PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 19, 2022
At a time when the climate crisis has reached “code red for humanity,” the Supreme Court’s ruling in West Virginia vs. Environmental Protection Agency jeopardizes the wellbeing of people across the globe and future generations. The court held that the Clean Air Act does not authorize EPA to instruct power plants to shift electricity generation away from fossil fuel generation and toward less-polluting sources of electricity, even though this is by far the most effective, efficient and lowest-cost way of reducing climate pollution from fossil fuel-burning plants. Despite strong clean air laws in Maine, this ruling puts our health and safety at risk. It is time for Congress – including Maine’s congressional delegation – and the Biden administration to pass bold climate legislation, including budget reconciliation, that will rein in corporate polluters and stop the fossil fuel industry from destroying our planet. We have no more time to waste. ~ Ania Wright, Sierra Club Maine, and youth representative to the Maine Climate Council