by Don Carrigan
WCSH-6 TV news story
SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — Maine environmental groups say there is growing awareness and concern about the problems of climate change, and say they hope that translates into pressure on the politicians.
The groups held a climate change discussion at Southern Maine Community College on Thursday, to explain how Maine is already feeling the effects of climate shifts. They say warmer ocean water is threatening Maine clams because of the rapidly growing population of green crabs, which feed on the clams.
They also say warmer temperatures are increasing the number of people with asthma, and threatening survival of Maine maple trees. The Sierra Club and other groups say they believe most people now agree there is a problem and want to find solutions.
The primary solution they’re focusing on right now is supporting new EPA standards for power plant emissions – the key to the Obama Administration’s plan to fight climate change. The EPA has proposed tougher restrictions on carbon emissions from all new power plants. The public comment period for those proposed rules is now in process.
The Sierra Club says there will be new standards next year for existing power plants. The federal government says power plants account for 40 percent of the country’s carbon emissions, and are the largest single source of those emissions in the nation.
