350 Maine is fully opposed to tar sands oil – and in support of the Concerned Citizens of South Portland (CCSP) - impressively taking on a truly not-in-my-backyard (or anyone’s) issue. The campaign for the Waterfront Protection Ordinance in South Portland will help to prevent tar sands oil flowing from Canada – and avoid the building of two 70-foot smokestacks and the increase of pollution in the area (in addition to the host of other risks to the region). We ask for your help in supporting this current Campaign. If you are a South Portland resident, signing in support of the Ordinance is critical. Everyone else: we need over 1000 South Portland resident’s signatures by June 17– and are looking for volunteers to gather signatures and support this critical effort in whatever way you can. Please see this link for additional information – and to sign up to help in stopping destructive tar sands. 350maine.nationbuilder/south_portland 350 Maine continues to grow – with successful meetings this past week of both the Public Policy Team and the newly-developing 350 Maine Greater Portland. As we continue to plan for Summer Heat (with our Tar Sands Team continuing to organize a host of Events and Actions across the state and in solidarity across the region) we will keep you informed. We need and want your involvement; see updates here. Another area where we need your involvement is with our state legislature: we need to help our elected officials live up to their responsibility to protect our environment. This has been a tough session for our environment; there continues to be legislative realities that put all of us at risk. This includes bills that have supported open pit and mountaintop removal mining; political maneuvering that has delayed attention to the feed-in-tariff, energy-efficiency and divestment legislation; and legislative compromise that has negated a tar sands oil moratorium. If you have been following the many energy bills in the Maine legislature, you are probably aware that they have been combined into an Omnibus Energy Bill (OEB). This bill has some good aspects but it includes some unacceptable aspects as well. As a result environmental groups in Maine are divided on the bill. 350 Maine joins with the Sierra Club-Maine Chapter and Environment Maine in deciding to not support the OEB. The negative elements of the bill - subsidizing natural gas infrastructure rather than moving Maine off fossil fuels, requiring rate payers to support the natural gas market, forcing Mainers to support extreme extraction via fracking of natural gas in other states, and redirecting Efficiency Maine funds away from homeowners - far outweigh the benefits. Given the pace of the somewhat convoluted process, 350 Maine asks you to contact your representatives to identify your lack of support for the OEB – and your overall concerns for the assault on the environment. You can reach your representative by calling 1-800-423-2900 and your senator at 1-800-423-6900. If you would like a return call, include your name and phone number in your message. Click below for information on who your representatives are and how to email them. Thank you for all that you are doing. Onward! Bob Klotz Team 350 Maine 207 317 1692 350maine@gmail 350maine.org facebook/350Maine twitter/350maine
Posted on: Sat, 08 Jun 2013 15:40:54 +0000
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