Sarah Woodbury • March 2026
We are little more than a month away from the end of this year’s legislative session, and the next few weeks will be decisive for our 2026 priorities.
From testifying at public hearings, to rally days, to presenting petition signatures and messages to lawmakers, the MCV team and our partners are building support with legislators on both sides of the aisle for policies that advance clean energy, act on climate, and create a Maine where people and nature can thrive.
As we enter this last stretch, we wanted to provide an update on our priorities and say THANK YOU for the many ways you are showing up to support our work this session. What we do is not possible without the support of you and other members across the state. Â
Here’s the latest from the State House. Stay tuned in the next few weeks for more on how you can help get these critical bills across the finish line:
Environment
Fund Land for Maine’s Future
The Land for Maine’s Future (LMF) program is Maine’s most successful land conservation program. For nearly forty years, LMF has protected Maine’s most cherished places for future generations to enjoy, ensuring public access to miles of trail and coastline and protecting working forest, farms, and waterfronts.
Since its creation nearly forty years ago, LMF has been funded primarily through one-time bond issuances, leaving the program without consistent funding and vulnerable to partisan politics. This year, we have a real chance to secure long-term, annual funding for LMF, as the Governor has appropriated yearly funding for LMF in her short-term spending proposal.Â
With federal pressure to privatize and sell off public lands, it is now more important than ever that Maine protect the places that define the unique environmental character of our beloved state.Â
TAKE ACTION:Â Join us for a walk at Scarborough Beach on Sunday, March 29, in support of the LMF program!
Protecting Maine people and the environment from data centers
Across the country, communities and people are feeling the impacts of the rapid expansion of large-scale AI data centers. They’re driving up electricity bills, depleting local water sources, damaging ecosystems, and creating incessant noise.Â
With LD 307, Maine has a real chance to protect its people and the environment from these impacts before large-scale data centers get here. It would create an advisory council to study data centers and recommend targeted regulations, like requiring companies to finance grid updates or pay water usage fees, to mitigate the costs to communities while still reaping potential benefits, like job creation. It would also institute a temporary, targeted pause on large-scale data center developments to allow the council time to conduct its work.
This bill was voted out of committee and could reach the House for a full floor vote as soon as next week!
TAKE ACTION:Â Sign our petition to support LD 307!
Provide critical funding for Maine lakes & farms
Every year in Maine, an estimated $10 to $17 million in bottle deposits go unclaimed. Currently, those funds remain with beverage companies and do not serve the public good.
LD 2141 would annually direct a portion of Maine’s unclaimed beverage container deposits toward lake restoration and farmland protection. It would support programming to directly improve our lake water quality and protect our farmland for generations to come.
This bill was voted out of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee just last week and will head to the Senate for a full floor vote shortly.
LEARN MORE: Read the EPC factsheet to understand the pressing need for farmland conservation and lake health restoration.
Democracy & Equity
Wabanaki Sovereignty
The Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act of 1980 excluded the Wabanaki Nations in Maine from the federal laws benefiting the 570 other federally-recognized tribes across the country, stripping the Wabanaki of their right to self-determination. A bipartisan task force recommended changes to restore the Nations’ inherent rights, including rights to regulate hunting, fishing, natural resources, and land use on tribal lands, as allowed by federal law.Â
In its current form, LD 785 would direct the state to adopt all recommendations from the bipartisan task force and honor the Wabanaki Nations status as federally recognized tribes.
However, following talks with tribal leaders, Governor Mills has proposed amending the bill to drastically reduce its scope. It would institute much needed sales and income tax exemptions for the Wabanaki Nations but stops short of making any changes to the Maine Indian Settlement Claims Act, which has been historically used to restrict the sovereignty of the Wabanaki Nations and their access to the benefits all other federally-recognized tribes receive.
LEARN MORE: Read the EPC factsheet on Wabanaki Sovereignty.
Expand Ranked Choice Voting
LD 1666 expands Ranked Choice Voting to state legislative races and the Governor’s race. It passed both the House and Senate last year, but lawmakers recalled the bill from Governor Mills’ desk before a planned veto, citing an advisory opinion from the Maine Supreme Judicial Court calling ranked-choice voting unconstitutional in gubernatorial elections.Â
The Maine Legislature has asked the Maine Supreme Judicial Court to reevaluate the constitutionality of ranked-choice voting, with the hope that Governor Mills will sign the bill into law with a favorable opinion. The court is expected to make an assessment in the next few weeks.
LEARN MORE: Read the full bill text HERE.
Climate & Clean Energy
A Maine Climate Superfund
Late last week, the Environment and Natural Resources Committee amended LD 1870 to focus specifically on determining the financial costs of climate pollution to Maine.
The goal is to tackle the implementation of the Maine Climate Superfund in two steps: first, this year, LD 1870 will determine the costs of climate pollution to Maine. Then, next year, we’d hold the largest emitters of that pollution financially responsible for the damage they’ve caused to Maine, reinvesting the compensation in climate resilience and adaptation projects across the state.
This two-pronged approach allows Maine to begin the important process of holding climate polluters accountable while also saving the state money as lawmakers negotiate a tight budget.Â
TAKE ACTION:Â Tell your lawmaker to support a Maine Climate Superfund!
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Energy Fairness for all Mainers
The Energy Fairness Act looks a little different from when it was first introduced last session, but it does two important things:
- It requires the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to consider the affordability of electricity for Maine people in its rate-making process.
- It requires the PUC to disseminate important credits and collections data from CMP and Versant on customer debt, disconnections, and more to increase transparency and accountability for utility companies.
We’re thrilled to share that LD 1949 cleared major legislative hurdles in both the House and Senate and is likely to be enacted next week and sent to the Governor’s desk for signature. 🎉🎉🎉
This bill is narrower in scope than the original version, but it lays the groundwork for a better, fairer energy system for all Mainers and positions MCV and our partners to expand on this work in future legislative sessions.
TAKE ACTION:Â Tell your lawmaker to support the Energy Fairness Act!
Expanding access to clean, affordable solar energy
LD 1730 would change Maine rules to allow residents to install and use plug-in solar panels. Also known as “balcony solar,” these types of solar panels are widely used around the world and provide a cost-effective alternative to rooftop solar for people who live in apartments, condos, or don’t own their home.
Maine has some of the highest electricity bills in all of New England, and plug-in solar is a viable way to lower bills and increase access to clean energy at no cost to the state or other ratepayers.
This bill was successfully voted out of committee and is going through a language review. It will be heading to the House and Senate for floor votes soon!
TAKE ACTION: Watch, like, and share this fun infomercial about LD 1730 that we recently put together.Â
