The I Will Act on Climate Change Bus Rolls Through Maine

An eye catching bus is traveling to twenty-seven states, with the hope of calling attention to the issue of climate change, and President Barack Obama’s initiative to impose limits on carbon pollution from power plants.

The I WIll Act on Climate Change Bus stopped on the Bangor waterfront this morning.

Dylan Voorhees with the Natural Resources Council of Maine was one of several speakers who gathered for the media event to address what they say are the negative impacts of climate change on the environment.

The group urged Senators Susan Collins and Angus King to support the president’s initiative to reduce carbon emissions.

After the presentation to the media Voorhees said there are six power plants in Maine that are already regulated through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, so the coalition of environmental groups that are funding this 27-state bus tour hope to put pressure on Congressional leaders to support the President’s energy plan.

Many people argue that the President's plan would create more stringent regulation, subsidies, and taxation and that would result in major job losses.

Voorhees was asked to respond to that claim.

"A lot of this issue does come down to different regional interests and there certainly are a lot of people to the south of us who have a lot of jobs in the coal industry, or who have a lot of jobs in oil, and that may be true, but that's not true here in Maine," stated Voorhees.

Voorhees went on to say that at the end of the day he wasn't really interested in the national rhetoric and politics, but they are still urging Mainer's to express their concern about the impacts of climate change on the state.

They believe that the jobs created as a result of pursing greener energy alternatives would outweigh the jobs potentially lost.

"I think that there is a false framework that suggests that we need to keep investing in oil and coal to hang on to a couple of jobs," stated Voorhees.

The I Will Act on Climate Change bus tour can be followed here.