PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 15, 2024
Mainers need a robust response to the climate crisis, which will continue to create weather events our state isn’t ready for. Our younger generations deserve this response. The young people of our state will bear the brunt of the effects of climate change, whether that may be through air and water quality, intensifying storms or severe infrastructural damage. To inadequately respond to these events because the state is not providing proper resources for agencies to do their job is an injustice. It is evident the issue of chronic understaffing and under-resourcing must be resolved given the stakes at hand. The solution is simple: increased compensation and more staff. As the Legislature considers what to do with yet another budget surplus, an effort to fully fund and staff our agencies must be on the table. ~ Jessica Wibby, University of Maine law student