Our Impact

MCV has been protecting the environment, democracy, and our climate future since 1986. Your support, action, and love of Maine has fueled major victories to protect air, land, water, wildlife, climate, health, and democracy.

Together, we can keep up the momentum to meet the scale and urgency of our most pressing environmental challenges by electing conservation champions, building powerful coalitions, advancing bold policies, and listening to and partnering with communities most impacted by pollution and the effects of climate change.

Before we shortened our name to Maine Conservation Voters, we were Maine League of Conservation Voters. We used this banner, created by Jon Luoma, to represent our work.

Priorities

At MCV, we know that the health of the planet and our democracy are inextricably linked. We advocate for policies that reflect our goals to advance ambitious climate action, a fair clean energy transition, racial justice, an accessible democracy, and the protection of natural resources.

Highlights of our 2022 wins include working with partners, allies, and supporters to help win new laws that will:

Encourage investments in energy-efficient, affordable, and compact housing;
Stop the practice of filling Maine’s landfills with out-of-state waste;
Raise water quality standards for more than 800 miles of rivers and streams;
Invest in secure and accessible elections; and so much more!

The stories behind these victories include your advocacy, incredible coalition work, and an astounding number of Maine people who took action!

Partnerships

The progress MCV has helped achieve for communities in Maine and the environment has only been possible because of the power of coalitions, partnerships, supporters, and activists. Maintaining healthy, lasting partnerships is an essential part of what we do at MCV. Whether it’s our work with the Environmental Priorities Coalition (EPC), Mainers for Modern Elections, the Wabanaki Alliance, Maine Votes, or Vision for an Equitable Maine, we are listening to allies and taking action together.

Since 2004, we’ve worked with our partners in Maine’s Environmental Priorities Coalition to secure the passage of more than 100 bills to protect Maine’s climate, environment, and health.

Accountability

We provide objective, factual information about the most important climate and environmental legislation being considered and the corresponding voting records of all members of the Maine State Legislature in our annual Environmental Scorecard released each summer. Legislative champions tout their scores and the media use them as a definitive measure of legislator’s environmental credentials.

In 2022, MCV:

Scored legislators on their votes to restore Tribal Sovereignty, secure access to clean drinking water, plan for the electric grid of the future, prevent PFAS contamination on farmland, expand climate education in schools, close the out-of-state waste loophole, upgrade water quality standards on rivers and streams, and secure election security and audits.
Provided stories beyond the votes.
Shared our Environmental Scorecard with thousands of Mainers online, through the mail, and at events across the state.
Issued a special report within the Environmental Scorecard on Governor Mills’ Record on Climate.

Elections

MCV Action Fund, our Political Action Committee, endorses climate and environmental champions for the Maine State Legislature and for Governor. In 2022, MCV Action Fund invested nearly $1 million in elections, reaching over 14 million viewers digitally. We endorsed Governor Mills for re-election, twenty-five candidates for the Maine Senate, and ninety-three candidates for the Maine House. Of our endorsed legislative candidates, 88% in the State Senate and 78% in the State House won their races.