State of Maine Archives: on Environment
Angus King:
Support EPA brownfield program for industrial cleanup
Angus King sits on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. From that position he has protected our national parks and toiled on renewable energy issues to reduce the environmental impacts of climate change. He has voted in favor of increasing the
EPA's Brownfield program to clean up polluted industrial and hazardous waste sites. In Maine he fought successfully to ensure that entrance fees at Acadia National Park didn't spike out of reach of most of us.
Source: Kennebec Journal/Morning Sentinel on 2018 Maine Senate race
Aug 5, 2018
Betsy Sweet:
Reduce, re-use, recycle
Go green. Build green. Reduce, re-use, recycle. Make Maine a leader in green economics, increase tourism based on our policies.Bolster the Land for Maine's Future Program. A political football under LePage, it's time to let them do what they do well.
Create a statewide trails network. Maine is sprouting up local trails across the state. I will support local trails and develop connections between trails so that people can hike, run, and bike safely from Kittery to Madawaska.
Source: Ballotpedia.org Connection: 2018 Maine Governor race
Nov 1, 2018
Chris Lyons:
Fight EPA regulatory over-reach
Q: Do you support or oppose the statement, "Fight EPA regulatory over-reach"?
A: support
Source: OnTheIssues interview of 2018 Maine Senate candidate
Mar 6, 2018
Eliot Cutler:
Helped Senator Ed Muskie craft the Clean Air Act
Maine is a place of unrivaled natural beauty. Maine can also be a place of boundless opportunity--as long as we don't put that great natural beauty or the health of our citizens in harm's way. When I helped Senator
Ed Muskie craft the Clean Air Act, he argued over and over again that Maine need not sacrifice jobs for a clean and healthy environment. That's still sound thinking.
Source: 2014 gubernatorial campaign website, CutlerForMaine.com
Dec 31, 2013
Eliot Cutler:
More bus services, dedicated HOV lanes, and bike routes
Q: What policies do you advocate for increasing public transportation choices for Mainers? A: Our transportation goal should be moving more people and more goods at lower costs and with fewer environmental impacts. New bus services, dedicated lanes
for high-occupancy vehicles and buses, bike routes, and sidewalks along existing roads can typically all be obtained for less than 1/10 of the cost of a typical road widening. The last decade has brought exciting success stories for rail transportation
in Maine, notably the intermodal facility in Auburn and the return of passenger rail service to Maine. State investments in new or expanded transportation systems--whether roads, passenger or freight rail, buses or other modes--need to meet a
cost-effectiveness test and need to be compared with alternatives where the analysis takes into account not only the economic costs and benefits of the alternatives, but also the environmental costs and benefits.
Source: Sierra Club Questionnaire on 2014 Maine Gubernatorial race
Oct 16, 2013
Janet Mills:
Joins coalition to reject proposed cuts in funding to EPA
Atty Gen Janet Mills joined a coalition of 13 states calling on the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to reject "deep and damaging" cuts in funding for the EPA and anti-environmental riders. "Maine has been a leader in the fight
for clean water and clean air since Senator Ed Muskie championed the original Clean Water Act," said Atty Gen Mills. "In Maine, we hunt, fish, and hike year-round and these proposed cuts will severely damage Maine's environment and economy if passed."
Source: WAGM-TV on 2018 Maine Gubernatorial race
Oct 15, 2017
John Baldacci:
2003: Vetoed ban on foreign workers in logging industry
Excerpts from legislation: LD 491: An Act Regarding Timber Harvesting on Land Managed by the Division of Parks and Public Lands: This bill prohibits contracting for timber harvesting on land under [public] management if the contractor
uses persons employed under the federal labor certification process for employment of foreign workers in logging for that purpose.Excerpts from veto message: This bill reflects the same policy outlined in LD 284 from the 121st
Legislature; it was vetoed by Governor Baldacci for the same reason: the bill is unconstitutional. I support Maine loggers working Maine lands. However, we must abide by our oaths to uphold the Constitutions of this State and the United States.
For these reasons, I return LD 491 unsigned and vetoed.
Legislative outcome: Rollcall #291, June 17, 2013, veto override failed Senate 18-17 (2/3 required); RC #132 May 28, 2013, passed House 85-54; Veto Sustained.
Source: Maine legislative voting records: 2005 LD 284
Jun 14, 2013
Mary Mayhew:
Environmental stewardship that also respects businesses
Maine's tourism and our beautiful environment are both important to Maine's economic future. But if businesses cannot compete with companies elsewhere because of overzealous environmental regulations, Maine's economy cannot be sustained on
tourism alone. There must be effective environmental stewardship that also respects and appreciates the importance of businesses. I'm in favor of conservation but concerned about the amount of property that has been removed from the tax rolls each year.
