SUN JOURNAL • May 15, 2025
When Hannah Pingree was chosen to lead the state’s new Office of Policy Innovation and the Future in 2019, Gov. Janet Mills’ administration was in a similar position as it is now. The federal government, under President Donald Trump, was slashing programs and working against policies to address climate change — something that has resumed after four years under the Biden administration. But Pingree said the governor’s attitude was reflected in the Maine Climate Council’s first report, titled “Maine Won’t Wait.” “(Mills) said we would act whether or not the federal government was with us,” Pingree said. During a Great Falls Forum discussion Thursday, Pingree said she’s hopeful that Maine can continue to implement and fund its goals around climate resilience, carbon emissions, clean energy and energy efficiency.