AUGUSTA — Governor Janet Mills welcomed Tuesday the release of Maine Won’t Wait, the new four-year climate action plan from the Maine Climate Council and announced actions her Administration will take to protect Maine people and communities and spur economic growth in the fight against climate change, according to a news release. 

Governor Mills and the Legislature last year enacted bipartisan legislation that created the Maine Climate Council – an assembly of scientists, industry leaders, bipartisan local and state elected officials, and engaged citizens – to develop a plan to reduce carbon emissions and achieve carbon neutrality in Maine by 2045.

Backed, according to the release, by the most comprehensive scientific and economic assessments about the effects of climate change in Maine in a decade, Maine Won’t Wait calls for decisive steps to achieve that goal, including bolstering the electric vehicle market in Maine, expanding the number of heat pumps installed in Maine homes, and transitioning to renewable energy to curb harmful greenhouse gas emissions.

Maine Won’t Wait also details climate action steps to create economic opportunities for Maine, such as encouraging the growth of the clean energy economy; creating incentives for consumer, business and industry to invest in energy efficiency; and supporting innovative construction materials and agricultural systems that rely on Maine timber and farms to build and feed the state into the future.

The plan also highlights strategies to ensure Maine’s economy and communities are better prepared for the increasing impacts of climate change.

“Over the past 14 months, the Maine Climate Council exemplified resiliency as it maintained its commitment through climate action despite the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Council co-chairs Hannah Pingree, Director of the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future, and Melanie Loyzim, Acting Commissioner of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. “The Plan the Council is advancing today will bring consistent and bold action on climate, over the next four years and into the decades beyond, to create a better future for our state and the next generations. Every individual, business, organization, and leader in Maine can play a role in making this plan a reality. This collective effort will be key to our success against the crisis that climate change poses for our state, nation, and world.”

Informed by the findings of Maine Won’t Wait, Governor Mills announced a series of actions to further her administration’s response to the climate crisis to protect Maine people and the environment, while also creating new pathways for economic growth.

Key initiatives announced by Governor Mills include an ambitious goal to more than double Maine’s clean energy and energy efficiency jobs to 30,000 by 2030; to further expand existing incentives for purchasing electric vehicles and build more EV charging stations across Maine; to double the pace of home weatherization; to purchase more renewable energy through the state procurement process; and to create energy efficiency incentive programs for commercial businesses.

Governor Mills also announced her intention to submit legislation to put Maine’s target to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045 into law; to further advance cost-effective clean energy development; to enact official sea level rise projections; to create incentives for small woodlot owners to support sustainable forestry management and sequester harmful carbon emissions, and to launch a pilot program for community-level climate resiliency planning to inform broader efforts in coming years.

She also discussed her plans to work with lawmakers in bipartisan fashion on a back to work bond package that meets climate goals this upcoming session focused on establishing a fund for community infrastructure projects that stem the effects of climate change, funding to accelerate the pace of weatherization improvements to Maine homes, and investing in the critical extension of broadband Internet access across the state.

“From rising seas to warming temperatures to deadly natural disasters, humanity has been warned for generations that our climate is changing in profound and dangerous ways and yet not enough has been done to slow or stop it,” said Governor Mills. “Climate change will have profound implications for our state, our economy, and our people – both present and future. This is why Maine won’t wait, and can’t wait, to take action to ensure the resiliency of our communities, to create clean energy jobs and build a clean energy economy, and to support Maine families’ transition away from expensive, harmful fossil fuels to homegrown, renewable energy. I look forward to working with community leaders across our state to advance these goals and preserve and protect this place we all call home.”

By pairing climate action with economic recovery, a critical consideration stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, Maine Won’t Wait puts Maine in a strong position to become a model for effective, inclusive and sustained climate action that aligns with the climate and energy priorities of the incoming administration of President-elect Biden, the news release stated. 

“If we do these things that the Governor is proposing, that Maine is wanting to do, not only will you set an example to our country and to the world, but you will be helping to make the world more secure,” said Secretary John Kerry, President-elect Biden’s special envoy for climate. “When we depend on our own clean energy for our future, we don’t have to worry about sending people to the Middle East or elsewhere to fight and defend the source of our energy. The world will be more stable. Maine won’t wait. Maine is going to lead. Maine is going to be ahead of the curve and get the job done for us and help set an example for every other state. I congratulate you.”

The failure to act against the effects of climate change carries a great risk for Maine, as doing nothing more will cause costly damage to Maine’s buildings and infrastructure, vulnerable ecosystems, iconic species and public health, the release stated

An assessment for Maine Won’t Wait on the “cost of doing nothing more” about climate change found cost of inaction included more than $17 billion in damages to coastal buildings and infrastructure through 2050 as well as billions more lost from tourism due to seasonal changes, lost beachfronts, employment and valuable ecosystems.

Maine Won’t Wait also highlights the strong economic potential from climate action, particularly clean energy and energy efficiency fields. Renewable energy sectors, like wind and solar, are some of the fastest growing in the nation, and Maine is poised to support its businesses and grow its workforce in these high-demand areas as a result of forward-looking policy changes and investments in clean energy and energy efficiency.

As the Council continues its work following the release of the plan, it will also convene a special Equity subcommittee to ensure future climate actions are conducted in Maine with focus on protecting and supporting vulnerable communities who are most at-risk from climate disruption.

All told, Maine Won’t Wait is the product of an unprecedented public process, featuring contributions from more than 200 people on the Council, its six expert working groups, and scientific and technical subcommittee, plus input from thousands of other Maine people and stakeholders to produce bold, actionable strategies to addressing one of Maine’s most pressing long-term problems.

The report builds on the significant steps the Mills Administration has taken to prepare for and mitigate the effects of climate change on Maine.

Maine joined the United States Climate Alliance, a bipartisan coalition of 25 Governors and states that have committed to climate action, created the Maine Climate Council, and withdrew from a national offshore drilling coalition and removed a moratorium on clean wind power development

Maine, according to the release, has set some of the most aggressive renewable energy requirements in the country – 80 percent renewable energy by 2030, and a goal of 100 percent for 2050. Maine also enacted aggressive targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions into law - 45 percent by 2030, and 80 percent by 2050, as well as pledging to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045.