BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 28, 2022
An amendment to the Maine constitution that would affirm and protect our right to a clean and healthy environment is under discussion in the Legislature. LD 489, the Pine Tree Amendment, would help assure longer-term thinking by initiating a process to amend the Maine constitution to provide that the state ”shall conserve” our natural resources including air, water, land and ecosystems “for the benefit of all people,” including future generations. I worked in underground mines in Appalachian coal country. I’ve seen the devastation — acid mine drainage, mountains torn apart, water resources devastated, economic prospects diminished, health compromised. As an attorney and an engineer and as a past chair of the Maine Board of Environmental Protection, I’ve observed the results of poor projects. This poverty of vision usually arises out of a narrow focus on short-term economics. The Pine Tree Amendment would help assure longer-term thinking. ~ Ernie Hilton