Nov. 21—The Maine Climate Council will announce the state’s new Climate Action Plan on Thursday, offering an ambitious blueprint for how policymakers can accelerate the state’s transition to a clean energy economy and prepare for the impacts of climate change.
The plan, approved by the council at its October meeting, builds on the state’s original 2020 plan, Maine Won’t Wait. But the updated version focuses more than its predecessor on adapting to the changing climate, building and industry energy efficiency, and ensuring that all Mainers benefit from the climate actions outlined in the plan.
The plan doesn’t include many specific cost estimates, but does note that the cost of doing nothing would be much higher. It cites the $90 million in damage to public infrastructure caused by last winter’s back-to-back storms, the type of extreme weather events that are expected to become more common and intense due to climate change.
The report identifies potential sources of funding to implement the recommendations, including the state budget, federal grants from the Inflation Reduction Act, private investments in clean energy projects, green bonds to finance climate-related projects and even the implementation of a carbon pricing mechanism.
The plan now goes to Governor Janet Mills, who appointed the first Maine Climate Council and will be on hand Thursday for the report’s release, and the Legislature, which will likely consider some of these proposals during the upcoming legislative session.
These are the key takeaways from Maine Won’t Wait 2.0.
— Maine’s ambitious emissions reduction goals are reaffirmed.
The updated plan outlines how the state can help prevent the Earth from overheating by adhering to its original greenhouse gas targets: reducing CO2 emissions by 45% from 1990 levels by 2030 and by 80% by 2050, and achieve carbon neutrality by 2045.
– The plan prioritizes the rapid expansion of renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind and hydropower, with the aim of reducing the state’s dependence on the combustion of fossil fuels that produce heat-trapping greenhouse gases.
It also maintains the state’s previous goal of generating 80% electricity from renewable sources by 2030. Maine is now at 55%.
– Maine will continue to promote widespread adoption of electric vehicles, including cars, trucks and buses, to reduce transportation-related emissions. But the shift to electrified transportation would happen at a slower pace than set in the first climate action plan.
The state’s new goal calls for 150,000 light-duty electric vehicles and 3,000 heavy-duty electric vehicles on the road by 2030. The 2020 plan called for 219,000 light-duty and 5,000 heavy-duty electric vehicles, but the state has fallen short of these goals. Maine currently has 17,492 electric vehicles.
To reduce ‘range anxiety’ – the worry that there isn’t enough charging capacity to support long journeys – the plan calls for creating 700 government-funded fast-charging ports for electric vehicles by 2028. Maine now has 273.
— The new plan emphasizes efficiency measures in buildings and industries to reduce energy consumption. It encourages clean heating and cooling methods, such as a heat pump system, and the introduction of new building codes and efficiency standards.
New goals include reducing energy demand for commercial buildings by 10% by 2030, improving the efficiency of industrial processes by 1% per year by 2030 and weatherproofing 35,000 homes by 2030. Maine has up to 11,472 weathered so far.
– While the plan calls for action to slow climate change, it also emphasizes the need to prepare for its inevitable consequences, including sea level rise, extreme weather events and coastal erosion, and the need to protect critical infrastructure, natural resources and protect communities.
It includes strategies to protect Maine’s coastal communities and working waterfront from sea level rise and storm surge, such as improving infrastructure, restoring coastal ecosystems, using incentives and expedited permitting, and new flood control measures.
— The plan promotes carbon sequestration as part of the solution by recognizing the key role of Maine’s forests, wetlands and eel grasslands in sequestering carbon and keeping the greenhouse gas out of the atmosphere. It promotes the acquisition, protection and restoration of such carbon sinks.
– Equality and social justice will be included in state responses to climate change. The plan emphasizes the importance of ensuring that the benefits of climate action are shared by all communities in Maine and addresses the disproportionate impact of climate change on marginalized communities.
The plan includes a number of goals to be achieved by 2030, including 40,000 heat pumps installed in low-income households, 10,000 low- to middle-income homes made weatherproof and the creation of 1,500 energy-efficient, affordable homes. It also calls for EV rebates, rooftop solar installations or community solar projects and resilience grants to be targeted to less affluent households and communities.
— The plan identifies opportunities to create green jobs to boost economic growth through investments in clean energy, energy efficiency and climate resilience.
It sets a new goal of creating 30,000 clean energy jobs by 2030. Maine now has 15,557.
– More forests, wetlands and working farms would be protected from development to offset the state’s carbon emissions, provide wildlife habitat and clean water, and help the tourism and natural resources industries. Maine has had difficulty financing land acquisition at the rate desired by the municipality.
The plan maintains the 2020 goal of conserving 30% of Maine’s land by 2030. Just over 22.2% of land in Maine is now protected. Maine now conserves about 50,000 acres per year, but would need to protect another 250,000 acres per year if it wants to reach that goal.
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