Producer/Host: Meredith DeFrancesco
Issue: Environmental and Social Justice
Program Topic: Environmental Priorities Coalition on Past Legislative Session
Key Discussion Points:
1) The Environmental Priorities Coalition, representing 31 Maine environmental and public health organizations, is commending last session’s legislature for conservation and energy efficiency efforts, despite Governor LePage’s anti-environmental stance.
2) Action included rejecting a bill that would have opened the state to metallic mining (LD 750), a bill re-instituting funding for home energy efficiency subsidies (LD 1215), bills increasing lake protection (LD 568 and LD 713), support for additions to endangered and threatened species listings (LD 807), a bill blocking the governor’s attempt to decrease the number of forest rangers and the merger of the Bureau of parks and Lands with the Maine Forest Service (LD 1019) and a bill to create a process for the Maine Public Utilities Commission and stakeholders to engage in discussions and propose policy on solar power (LD 1263).
3) Maine is the only state in New England without a solar policy or subsidies for solar.
Guest:
Beth Ahern, Maine Conservation Alliance; Environmental Priorities Coalition http://protectmaine.org/maine-epc