Shortly after crossing the Piscataqua River, there’s a sign on the passenger side of I-95 that reads: “MAINE, Welcome Home.” I was staring out the window of a Concord Coach bus recently when I caught a quick glimpse of this calming state-sponsored signage. The roadside
reminder felt like both a soothing salve at the end of long travel and a subtle call to our collective responsibilities: if you consider this place home — permanently or temporarily — you better take good care of it.

It’s through the lens of that simple highway sign that one of Maine’s longest-tenured (and often deeply concerned) senators should consider the current budget reconciliation bill. According to the Maine Center for Economic Policy, under the proposed bill the state could lose $400 million annually in federal funding — cuts that would disproportionately harm rural Mainers.

One potential loss stands out: the Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit, or 25C. This bipartisan incentive is a clear success story of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Maine has led the nation in heat pump adoption, already surpassing its goal of 100,000 installations by 2025
and setting a new target of 275,000 by 2027. That progress is partly thanks to the $2,000 home energy credit offered through 25C. Eliminating it now would undermine hard-won momentum toward energy affordability and independence.

The broader clean energy economy in Maine also tells a compelling story. As of 2020, it had surpassed 15,000 total jobs and was valued at $2.1 billion statewide. Mainers have consistently demonstrated clean energy grit through community-scale projects like the 1.5 MW wind turbines on Vinalhaven, the 1 MW solar array in Dover-Foxcroft and the 7.3 MW solar project in Kennebec County. The reconciliation bill currently sitting on Sen. Collins’ desk threatens the funding that makes these types of projects — and Maine’s energy resilience — possible.

Maine’s outdoor economy would also take a hit. Outdoor recreation contributed $3.4 billion to the state economy in 2023 — roughly 3.7% of state GDP — and supported nearly 30,000 jobs. Clean air, water, and access to undisturbed public lands are essential to maintaining this vital part of Maine’s identity and livelihood.

Mainers in the Kennebec Valley, the Highlands and Downeast have reaped substantial benefits from the intersection of clean energy investment and sustainable outdoor economies. According to an article in The Maine Monitor, in Somerset County, home to Kennebec Valley Community College, clean energy jobs have grown by 44% since 2020. In 2023, Aroostook County tourism alone generated 2,260 jobs and over $80 million in local wages.

The “Crown of Maine” tourism bureau tells visitors to “savor life’s simple pleasures amidst the breathtaking beauty of the northern Maine wilderness.” It’s not just branding — it’s real, and it’s at stake.

These are the homes, families and communities that Sen. Collins should be thinking about when voting on a bill that would subsidize the wealthiest Americans to the tune of an estimated $4.8 trillion “fiscal cliff” by 2028, while increasing greenhouse gas emissions by 1 billion tons annually by 2035.

Sen. Collins, along with her more thoughtful Republican colleagues, must decide whether to once again fall in line with party leadership — or instead summon the moxie to act in the best interest of the 1.4 million people who cross the Piscataqua to come home. To her credit, over
the arc of her career, Collins has occasionally broken ranks with her party to do what’s right for Maine. This is one of those moments.

We don’t need more concern. We need courage. In this truly pivotal moment, Sen. Collins should vote “no” on — or demand major changes to — the current budget reconciliation bill.