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Picture a lame duck waddling and limping around, wondering what to do … take off with two good wings, or just squat and stay put?
The “lame duck” session of Congress is what’s going on now. It lasts only about 40 days, between the November election and the installation of the new president and opening of the new Congress in late January. But lots can get done.
Our Sen. Susan Collins is particularly skilled at including bills she’s been working on into a session-ending “omnibus bill” that is passed by both the House and Senate and signed into law by the president. Several environmental issues have been brewing over the last Congress.
One involves the reform of permitting for major energy transmission improvements. Most involve renewable electricity, important to us all as we transition to heating/cooling our homes and businesses with heat pumps. We’re also early in the transition to electric vehicles for transport. To completely switch, we’ll likely need to more than double electricity production and transmission.
Another issue funds coastline protection against bigger storms and rising sea levels. Members of Congress are proposing the RISEE (Reinvesting In Shoreline Economies and Ecosystems) Act, putting some revenues from offshore wind and other projects toward coastal restoration, conservation or infrastructure.
Finally, the Inflation Reduction Act boosted the efforts of Efficiency Maine and so many other clean energy projects in Maine. Keep that money flowing! All will make this lame duck session fly! So here’s to Sens. Collins and Angus King and Rep. Jared Golden, waving them on their way.
Peter Garrett, Ph.D.
Citizens Climate Lobby
Foundation for Climate Restoration
Winslow
