LD 1870

This bill directs the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to conduct a first-of-its-kind, comprehensive study to assess and document the financial damage to Maine from climate change. This includes the costs and impacts associated with extreme weather caused by climate change on public infrastructure, natural resources, agriculture, economic development, and more. Next year, advocates and lawmakers will use the data from this study to pass legislation that will hold the world’s largest climate polluters, who have accelerated climate change and deliberately misled the public on their role, financially responsible for that damage. Then, the State will reinvest the compensation in Maine communities to make them more resilient to extreme weather events.

Behind the Roll Call 

Championed by Sen. Stacy Brenner, LD 1870 sought to address the impacts of intensifying extreme weather, by calling for the creation of a Maine Climate Superfund, a program to hold the world’s largest climate polluters accountable for the various impacts and damages caused by climate change to the State of Maine and its people. The bill initially proposed collecting compensation from polluters and allocating those funds to infrastructure projects to strengthen Maine’s resilience against worsening extreme weather. Sen. Brenner worked with members of the Environment and Natural Resources committee, including the Chairs, Rep. Vicki Doudera and Sen. Denise Tepler, and the DEP to put forward an amended version of the bill, directing the State of Maine to assess and document the financial impacts of greenhouse gas emissions on our economy, public health, infrastructure, and natural resources. Vermont and New York have both passed climate superfund laws and were consequently sued by the Trump administration to block implementation. This amendment will allow time for these cases to play out in the judicial system and also provide the DEP time to gather the data necessary to move forward with enforcement measures. 

Coalition partners worked closely with the Governor’s office, the Attorney General’s office, and members of the Appropriations and Financial Affairs committee, in particular Reps. Drew Gattine and Ambureen Rana, to allocate the funding necessary to conduct the study. In April, 63 legislators signed on to a letter to the Appropriations Committee, underscoring the importance of the bill and requesting funding for the study. The Committee ultimately appropriated $300,000 to cover the study’s cost. A report on the study’s findings is due back to the Legislature in 2028.  Gov. Mills signed the bill on April 16, 2026.