Maine bill would make oil companies pay into ‘climate superfund’

Moore and Johnson: Unfunded laws have only theoretical benefits

by Julie Moore and Kerrick Johnson Sent on behalf of ANR Secretary Julie Moore and PSD Commissioner Kerrick JohnsonVermont’s Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA) and Climate Superfund Act (Act 122) have created legal mandates, but – so far – the legislature has not provided the necessary funding for this work. Without action from the legislature in the near term, it is not clear how these laws can be implemented effectively, with potentially cost…

Maine bill would make oil companies pay into ‘climate superfund’

Similar climate superfunds in Vermont and New York, which impose fees on fossil fuel extractors and crude oiler refiners for greenhouse emissions, are being challenged in court by the Trump administration and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

As lawsuits threaten state climate superfunds, officials caution Maine from adopting one now • Maine Morning Star

Passersby observe the floodwaters at Veterans Memorial Park on the banks of the Androscoggin River in Lewiston on Dec. 20, 2023. (Jim Neuger/ Maine Morning Star)Although Maine often prides itself on living out its motto to be a leader, especially with environmental policy, state leaders are encouraging lawmakers to pause efforts to hold fossil fuel companies accountable.  Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Melanie Loyzim acknowl…

Q&A with Dartmouth researchers who found companies caused $28 trillion climate damage

In a recent study, geography professor Justin Mankin and Stanford postdoctoral fellow Christopher Callahan found that the emissions of 111 fossil fuel companies have cost the global economy an estimated $28 trillion. The study, which was published on April 23 in the journal "Nature," uses emissions data from 1991 to 2020 to model the Earth's climate with and without the pollution of major companies. The Dartmouth sat down with Callahan and Manki…

Poll: Westerners oppose public-land giveaways to oil and gas

As Congress prepares to slide fossil-fuel giveaways into the next budget bill, a new eight-state poll shows Westerners oppose giving oil and gas companies free-rein over public lands. Continue reading…