In light of federal inaction on the impacts of climate change, it is ever more important that state officials step in to ensure that their communities are protected. Lawmakers have a responsibility to take action to reduce human impacts on our planet, and mitigate the effects of climate change as much as possible.

The Gulf of Maine is warming faster than 99 percent of other ocean waters, forcing lobster and cod to search for new waters. Tidal flooding is increasing, and sea levels have risen between 5 and 8 inches in the last hundred years, which places Maine’s many coastal communities in an increasingly precarious position.

In signing L.D. 563, An Act to Help Municipalities Prepare for Sea Level Rise, Gov. Mills has demonstrated her commitment to helping her state prepare for the rising seas, coastal erosion and flooding that are already occurring and will continue if global climate change is not stopped.

And most importantly, the power in this law lies with municipalities to determine what exactly they need and what defenses best fit their situations. The work of Gov. Mills and the Maine Legislature is much appreciated, by her constituents and by the country as a whole.

Carissa Maurin

Biddeford