interests to decide important siting issues. There is a defined process in the revised siting policy to follow to achieve this. New energy production can coexist with our conservation and justice values.
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The third issue of From the Ground Up (FTGU), a quarterly publication from Wildlands, Woodlands, Farmlands and Communities, was released last month. With a unique blend of news, analysis, essays, poetry, art, and photography, FTGU presents an integrated vision of healthy human communities, passively managed wildlands, and carefully managed woodlands, farmlands, and fisheries. The spring issue includes a collection of essays “ Looking for Balance” in a resilient forest ecosystem and economy, several pieces situated at the intersection of wildlife governance and land-use policy, and an exploration of the value of storytelling in forest management.
Reader submissions and feedback are warmly invited! For more information, contact alex.redfield@unh.edu or learn more here.
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Photo by Kelly Sikkema
Green Tip of the Month:
Stay Cool and Give Your AC a Break
By Michael Trombley, Sierra Club Maine Volunteer
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It’s June, and that means the hottest days of the year are not far away. In Maine, most of us rely on air conditioning for at least some of those days. And, if you don’t have access to AC, finding ways to cope with the heat is even more essential. One of the best solutions for beating the heat is cheap, low-tech, and available to all. Yep, we’re talking about curtains, especially the kind that block light. According to FEMA , about 40% of unwanted heat enters homes through window glass. You can block much of that heat with window coverings. Sure, your AC might be able to keep your house cool on even the sunniest days, but you’ll use less electricity (and generate less heat in the process) if you give your AC a boost with some light-blocking window treatments. You don’t even have to do this for all your windows—stop the sun from coming through the windows that get the most light during peak sunshine hours. Crucially, once you have them, don’t forget to use your curtains. The Department of Energy estimates that 75% of window coverings stay in the same position all the time. That’s not cool. For more tips on staying cool and using your AC efficiently, check out this article from Grist.
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Nyalat Biliew, Sierra Club Maine's Grassroots Climate Action Organizer, speaks at CEBE's Climate Convergence. Photo by Jesse Logan.
The Month Ahead
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Here are some of the meetings and events we have coming up. We hope to see you soon!
- June 1-4: Submit Public Comment to Reunite the Kennebec
- Help reunite the Kennebec river so endangered Atlantic salmon and other sea-run fish have the chance not only to survive but thrive. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will accept public comments on the draft Environmental Impact Statement through June 4. Take action by signing this petition or by submitting written testimony directly into the docket before 6/4.
- Legislative Team Meetings: Mondays at 4:30pm
- Help us organize events to educate and engage Mainers across the state.
- June 7, 5-7pm: Outings Team Potluck
- Interested in leading outings in Maine? Join us for a community potluck in Westbrook to learn more about our outings program and how you can get involved! RSVP here.
- Events Team Meetings: Biweekly on Thursdays at 3pm
- Help us organize events to educate and engage Mainers across the state.
- June 17 at 4pm: Introduction to Community and Climate Action
- Join us for a virtual introduction to Sierra Club Maine’s Community and Climate Action program. Learn how you can join or start a CAT team in your area! We encourage folks from rural communities to sign up as we hope to increase our rural organizing capacity.
- June 18 at 12pm: Clean Energy Team Meeting
- Join our team and ensure a clean and just energy future for Maine, specifically focused on renewable energy development!
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Volunteer With Sierra Club Maine
Interested in helping to protect Maine’s environment? We invite you to join us at our next volunteer orientation— view our events calendar here! No matter your background, we have a role for you—no experience necessary.
We are always looks for photos from across the state to feature in our marketing materials. Professionals and amateurs alike are encouraged to submit images of Maine landscapes, nature, and wildlife. Please submit your photo here.
Questions? Email us at maine.chapter@sierraclub.org.
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