Portland Press Herald news story
Environmentalists held a noontime rally in Monument Square on Thursday to call for the passage of clean-energy legislation that’s pending in the U.S. Senate. The event, attended by a small crowd of activists carrying signs, was organized by a coalition of more than 20 environmental groups concerned about climate change. Speakers at the noon rally included elected officials from the state Legislature and Portland City Council. “If our senators can hold hearings on steroids in baseball, then they damn sure should take this issue seriously,” said Rep. David Van Wie, D-New Gloucester. “This isn’t a game. This is our planet.” The American Clean Energy and Security Act passed in the House of Representatives in June and is pending in the Senate. Proponents claim that the bill would create jobs, reduce our energy costs and dependence on fossil fuels, and slow climate change. Critics say that it’s nothing more than a cap-and-trade system that actually will damage the economy and do little to help the climate.
