“If we’ve learned any lesson during the last few decades, perhaps the most important is that preservation of our environment is not a partisan challenge: it’s common sense. Our physical health, our social happiness, and our economic well-being will be sustained only by all of us working in partisanship as thoughtful, effective stewards of our natural resources.” This was said not by Al Gore or Barack Obama, but by Ronald Reagan.

So what has changed for the Republican Party? In 2010, the Supreme Court narrowly passed Citizens United, and an ocean of anonymous money was allowed to overwhelm the democratic process. This decision assured that candidates with the largest campaign contributions had the loudest voice. The Koch brothers and other ultra-libertarian billionaires heavily invested in fossil fuels were ecstatic, and, hidden behind benign-sounding think tanks like the Heritage Foundation and the American Legislative Exchange Council, have made sure that any Republican in office who backed a carbon tax or encouraged renewable energy would face a very well-resourced opponent in the primaries.

Fortunately, in Maine we have conscientious Republicans like Sen. Roger Katz and Rep. Matt Pouliot of Augusta who have steadfastly supported reasonable solar energy legislation, and Sen. Tom Saviello of Wilton who is sponsoring a bipartisan solar energy bill, L.D. 1504 — the only piece of legislation standing in the way of an ill-conceived rule by the PUC that would set Maine even further back in achieving energy independence and in attracting the well-paying jobs that solar energy expansion would provide. Please tell your legislators to stand up to the bullying, vote for L.D. 1504, and show the Koch brothers that our voices won’t be drowned out.

Melanie Lanctot

Maine Unitarian Universalist State Advocacy Network

Readfield


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.