5 Months After Veto Of Plan For Maine To Work On Climate, LePage Now Wants To Convene Working Group
Gov. Paul LePage, who has previously referred to global warming as "a scam," and who has said he's not convinced that human activities are a significant contributor to greenhouse gases, is now asking the Department of Environmental Protection and other state agencies to take steps - albeit small ones - to confront it. As Susan Sharon reports, his action comes just five months after he vetoed legislation that would have authorized state agencies and stakeholders to study the effects of climate change on Maine.
In a letter to DEP Commissioner Patty Aho dated Nov. 5, Gov. LePage writes that "natural resources are the cornerstone of the economies" of many of our coastal and inland communities, and "changes in our climate may provide both opportunities and challenges." With this in mind, the governor directs Commissioner Aho to convene an "Environmental and Energy Resources Working Group."
"And the purpose of the group is to, basically, create a summary of ongoing projects, programs and/or activities within the natural resource-based agencies," says Adrienne Bennett, a spokesperson for the governor. She says any successful business owner checks inventory from time to time, and this working group is an outgrowth of that idea.
Many departments are already independently taking steps to deal with climate change. Bennett says this will improve communication between them. "Once the administration creates a summary, we can discuss mechanisms for cross-agency partnerships, increased efficiencies and information sharing." The creation of the working group, says one former DEP staffer, is at odds with the governor's veto of LD 825, a "Resolve, To Study Climate Change and Implement the Recommendations of the Department of Environmental Protection Report on Climate Change."
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