Fracked gas – often marketed as “renewable” natural gas - is bad for the environment and our health. Buildings account for nearly 40% of climate pollution in the United States, with much of that driven by the burning of dirty fossil gas for heating and hot water. Furthermore, children who grow up in a home with a gas stove are 42% more likely to develop asthma than those who don’t.
Latest Update on Sierra Club Maine's Legislative Efforts
The Legislative session is now in full speed! Our Legislative Team has been hard at work following important legislation, collaborating with coalition groups, testifying at hearings, and writing op-eds. Bills are still being printed, and we are still prioritizing work, but you can see some of the bills we have testified on here. Thank you to all the volunteer leaders who have stepped up!
With the recent solar interconnection issues with CMP, the need for a Consumer Owned utility is even greater. Please join our campaign, and stay updated here.
Chapter leaders have been busy meeting with our federal delegation. We greatly appreciate Rep. Pingree, Sen. King, and Rep. Golden for taking the time out of their busy schedule to meet with us. We also appreciate Sen. Collins’ staff for meeting with us. During our meetings, we pushed for National priorities like banning Arctic drilling, conserving 30% of lands by 2030, passing the For the People Act, Impeachment, solving nuclear waste, and the Thrive Agenda. We also brought forth our Chapter priorities of a Green Bank, Consumer Owned Utility, and stopping the CMP Corridor. We appreciate our elected officials for their diligence and commitment to environmental values, and hope they can lead our country to a just and sustainable future.
CMP Corridor: Now You See Them, Then You Won’t
By Deborah Schwartz and Becky Bartovics
As many of you already know, the proposed Hydro-Quebec/Iberdrola/CMP Corridor will cut a new 53 mile swath through the North Woods in western Maine, from Beattie Township on the Canadian border to Lewiston, where it will connect to an existing 94 mile transmission corridor. For what purpose? In order to bring hydroelectric power to customers in Massachusetts, a state whose environmental regulations explicitly preclude the construction of such environmentally-damaging hydroelectric megadams. Read the entire article here.
CMP (Corridor) and Me: Testimony of an Activist
By Becky Bartovics
I am a water person. So a construction project of this size drew my attention to the wetlands and streams that would be impacted. Wetland loss has extremely serious implications for every living thing on the planet and we are already losing 10% of our wetlands per year. First, I was shocked at the hundreds of wetlands and vernal pools that would be impacted, many of them permanently by the construction and maintenance of the Corridor. Second, I became aware of the completely unimaginable destruction hydro dams have on the boreal forest ecosystem and the people who have lived and sustained their lives in concert with that water system for thousands of years. Read Becky's entire article here.
Solar Power for Maine High Schools
In 2019, students, teachers, and community leaders on Mount Desert Island successfully advocated for their school to run on 100% solar energy. The project resulted in the installation of more than 1,400 solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, which will produce 510,000kWh of electricity per year and save the school system $1.46 million over 25 years.
This project was possible because of collaboration between students, administration, and the Island. Now, MDI High School students and local non profit A Climate To Thrive are taking their project on the road, with the goal of bringing solar to high schools all over the state. To learn more about their project, check out their student written white paper, and join us on March 2nd for their community conversation!
Sierra Club Endorses For the People Act
The For the People Act promises to be the most significant voting rights and democracy reform law enacted since the 1965 Civil Rights Act. Just when our democracy has been under assault, this Act will re-commit our election systems to the principle of one person-one vote, to real standards of equity, and to the broadest possible participation in our democracy. It will combat toxic lies about “voter fraud,” while also curtailing extreme partisan gerrymandering. And it will allow qualified candidates with broad public support to run for federal office without being bankrolled by deep-pocket donors and entrenched wealthy special interests. These reforms represent real, workable solutions. Recent history shows that democracy can be fragile. But when the people are heard, democracy is the best chance we have to get a government that truly responds to the challenges we face. Learn more here.
Upcoming Community Conversations
Our virtual Community Conversations are a great way to engage on important issues in the comfort of your own home. Register today!
What if all Maine schools went 100% solar? Members of A Climate to Thrive and MDIHS ECO Team join us to discuss their step-by-step process of how to get your school to go 100% solar.
Chris Wissemann from New England Aqua Ventus will share their project with the University of Maine to create an up to 12 MW floating offshore wind pilot project to develop a renewable energy source off Maine’s shores.
For years, operators of South Portland tank farms have violated the Clean Air Act by emitting volatile organic compounds at a rate that far exceeds what they are permitted to emit under state licenses. Join members of the Tank Emissions Coalition of Maine to learn more about how this problem is impacting South Portland and other communities in Maine - and what you can do about it.
Join Sierra Club Maine as we share information on the proposed fracked gas pipeline for the MidCoast area and explain why fracked gas is bad for both the environment and our health.
Volunteer Opportunity of the Month
Join us on March 10th at 5pm for Sierra Club Maine’s first ever Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Team meeting! At our first meeting, we will get to know one another, learn about the Chapter’s current initiatives, and plan for our work to develop an Equity, Inclusion, and Justice plan for the chapter. We hope to see you there! Register here.
Green Tip of the Month
Don’t let the cold get you down this winter! You don’t need to sacrifice your warmth in order to help the environment. Try these easy tips:
Cook: Hungry for dinner? Considering cooking something. Not only will you have delicious food to enjoy, but it will also warm up your house. When you’re done, turn off your oven and leave the oven door cracked open to add even more heat to the space.
Ceiling Fans: Run your ceiling fans in a clockwise direction, which will pull the warm, heated air from the ceiling and recirculate it throughout your home.
Water Heater: Most factory water heaters are set to heat water to 140 degrees, hotter than most people use. Instead, set your water heater to 120 degrees to reduce the energy used for heating water.
Jess Cooper believes the power of creative thinking goes beyond just finding creative solutions to tackle big issues like climate change. She writes, “Creativity is necessary for absolutely everything we do, and propels the success of a movement by opening up a broader platform to broadcast our ideas to. It helps us see things that we might not otherwise be able to see in a movement, it allows us to express our emotions and thoughts in a way that is accessible for everyone to interpret. Creativity is one component of climate action we can’t overlook.”
Learn about the expectations and requirements of becoming an official Sierra Club Maine Outings Leader. This is part 3 of a 3-part training series to complete Outdoor Leadership Training (OLT-101), a requirement to become an official leader.