Source: Portsmouth Herald on 2018 Maine Gubernatorial race
Apr 13, 2018
Mike Michaud:
AdWatch: Replace LePage with a pro-environment governor
A leading environmental group is endorsing Rep. Michaud in what seems to already be a three-person governor's race in Maine. The Sierra Club announced their support for Michaud at a news conference Monday.The group had already said there's one
candidate who's been stricken from their list: Gov. Paul LePage. That left either Michaud or independent Eliot Cutler. A spokesman says the environmental group is devoting all of its resources to replacing LePage with "a pro-environment governor."
Source: MPBN Maine Public Broadcasting on 2014 Maine Governor race
Nov 25, 2013
Paul LePage:
Abstain from EPA petition to cut Midwest emissions
Environmental groups attacked Gov. Paul LePage for his refusal to sign a petition in favor of tough standards in nine states from which pollution affects air quality in Maine and other eastern states.Governors in eight stats--including every
New England state except Maine--have asked the US EPA to force states in the Midwest and South to reduce ozone-forming power plant emissions.
The LePage administration said Maine joined two other Ozone Protection Zone states--PA & NY--in abstaining
from the petition, in part because Maine's air is already clean enough to meet federal standards: "Maine is in attainment with federal air standards and the largest source of impacts to Maine's air is actually from mobile sources, not stationary ones.
DEP has strong reasons to believe that future state and federal pollution requirements will mean further overall emission reductions from mobile and stationary sources, and that the state will continue to meet the federal air standards."
Source: Bangor Daily News on 2014 Maine Governor race
Dec 9, 2013
Paul LePage:
Change environmental laws to replace red tape with jobs
LePage sent to the Legislature's new Joint Select Committee on Regulatory Fairness and Reform 36 sweeping changes to environmental laws. LePage's submission ignited howls of protest from environmental groups, who had met with the governor in a forum to
try to persuade him that environmental laws are good for the economy. "We are shocked and stunned," said the executive director of the Natural Resources Council of Maine, one of the state's largest and oldest environmental advocacy groups.
LePage's proposals are based on a series of "red tape workshops" that the administration is holding with chambers of commerce to identify government rules that may dampen the state's business climate. "Job creation and investment opportunities are
being lost because we do not have a fair balance between our economic interests and the need to protect the environment," LePage said in a written statement accompanying the list.
Source: Portland Press Herald on 2014 Maine gubernatorial race
Jan 25, 2011
Paul LePage:
Stop manufacturer recycling; start cost-benefit analyses
Some of the governor's proposals for environmental reform include:Opening 10 million acres of northern Maine to development.Revise the law so that manufacturers do not have to pay to recycle their consumer products.Reverse a vote taken by the
state Board of Environmental Protection to phase out the use of bisphenol A in children's products.Making Maine's environmental laws conform to less stringent federal standards.Requiring a cost-benefit analysis for all rulemakings.
Relaxing air emissions removal standards, especially for smaller projects.Replacing the BEP with a system of administrative judges who would hear appeals of state Department of Environmental Protection staff decisions.Allowing vertical building
additions on sand dunes whether or not the entire building is on posts.Requiring the DEP to act within 30 days of receiving applications for site development permits.
Source: Portland Press Herald on 2014 Maine gubernatorial race
Jan 25, 2011
Paul LePage:
Vetoed ban on foreign workers in logging industry
Excerpts from legislation: LD 491: An Act Regarding Timber Harvesting on Land Managed by the Division of Parks and Public Lands: This bill prohibits contracting for timber harvesting on land under [public] management if the contractor
uses persons employed under the federal labor certification process for employment of foreign workers in logging for that purpose.Excerpts from veto message: This bill reflects the same policy outlined in LD 284 from the 121st
Legislature; it was vetoed by Governor Baldacci for the same reason: the bill is unconstitutional. I support Maine loggers working Maine lands. However, we must abide by our oaths to uphold the Constitutions of this State and the United States.
For these reasons, I return LD 491 unsigned and vetoed.
Legislative outcome: Rollcall #291, June 17, 2013, veto override failed Senate 18-17 (2/3 required); RC #132 May 28, 2013, passed House 85-54; Veto Sustained.
Source: Maine legislative voting records: LD 491
Jun 14, 2013
Paul LePage:
Land preservation reduces tax revenue
Nearly 20% of our state is conserved from development. This is an area larger than Connecticut. In 1993, about 35,800 acres of land was owned by land trusts. That number has increased by an astonishing 1,270%. Land trusts now control more than half-a-
million acres with an estimated value of over $400 million. Ask your local officials how much land in your community has been taken off the tax rolls. Ask them how much in tax revenue it would be contributing today to help reduce your property taxes.
