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Repower Maine Urges Passage of Strong Clean-Energy Bill

September 29, 2009 - PORTLAND -- After watching a video of President Obama speaking at a wind turbine factory in Iowa, after listening to a talk about Maine's potential to prosper in a green economy, Marianne von Nordeck sat down at the bar and wrote a letter to U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe.

A labor organizer from Portland, von Nordeck was attending a "house party" sponsored by Repower Maine, part of a national campaign to pass climate change legislation in Congress by December. Held at the Slainte wine bar, it was one of five similar gatherings held across Maine one evening this month.

These events have one distinct purpose: Help persuade Snowe and U.S. Sen. Susan Collins to support a climate change bill that's being drafted in the Senate.

Eleven people showed up at Slainte. Before the evening ended, organizers passed around cell phones, and nine of the guests left messages with Collins' and Snowe's offices. Attendees filled out 10 postcards urging passage of a strong clean-energy bill. And along with von Nordeck, eight wrote personal letters.

"Phone calls are important and e-mails are important," she said. "But handwritten letters, I think, are the most important form of communication."

Overshadowed by the angry and prolonged debate over health care reform, a sophisticated political campaign to pass a climate change bill in Washington, D.C., is trying to gain traction in Maine. Since late July, Repower Maine has held rallies and news conferences, and encouraged residents to contact Snowe and Collins.

The group is ramping up its efforts now, as world leaders prepare to refocus on climate change.

Obama sought to set the tone last week at the United Nations by stating his support for worldwide action on global warming. But environmental groups want Obama to be more active in passing a climate change bill this fall. That will give the United States more authority, they say, to help persuade developed nations to set emission reduction targets for gases associated with climate change when they meet this December at a U.N. conference in Copenhagen, Denmark.

A climate change bill narrowly passed the U.S. House earlier this year. Advocates are pushing to get legislation through the full Congress prior to the Copenhagen meeting. The focus on health care threatens that timetable, but climate change may gain momentum if a Senate bill is introduced this week, as expected.

Maine is well-positioned to benefit from provisions expected in a final bill, advocates say. Weatherization funds would ease the state's dependence on heating oil and create thousands of jobs buttoning up older homes. Money aimed at promoting renewable energy would help develop wind, tidal and solar power.

Repower Maine is relying heavily on the house party events to create and deliver this message to Snowe and Collins, one phone call, one letter at a time. It's unclear to what degree the campaign is influencing Maine's two senators.

In a statement last week to the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram, Snowe said the world is at "a critical juncture" to develop an agreement to reduce carbon emissions. She applauded Obama's call for action in Copenhagen and said that – just as she has worked to find a bipartisan solution to health reform – she planned to be engaged in climate deliberations in the Senate.

Snowe co-chaired an international task force on climate change and supports cap-and-trade legislation, a market-based plan for utilities and industry to sell carbon emission permits.

"The president's statement is a refreshing signal that the United States is committed to addressing this critical issue, and I look forward to working in the Senate to build towards an international agreement," she wrote.

For her part, Collins said she is concerned about the size and complexity of the House bill, and the many trade-offs inserted to achieve its passage. She'd like the Senate to develop a fresh bill that doesn't expand government. She also wants a bill that uses incentives – not burdens – to help consumers and industries adapt.

"Senator Collins continues to discuss this important topic with constituents who represent a wide variety of views on this legislation," Collins said through a spokesman.

Nationally, opponents to key provisions in the climate bill are speaking out.

The Washington, D.C.-based Competitive Enterprise Institute recently cited Treasury documents that estimate a cap-and-trade plan, in which utilities and industries would acquire permits for the right to emit carbon, would cost businesses $300 billion a year. A group with a grassroots name, Energy Citizens, is holding rallies in some U.S. cities to voice concern for the potential loss of jobs and affordable power. This effort is supported by the American Petroleum Institute.

Organized opposition in Maine, however, has so far been muted.

"We're not holding suppers to oppose cap-and-trade," said Jamie Py, executive director of the Maine Oil Dealers Association.

Along with the Petroleum Marketers Association of America, MODA says that efficient oil heat has a continuing role to play, particularly as biofuels become more available. Money earmarked for renewable energy should extend to upgrading the efficiency of oil-fired equipment, Py said.

But that's not on the agenda of Repower and its allies.

Repower Maine is part of Repower America, a project of The Alliance for Climate Protection. The alliance is a global group founded three years ago by former Vice President Al Gore that claims 2 million members. Its overall goals include a total transition in the United States from carbon-based fuels, such as oil and coal, to renewable energy sources.

Repower Maine is part of a coordinated campaign under way in 23 states, including New Hampshire. It's targeting senators who appear to be on the fence about the climate change bill, the group says. Repower has six paid staff members in Maine. It declined to say how much money it's spending in the state for operations and upcoming media ads.

Working with a 24-member coalition that includes the Natural Resources Council of Maine, Opportunity Maine and the Conservation Law Foundation, the group can tap hundreds of volunteers to contact residents and get out its message.

"At the end of the day," said Andrew Kain, Repower Maine's state director, "this is all about making it personal for people, how it affects their daily lives."

The House climate bill is nearly 1,000 pages long, Kain said. At organizing events, Repower boils down key points and tries to convey how the bill will translate into new jobs and less oil dependency for Maine.

That strategy was evident at the Portland event.

Most of the people who turned out are activists on some level, familiar with the political process. After a few minutes of socializing, organizers directed the crowd to a video screen to watch Obama talk about green-power jobs.

Leading the session was Rep. Diane Russell, D-Portland. Russell is a paid staffer for 1Sky, a national group with a mission similar to Repower America. She lamented the state's loss of manufacturing jobs, then outlined how the climate bill could help Maine transition into a green economy.

"These opportunities are on the table," she said. "But they're only going to be on the table if we take a stand. Everything we care about is going to be determined in the next six to eight weeks."

Then cell phones were passed around. Callers dialed a Repower hotline that connected to Snowe and Collins' offices. Russell also directed the guests to a pile of 1Sky postcards on the bar, and sheets of paper for writing letters.

"Senator Snowe, particularly, has a soft spot for handwritten notes," Russell said.

Repower also held house parties last week on college campuses in Brunswick, Waterville, Orono and Bar Harbor. A dozen or so more are planned over the next several weeks.

These events and the contacts they generate will let Repower and its allies tap into an expanding network of supporters, as the bill advances in Congress. Taken together, they represent thousands of calls, letters and e-mails to Snowe and Collins since July.

As the Portland house party broke up, Russell said she was pleased with the result. A political organizer, Russell measures success in outcomes, the number of people contacting the senators, and maybe writing a letter to the editor or talking to a friend. On that night, 11 more people took action for the cause.

"That's one more person who's not just sitting on the sidelines," she said.

By TUX TURKEL, Staff Writer, Portland Press Herald, September 27, 2009


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