Q: What stood out to you about this session compared to previous ones?
All of the big issues were taken up late in the session, which ran later than any session in my long history of lobbying at the State House. For instance, our biggest priority – to responsibly advance Maine-made offshore wind (LD 1895) – became law on July 27th! I also want to highlight that there are many new legislators this session who care passionately about climate and clean energy, which is wonderful.
Q: What were some of the highlights of the session?
Winning the offshore wind bill was the major highlight. With that bill we had the chance to create a new, powerful, intersectional coalition that will continue to move this work forward in a way that centers equity. Our work with labor allies helped establish strong environmental and labor standards for building out offshore wind.
And, watching the Environment and Natural Resources Committee vote unanimously to support the priority bill to protect endangered species habitat (LD 1246) was wonderful. The committee also united around updating Maine’s beloved Bottle bill (LD 1909).
Q: What were some of the biggest challenges of the session?
We had to play a fair amount of defense this year. It was a lot of work to beat back the fossil fuel protection bill (LD 894) and pass the bill to protect the future of solar in Maine as well as Maine ratepayers (LD 1986) instead of LD 1347, which would have been the most aggressive rollback of solar policy in the country.
Q: Is there any unfinished business from this session that you’re looking forward to working on in the next session?
Tribal sovereignty is the biggest thing. Disappointingly, the legislature failed to override the Governor’s veto of LD 2004, the bill to give the Wabanaki Nations access to federal laws that benefit them – but the measure had broad bipartisan support in the legislature and incredible grassroots support. The omnibus bill to restore Wabanaki sovereignty (LD 2007) has been carried over to the next session, and momentum is definitely growing to get that passed.
There are also many good bills that passed that still need to be funded – including three Environmental Priorities Coalition bills: to advance environmental justice for all Maine people (LD 1621), to send a recreational Trails Bond to the voters (LD 1156), and to secure the future of Maine’s forests by establishing a Forest Advisory Board (LD 993). The outdoor education for all bill (LD 1817), the bill to create a Maine Climate Corps (LD 142) and bills to help low-income Mainers with wells address PFAS (LD 1006 and LD 1488) also await funding. It’s one thing to pass bills, but if they are passed without funding, those are hollow victories. These funding decisions will happen in April of next year.
Q: You spent a lot of late nights into early mornings at the State House this session. What are some of the best (and worst) parts about spending so much time at the State House after dark?
The most fun part is the true camaraderie that builds between the people in the building after 10:00 pm. One night in the Appropriations Committee, for instance, we spent a lot of time being wowed by the six-year-old whiz kid of a colleague while waiting a long time for the committee to convene. He taught me, and then beat me at the geography game Worldle! Conversations can also take interesting turns at that late hour. We made up a lot of puns out of some of the bill titles, I’ll just say that. Lobbyists have well-developed senses of humor.
Of course, it’s challenging to work around the clock on those busy days. Many hours of work by passionate lawmakers and advocates go into each piece of legislation. But once we see bills passed that will make a difference for our environment, communities, and clean energy future, it is worth it.