Source: 2018 Maine State of the State address
Feb 13, 2018
Paul LePage:
FactCheck: Maine EPA never counted buffaloes nor black flies
At the Kennebec County Republican Party Caucus in March 2010, Gubernatorial candidate Paul LePage told a horrifying story of anti-business overreach by Maine's Department of Environmental Protection. "In 1992 I was running a power plant in Eastern
Maine, the DEP comes up and says 'we would like to do a study'," said LePage, speaking about one of his consulting jobs. "So it cost us $50,000 and June, July, and August to count all the buffaloes in Maine. Lo and behold we found one, at the Acadia
Zoo. The next spring they came up & said, 'Now that you've been so successful with the buffalo, we'd like you to count the black flies." It was a well-practiced performance (far from the first time LePage had shared his buffalo story). The only problem
with the story, as with many of LePage's anecdotes, is that it never happened. The DEP had ordered no such studies, or any study of buffalo or black flies ever. There weren't any mandatory buffalo studies, so what change was he actually proposing?
Source: FactCheck 2010 in "As Maine Went," by Mike Tipping, p. 69-70
Mar 1, 2010
Paul LePage:
Outsourced regulatory decisions to make the less harmful
As a candidate, LePage stuck mostly to speaking in general terms about making government more business friendly and getting rid of un-specified harmful regulations. Once he became governor, however,
he addressed his lack of specificity by outsourcing the work of selecting which environmental regulations should be targeted to a group of people who had plenty of ideas: corporate lobbyists.
Source: As Maine Went, by Mike Tipping, p. 70
Jul 14, 2014
Shawn Moody:
Voluntarily adopted eco-friendly practices at Moody's
Moody's was one of the first in our industry to adopt eco-friendly practices--voluntarily--even before the EPA passed rules requiring these practices. I partnered with the Maine Audobon Society for a renewable energy project to finance the installation
of solar panels. Moody's uses waterborne base coats, energy-efficient lighting, recycled sheet metal, and energy-efficient lighting and HVAC systems to ensure we maximize energy efficiency and minimize our impact on the planet.
Source: 2018 Maine Gubernatorial race website ShawnMoody.com
Sep 1, 2018
Zak Ringelstein:
Believes in climate change and protecting our environment
We believe the future of our planet depends on us significantly curbing carbon dioxide emissions and we don't think we are doing nearly enough. The effects of climate change are real and will continue to take a devastating toll on Maine,
the United States, and our planet, including: natural disasters; rising waters; shrinking and moving fish populations, wildfires; spread of disease; water scarcity; loss of wildlife; and agricultural struggles.
Source: 2018 Me. Senate campaign website, RingelsteinForMaine.com
Jun 26, 2018
Janet Mills:
Strengthen our ability to detect and mitigate PFAS
We have dedicated more than $100 million over the past two years to address PFAS--funding environmental testing and remediation, creating a Trust Fund to assist farmers, installing more than 300 drinking water treatment systems, and establishing
temporary standards to protect drinking water. I am asking you to approve an additional $6 million in State and Federal funds to strengthen our ability to detect and mitigate PFAS, including sampling and continued testing of wells, soils and wildlife.
Explanation from federal Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): The per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of chemicals used to make fluoropolymer coatings and products. PFAS persist in the environment and exposure
in people can occur by consuming PFAS-contaminated water or food. Since 1999, CDC scientists have measured PFAS in blood serum, and found PFAS in the serum of nearly all of the people tested. This indicates widespread exposure in the U.S. population.
Source: 2023 State of the State Address to the Maine legislature
Feb 14, 2023
David Costello:
Enact more stringent air and water quality regulations
David will help in further protecting our environment by supporting efforts to:- Enact more stringent air and water quality standards and regulations.
- Preserve more places of natural beauty and ecological importance.
- Enact smarter, more
sustainable development laws and regulations.
- Develop and implement a national Zero Waste plan to reduce, reuse, or eliminate hazardous and solid waste in the U.S.
- Enact stricter land and water conservation laws and regulations.
Source: 2024 Maine Senate campaign website CostelloForSenate.com
Jul 24, 2023
Angus King:
Phase out single-use plastic and foam
Loosen or tighten environmental regulations?Angus King (I): Tighten. Introduced a bill phasing out single-use plastic food containers and other plastic foam products. "We need bold action to tackle this global crisis."
Supported addressing maintenance backlog in national parks.
Demi Kouzounas (R): Likely loosen. "Radical Democrats" support the Green New Deal.
Source: Guides.vote candidate survey on 2024 Maine Senate race
Sep 9, 2024
Ed Crockett:
Legislation to protect wildlife and preserve landscape
Maine's Environment: Maine's natural beauty and pristine ecosystem is what makes our state special.
Ed believes in supporting legislation that protects wildlife, promotes smart renewable energy alternatives, and preserves our landscape to keep Maine, Maine.
Source: 2026 Maine Governor campaign website EdCrockettForMaine.com
Dec 19, 2025
Page last updated: Feb 07, 2026