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Maine aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045

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Maine aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045

Maine Gov. Janet Mills has signed an executive order to further push the northeastern state toward a greener economy.

Specifically, Mills, a Democrat, directed state officials to initiate policies and programs to reach a carbon-neutral economy by 2045. The move follows Maine's recent passage of legislation to become the sixth state in the nation committing itself to a 100% renewable or "clean" energy target. That legislation was signed by Mills in June and mandates that 80% of the state's electricity come from renewable energy by 2030 before reaching 100% by 2050.

In her executive order, the governor instructed the Maine Climate Council, which is charged with crafting policy plans and timetables to achieve the state's renewable and emissions reduction goals, to recommend measures that both promote the state economy and neutralize emissions. That council is scheduled to hold its first meeting Sept. 26 and must recommend practicable measures by Dec. 1, 2020.

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection will be responsible for setting up a framework and tracking progress toward the goal, according to the executive order.

Saying that "Maine won't wait," Mills explained that her state already is witnessing the effects of climate change. Maine is highly dependent on its natural resources, from its lobster industry and "fish-rich seas" to its agricultural sector under threat of "erratic frosts" and "hotter and drier summers," the executive order stated. The Gulf of Maine is one of the fastest-warming sections of the planet's oceans, according to the governor.

"The climate crisis is a threat to our environment, to our economy, to our very identity as Maine people — and our efforts today and tomorrow will help create a better future for our children and grandchildren and help build a stronger, more diverse economy for our state," Mills said. The governor announced the executive order Sept. 23 at the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York City, where world leaders have convened this week to discuss the climate crisis.

Some of the methods by which the order suggested the state could reach carbon neutrality include clean energy development, energy efficiency, carbon sequestration and offshore wind. "These investments will not impair our economy; they will improve it," Mills said.

In January, Mills was sworn in as the Pine Tree state's first female governor. She previously served as Maine's first female attorney general.