Maine environmental coalition lays out policy priorities

MAINE PUBLIC • May 12, 2026

More than a dozen environmental groups have laid out their policy priorities for the next five years ahead of a busy election season that will see turnover in the Maine State House and governor's office. The Maine Conservation Alliance's policy guidebook proposes 46 distinct actions across five areas it wants lawmakers and government officials to pursue. Eliza Townsend, conservation policy director at the Appalachian Mountain Club, said, "It isn't that the issues are new, or the strategies to address them are new, but the fact that they are urgent is more evident than ever." The policy guide includes sections on conserving land, water and wildlife, creating healthy and prosperous communities, sovereign Wabanaki nations, clean and affordable energy and changes to government.