MAINE PUBLIC • December 1, 2020
After more than a year of work by hundreds of Mainers, Gov. Janet Mills’ Climate Council released a roadmap on Tuesday for the state’s efforts to stall the worst effects of climate change and adapt to those that can’t be avoided. At the same time that Maine faces a pandemic-driven budget crisis, Mills proposed some potentially costly down payments on a carbon-neutral future. The plan prioritizes the reduction of transportation-related emissions, responsible for 54 percent of this state’s fossil-fuel pollution. That’s followed by reduced heating and cooling emissions, which account for another 12 percent of Maine’s global-warming contributions. Policies encouraging wider adoption of electric vehicles, heat pumps and building weatherization are prominent.