PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 8, 2024
Our air, water and soil support an $11.7 billion agricultural sector, and our 17.5 million acres of forest support an $8.1 billion forest products sector. The marine products sector contributes $3.3 billion to our economy annually, and together these assets support a $7 billion tourism industry. Maine ranks in the top five states for outdoor recreation as a percentage of GDP. Yet the state agencies charged with protecting the well-being of Mainers, visitors, wildlife and the land and water resources that define Vacationland remain stretched too thin. Gov. Mills should ensure that the Maine Drinking Water Program and departments of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Environmental Protection, Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, and Marine Resources have the staff and funding to meet the moment before us. ~ Cathy Breen, Maine Conservation Voters, and Sarah Woodbury, Defend Our Health Action.