Speaking at a press conference at Morse High School in Bath on Thursday afternoon, Gov. Janet Mills unveiled the state’s updated climate action plan. (Photo by Eesha Pendharkar/ Maine Morning Star)
Unveiling Maine’s updated plan to respond to the global climate crisis, Gov. Janet Mills said the state will continue working to lower emissions and mitigate risk “no matter who’s in the White House.”
At a press conference at Morse High School in Bath on Thursday afternoon, Mills, along with state and city officials, highlighted the progress the state has made under the current climate action plan, Maine Won’t Wait, in expanding clean energy and reducing carbon emissions.
They also emphasized the importance of the state renewing its commitment to solutions that include addressing food waste, building sustainable housing and transportation systems, and transitioning away from fossil fuels.
Despite concerns about the incoming Trump administration’s pledges to pull out of the Paris climate accord, roll back environmental regulations and halt funding for clean energy programs, Mills said Maine would continue its work along with 23 other governors as part of the U.S. Climate Alliance.
“Even if President Trump and the Republican-led Congress stall the federal government’s work on climate change, disasters and droughts, floods and storms, bomb cyclones and rivers in the sky know no political party,” she said, referring to the series of devastating storms that flooded Maine’s coast and rivers last winter.
“The threat is real. We know it, and the danger is here and now so again, Maine will not wait to act,” Mills added.
Priorities under the new plan
As of November 2024, Maine has met and in some cases exceeded its goals, including installing more than 100,000 heat pumps across the state and reducing dependence on heating oil from 70% of households in 2010 to just over 50% in 2023. The state has also grown the clean energy economy by adding 15,000 jobs while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30% since 1990, with the goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2045, according to the climate plan.
The update is also a response to community feedback submitted to the Climate Council. The next few years will be focused on transportation, housing, land use, food waste and disaster management, Mills and Climate Council co-chairs Hannah Pingree and Melanie Loyzim said. Updated goals outlined in the plan include expanding public transportation and electric vehicle access including charging stations, building and renovating more sustainable housing, continuing the transition to 100% clean energy by 2040, and helping support Maine’s farming, forestry, and fishing industries adapt to climate change.
“This plan highlights strategies to advance both affordability and reliability,” Pingree said.
“This plan is not about the state, but it is about all of us; our schools, our businesses, our homes and communities. And how we together can take action to protect our people, our communities and our beautiful state.”
Highlighting local buy-in
State officials praised towns such as Bath for incorporating climate change solutions in their municipal planning, such as city-led development of sustainable housing complexes, as well as climate change education and technical training at the high school to drive student interest in clean energy jobs.
Bath “is really the forefront of climate action,” Mills said. The city is one of the 225 communities that are part of the Community Resilience Partnership, which grants state funding for clean energy projects as well as mitigating the impact of storms or other severe climate change impacts. The 2024 update aims to expand state investment in communities and increase participation in the Community Resilience Partnership to 80% percent by 2030.
RSU 1, the Bath school district, is one of few towns to have its own climate action plan, a local teacher who spoke at the event said. Mills said students’ commitment to address the climate crisis helps “demonstrate that you understand the urgency of this problem, and you’re proving that Maine won’t wait to act.”
Maine poised to lead on climate
In a statement, Maine Conservation Voters’ executive director Maureen Drouin, who serves as a member of the Climate Council’s Natural and Working Lands Working Group, emphasized the importance of the state continuing to push forward with its climate agenda.
“In the face of federal headwinds, an ambitious state climate action plan is a necessity,” Drouin said. “Maine Won’t Wait recognizes that we have a responsibility to ensure a clean and healthy environment for our children, that lands, waters, and wildlife are protected, and that we strengthen critical infrastructure in the face of rising sea levels and extreme weather events.”
Jack Shapiro, climate and clean energy director with the Natural Resources Council of Maine, said the plan allows Maine to show itself as a leader.
“We have an opportunity to show the rest of the nation how coming together to create new home-grown clean energy industries; make our homes, schools, and businesses more efficient; and protect our natural resources can create a better future for people in every corner of our rural state,” Shapiro said.
U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, who serves as ranking member of the House Appropriations Interior and Environment Subcommittee, commended the Climate Council saying the plan “lays the foundation for sustainable economic growth and environmental stewardship in our state.”
“At a time when federal policies may shift, Maine is showing that our commitment to preserving tools like clean energy tax credits, EV incentives, and funding for resilience projects will not waver,” Pingree said in a statement.
Pingree said she “looks forward to supporting its implementation through collaboration at all levels of government, private sector engagement, and active community participation.”
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