AUGUSTA, ME – Just now, after nearly two years of lengthy negotiations and passionate advocacy from climate, labor, health, and justice organizations in Maine and nationwide, Congress passed the largest investment in climate action in U.S. history. The climate-centered Inflation Reduction Act invests $369 billion in climate, clean energy, and environmental justice investments and is projected to help cut planet-warming pollution by roughly 40% by 2030. The bill invests directly in vulnerable communities, creating good-paying union jobs in the clean energy sector, and advancing resiliency through coastal restoration and climate-smart agriculture.
These investments will support and complement action already underway at the state and local level, including through Maine Won’t Wait: A Four Year Plan for Climate Action. Maine’s Senator Angus King and Reps. Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden voted in favor of the bill.
Statement of Kathleen Meil, Director of Policy and Partnerships, MCV:
“This is the moment we’ve been waiting for! After nearly two years of consistent advocacy and several false starts in Congress, I am thrilled and relieved to be celebrating this historic milestone. The Inflation Reduction Act is the most significant climate action legislation in history, and though the bill isn’t perfect, it’s the investment that Maine communities and our climate future need right now. Thousands of Maine people attended rallies, contacted our federal delegation, signed petitions, and staked #ActOnClimate lawn signs in front of their homes to support this movement for federal climate action – and, together, we made sure this extraordinary bill passed through Congress.
Maine Conservation Voters offers our sincere gratitude to Maine’s Sen. King, Rep. Pingree, and Rep. Golden for supporting this historic legislation.”
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