NRCM and MCV Join National Campaign Calling for Quick Action
News release
AUGUSTA, ME — On the heels of President Joe Biden’s national economic address in Pittsburgh, the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) and Maine Conservation Voters (MCV) are leading the call for Maine’s Congressional delegation to quickly pass the Build Back Better economic recovery and clean energy plan.
The vision to build back better, including the American Jobs Plan, will support several of the strategies in Maine’s new statewide Climate Action Plan including electric vehicle adoption, investing in better transit, weatherization, and climate resiliency.
The two conservation groups have joined the ACT (Accelerate Clean Transition) Now campaign calling for a $4 trillion investment across the economy to create jobs, improve environmental justice, and address the climate crisis. Composed of climate, environmental, and public health organizations operating in 12 states with 10 million members between them, ACT Now is advocating for a real plan to #BuildBackBetter that promises:
- New economic opportunity and jobs for all;
- Equitable access to those opportunities, particularly in communities that have long borne the brunt of the impacts from a dirty economy; and
- Solutions to the climate crisis facing us and future generations by creating a clean economy that can protect us and grow our economy.
“We don’t have to choose between a thriving economy and a healthy environment. We can have both if we rebuild now with smart investments that supercharge job creation and infrastructure projects while protecting people from dangerous pollution. Ultimately, any recovery or rebuild package should move the country toward achieving a 100% clean economy by 2050 with strong interim targets that tackle the climate crisis and make our communities stronger and more equitable,” said MCV’s Director of Policy & Partnerships Kathleen Meil.
President Biden’s Build Back Better Plan is a once-in-a-century capital investment in America to meet our current infrastructure needs – like rebuilding crumbling roads and bridges and making sure every American has access to broadband and clean water– and make targeted investments in clean energy infrastructure that reduce pollution, jumpstart the deployment of electric vehicles, build out equitable housing and public transportation for all communities, and improve public health. These investments will provide millions of good-paying union jobs for workers across the country and improve the quality of life for all Americans, particularly in the marginalized communities that have borne the brunt of unsustainable development, pollution, and climate disasters.
“It’s now time to turn our attention to building a better, more prosperous, and safer future for our country with major investments to create new jobs by addressing the climate crisis, electrifying transportation, cutting dangerous carbon pollution, and building back better than before,” said NRCM’s Federal Director Emmie Theberge.
In Maine, NRCM and MCV are leading the ACT Now Campaign, encouraging Maine’s federal delegation to support President Biden’s Rebuild America Plan. The #ACTNow campaign also includes the Center for American Progress, Earthjustice, Environment America, Environmental Defense Fund, League of Conservation Voters, Natural Resources Defense Council, National Wildlife Federation, Next Gen America, Sierra Club, Union of Concerned Scientists, US Climate Action Network, National Hispanic Medical Association, and WeAct for Environmental Justice.
