Voorhees - SELC

1. Dylan Voorhees
Natural Resources Council of Maine
November 20, 2015

2. Natural Resources Council of Maine
Protecting the Nature of Maine
Who We Are
• Founded in 1959
• Independent, not-for-profit, member-supported
• More than 16,000 supporters across Maine and beyond
Our mission:
“Protect, restore, and
conserve Maine’s
environment, now
and for future
generations”

3. • Natural resource-based
economy & heritage 
environmental values
• Diversity of climate
impacts from huge
coasts & fisheries to big
forests and mountains
• Lots of renewable
energy history and
potential
Why Maine is Interesting

4. Why Maine Matters
• Obama state with crazy
right-wing governor
• Moderate, centrist U.S.
Senators since 1990’s
• Experience w/ RGGI
shows powerful example
of carbon ↓, economy
↑, and energy costs ↓

5. $0
$10
$20
$30
$40
$50
$60
0.0
5.0
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15.0
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30.0
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
StateGDP(billions)
CarbonEmissions(metrictonsCO2)
Maine's Carbon Emissions Fall While
GDP Rises
Carbon emissions State GDP

6. RGGI & Clean Power Plan

7. RGGI & Clean Power Plan: Emissions

8. RGGI & Clean Power Plan: Economics

9. RGGI & the Clean Power Plan: Politics

10. • 3 years of coordinated efforts
• National & in-state partnerships
• Specific goals & targets, metrics
• Close collaboration & joint strategic
planning
• Delivering a steady, loud drumbeat
• Collins is sick of us
Coordinated Campaign

11. TraditionalTactics

12. TraditionalTactics

13. Unique Approaches: RGGI

14. Unique Approaches: Lobsters

15. Unique Approaches: Businesses

16. Angus King
• Former Governor w/
significant clean energy
business experience.
• 2013: Not sure what to
focus on as non-partisan
Senator
• 2014: Recognizing CPP as
important, engaging on
climate science
• 2015: Outspoken climate
champion, vocal CPP
support

20. Susan Collins
• One of only Senate Rs
who is clear &
comfortable w climate
science, threats.
• Supports renewables,
some climate bills.
• Mixed record; hyper-
sensitive re enviro
record.
• Constantly triangulating.

21. Results: King
• Strong champion on climate crisis
• Strong supporter of Clean Power Plan
• Wants to do more, from wood pellets to
smart grid
• Trying to make climate science less partisan
• Eager to engage with NRCM, business
leaders, key constituencies
• Will he move Collins further?

22. • One of 3 R votes for Clean Power Plan
• “Supports right of EPA to regulate carbon”
• Is moving other climate bills – more
realistic, more likely to earn thanks
• Hung up on biomass and protecting forest
products industry
• Is sick of meetings with us, grasstops on the
issue – until we start thanking her more
Results: Collins

23. Results: Governor

24. www.nrcm.org dylan@nrcm.org