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Maine, New York, and Oregon Join Growing List of States Making Major Clean Energy and Climate Progress

Jun 19, 2019

While the Trump Administration is currently touting their latest rollback of climate and clean air regulations, states are continuing this week to take up the mantle and make significant and substantive progress on clean energy policies that will reduce carbon emissions, improve air quality and build a clean energy economy that works for everyone.

Just last week we declared 2019 “the most productive state legislative sessions for clean energy and climate action in history.” We’re running out of superlatives because this week three more states made historic climate progress as part of the Clean Energy for All campaign:

  • The Maine Legislature on Tuesday passed three critical bills that will move the state to 100% clean energy by 2050, reduce the state’s GHG emissions 80% by 2050,  and boost investment in and access to solar power. These bills were top priorities of our partner, Maine Conservation Voters, and are on their way to Gov. Janet Mills for her expected signature. The Mills administration has prioritized accelerating Maine’s clean energy economy since taking office in January.
  • New York LCV joined other state environmental organizations in cheering the passage of Senate Bill 6599 early Wednesday morning as it passed the New York State Senate. This bill sets one of the most ambitious climate policies in the country by putting the state on the path to 100% clean power by 2040, reducing economy-wide GHG emissions 85% by 2050, and investing in frontline communities who are hit first and worst with climate pollution. The state Assembly is expected to vote on House Bill 8429 before session ends on Thursday.
  • Our partner in Oregon, OLCV, is calling this “the biggest week in our state’s climate history” with the expected passage economy-wide carbon legislation—the Clean Energy Jobs bill. (The bill passed the OR House earlier this week and is expected to pass the Senate this week).

…and these are just the three latest examples of states making clean energy progress. In total, 12 states – Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Maryland, Maine, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, South Carolina, and Washington – in the Conservation Voters Movement have enacted major Clean Energy for All priorities so far in 2019. Last week, we released new fact sheet that summarized (it’s already out of date!) all of the clean energy progress that has been made in 2019 alone and our new video on Clean Energy for All. For a deeper dive, you can read our report on the first 100 days of the governors who made commitments to 100% clean energy.