A petition for Maine to take stronger measures to reduce its carbon footprint has been rejected by the state Department of Environmental Protection.
More than 200 Maine voters as well as nearly 200 youth submitted the petition in September.
Curtis Morrison of the climate change advocacy group Our Children’s Trust says Maine is not adequately protecting the rights of Maine youth to a healthy future.
“We’re not just saying do better. We’re saying, no — adopt a prescription that gets us to where we need to be,” he says.
Sarah Lachance of 350Maine says youth are involved because climate change presents a risk to their future.
“It is their public trust right to have the air protected and the water protected and all the rest of the natural resources protected for them to have a fruitful future,” she says.
A spokesman for the Maine DEP says the state attorney general’s office reviewed the petition and found it was not submitted properly. Maine petitioners are considering next steps.
Youth in other states have secured legal rulings regarding climate change in their favor and have multiple cases pending.
This story is made possible by a grant from the Doree Taylor Charitable Foundation.
