Final Push for LD 1708! Contact Governor Mills in support of the Consumer-Owned Utility! 

Yesterday the House voted 76-62 to pass LD 1708! Today, the bill will likely move to the senate, and by the time you read this, the senate may have already voted on the bill!
Contact the Governor and urge her to support the bill: you can call her office: 207-287-3531 and choose option 4 to leave a message for Governor Mills.

Thank you to all who came out to lobby these past weeks, and a big shout out to Maine Youth for Climate Justice and all the young folks who participated in last week’s COU Youth Day of Action at the Statehouse. It was a powerful showing of youth voices speaking up in support of LD 1708. 

You can learn more about LD 1708 and the push for a consumer-owned utility on Our Power’s website. 

Final push for LD 99 to divest MainePERS from fossil fuels!

LD 99 has passed the House and Senate and now moves to the Governor’s desk. If this bill becomes law, Maine will be the first state where the divestment from fossil fuels is ordered by a state legislature. 

Contact the Governor TODAY and urge her to sign LD 99 into law: you can call her office: 207-287-3531 and choose option 4 to leave a message for Governor Mills.

Take Action to Stop Line 3! 

With the cancelation of the Keystone XL pipeline, all eyes are on Line 3 in Minnesota. As part of the Treaty People Gathering, Nonviolent actions have taken place along the Line 3, Water Protectors took action at several sites along the pipeline in the largest act of civil disobedience yet to stop Line 3. The Gathering, which began earlier this month, has brought together over 2,000 people organized by Indigenous-led groups, communities of faith, and climate justice organizations. Check out Stop Line 3 and MN350 to learn more about how you can get involved. Be sure to sign and share the petition to demand President Biden cancel this project, and learn more about how to defund Line 3 through divestment. You can also donate in support of frontline organizers and actions through Treaty People Gathering and the Giniw Collective.

Maine Climate Education Summit 
As a founding member of Maine Climate Action Now (MCAN) 350 Maine took part in the Maine Environmental Education Association’s Climate Education Summit this month. MCAN has an intergenerational working group creating a Climate Justice Crash Course and has a team designing a Maine Climate Science Resource Library. Cassie Cain, our Youth Engagement Coordinator, presented the outline of these two resources during the Summit. We will keep you all updated as to our progress with this work in MCAN.

Funding Support for MYCJ
Maine Youth for Climate Justice (MYCJ), with 350 Maine, has successfully applied for five grants from foundations over the past year. They have received funding from all five, the last two arriving today! So uplifting to have their amazing youth activism acknowledged and supported!
Congratulations MYCJ!

Maine Youth for Climate Justice Member Support Fellowship  

Maine Youth for Climate Justice (MYCJ) is seeking a youth fellow who will provide organizing support to the coalition’s Outreach, New Member Support, and High School Support Working Groups from July - December 2021 (with possibility for extension depending on funding). Applications are due by 11:59pm on Wednesday June 23rd. 

Please share with young folks in your networks! 

Did you hear? 

• Last week the House and Senate approved LD 99, a landmark bill that would make Maine the first state to pass legislation requiring divestment from fossil fuels. Check out this article in the Portland Press Herald featuring 350 Maine’s Youth Engagement Coordinator Cassie Cain and the Boston Globe’s coverage. And be sure to check out this article about the domino effect this legislation could have across the nation!
• Yesterday, the House voted in support of LD 1708, An Act to Create the Pine Tree Power Company. Check out this Op Ed in support of the bill and the Portland Press Herald’s Editorial Board opinion piece.

• Last week, Maine Youth for Climate Justice held a Youth Day of Action at the statehouse in support of LD 1708 and the consumer-owned utility. Youth spoke with their representatives and held a press conference highlighting their reasons for supporting the consumer-owned utility. You can read about the event and press conference here and watch news coverage here.
• The Maine Clean Energy and Sustainability Accelerator, LD 1659, passed the house this week! It is set up to be funded by the National Clean Energy Accelerator which President Biden has included in his FY 2022 budget as a line item of$27 billion, you can read more about it here, plus check out this article highlighting green bank models around the country.