Dear Editor:

It’s published! Maine’s version of the Green New Deal (GND), presented by Chloe Maxmin of Nobleboro, is now Maine Legislative Document No. 1282. It is not as ambitious as the federal bill. It is based heavily on the issues raised when Chloe was door-to-door canvassing in the 2018 elections and is crafted from the perspective of rural communities in Maine and the labor movement. It is a very practical bill aimed at jump-starting significant action to reduce our carbon footprint in a manner that creates good jobs, lifts people out of poverty, and improves our economy. It deserves widespread public support. With this in mind, here are a couple of important dates to put in the calendar:

On Friday, April 19, Lincoln County Indivisible is hosting a presentation in the Friends Meeting House, on Belvedere Road, Damariscotta, from 5:30 until 7 p.m. at which Chloe and co-sponsor Jeff Evangelos, representative for Friendship, will explain the details of the Green New Deal for Maine. All are welcome.

There will be a public hearing on the Green New Deal for Maine in Augusta on April 23. All are encouraged to attend and express support.

If we do not collectively, over the next decade or two, slow and halt the rise in greenhouse gasses, the accelerating global warming juggernaut will have ever increasingly disastrous impacts on all of us. We have to get the situation under control. For those of us living in Maine, the Act to Establish a Green New Deal for Maine is a first, important step in this process. Come to the meeting on April 19 to hear the Green New Deal for Maine explained, and to be armed with written and oral arguments for the public hearing on April 23.

Nigel Calder

Newcastle