Energy and Environment

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today chaired a House Interior Appropriations subcommittee hearing focused on marine debris and the impacts debris have on ecosystems and species in our oceans. Pingree currently serves as vice chair of the subcommittee, which is chaired by Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-Minn.). “According to the United Nations, every minute, the equivalent of a… Read more »

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today spoke before the U.S. House of Representatives in support of H.R. 1941, the Coastal Marine Economies Protection Act. The bill seeks to counteract the Trump administration’s plan to drill for oil in most U.S. waters, including new leases in the North Atlantic region encompassing Maine. H.R. 1941 would… Read more »

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and Congressman Charlie Crist (D-Florida) have secured an amendment in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) requiring the Secretary of Defense to account for sea level rise projections and future flood risk when creating climate resiliency guidelines at military facilities. Their amendment comes as a direct response to last month’s… Read more »

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (ME-01) today heralded the investment of $156,000 in USDA Rural Development funds being granted to Maine businesses. The Rural Energy for America (REAP) program assists with renewable energy development and supports Maine’s rural small businesses. 12 grants were awarded in Maine; 7 in the 1st Congressional District. “Small businesses are the cornerstone… Read more »

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Vice Chair of the House Appropriations Interior Subcommittee, today announced that the full House Appropriations Committee has approved the FY2020 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, which increases discretionary funding by $1.73 billion from the 2019 level. The bill lays out a very different vision from the Trump… Read more »

WASHINGTON, DC—Congresswoman Chellie Pingree today welcomed news that the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW) has been awarded $1 million from the Department of the Interior’s (DOI) National Coastal Wetland Conservation Grants program. “I’m excited to see that the Department of the Interior understands just how special Clark Island is—and how important it is to… Read more »

How Farmers Are Fighting Climate Change Farming has always been a risky business. These are especially tough times for farmers—they’re operating on thin margins, trade wars are jeopardizing export markets, a serious mental health and substance abuse crisis is ravaging rural communities, and extreme weather events are becoming more frequent. Farmers are acutely feeling the economic effect… Read more »

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today co-sponsored H.R. 9, the Climate Action Now Act, a new bill that would require the Trump administration to remain in the Paris Climate Agreement and to develop a serious plan for how the United States will address climate change. “The Trump administration’s retreat from the Paris Climate Agreement undermined America’s… Read more »

Golden and Pingree’s legislation helps add iconic coastline to Acadia National Park, allows clammers and wormers to continue to harvest in intertidal zones around the park, and reauthorizes the Acadia National Park Commission. Read more »

Late yesterday, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME) introduced legislation to include the include the York River in the National Park Service’s Wild and Scenic River System. Read more »