WASHINGTON, D.C. – This morning, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and Climate Action Task Force, participated in a Climate Business Roundtable hosted by the Natural Resources Council of Maine. The roundtable, which Senator King video-conferenced into from Washington, included local business leaders and energy experts and focused on the opportunities and challenges that climate change presents to businesses in Maine.

“The impact of climate change is not a joke. It’s real and it’s serious, particularly in terms of its impact on Maine’s economy and the iconic parts of our identity as a state,” Senator King said. “The good news is that we are starting to do something about it. The Clean Power Plan is a significant step forward in terms of federal action, but right here in Maine businesses are recognizing that addressing climate change makes sense economically and environmentally. It’s small steps like these, in combination with state and federal action, that will help make the difference in stemming the tide of climate change.”

In his remarks, Senator King once again underscored how climate change is taking a serious toll on Maine’s businesses and economy. As a member of the Climate Action Task Force, he has repeatedly sounded the warning on the long-term dangers that climate change poses to Maine, pointing out that the lobster stock continues to move northward due in search of colder waters. Senator King’s concerns about warming waters are also supported by a recent study by the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, which says that rapidly warming coastal waters in Maine have contributed significantly to the depletion of the Atlantic-cod stock, hurting Maine’s fishing industry.

However, in recognition of that impact, businesses in Maine are also taking steps to reduce their dependency on the fossil fuels driving climate change in an effort to help reduce business costs. Last week, Senator King visited Maine Machine Products Company in South Paris, which, with the assistance of Efficiency Maine and the Thayer Corp., recently completed energy efficiency upgrades that are expected to reduce energy consumption and save the company approximately $100,000 per year. Additionally, last year, Senator King visited Mt. Abram Ski Resort in Greenwood where he surveyed a recently-installed array of solar-electric panels, energy efficient snow guns, a wood-pellet fired boiler system, and other renewable energy upgrades, supported by federal grants, that help reduce both business costs and harmful emissions to the environment.

Senator King also expressed support for the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Power Plan, applauding its flexible approach to reducing carbon emissions by setting the overall goals but delegating authority to the states to decide how to achieve those goals.

The roundtable, entitled, “Opportunities and Challenges for Climate Change: Maine Business Leaders’ Perspectives,” featured a diverse panel of Maine business leaders including: Matt Hancock, the co-owner of Mt. Abram Ski Resort; Luke Livingston, the owner of Baxter Brewing; Sam Merrill, a Senior Practice Leader at GEI Consultants and co-founder of Catalysis Adaptation Partners; John Rooks, the founder of The SOAP Group; Don Perkins, the President and CEO of the Gulf of Maine Research Institute; and Diane Schless, the co-owner of Horizon Energy Residential Services of Maine.

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