Maine Climate Action Plan

The Maine Climate Action Plan is a set of 54 actions that may enable Maine to achieve its emissions targets for reductions in the state's greenhouse gas emissions. The plan, developed by the state’s Department of Environmental Protection, was released on December 1, 2004.

These targets follow the New England Governors’ and Eastern Canadian Premiers’ climate agreement, and will reduce Maine’s greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2010 and to 10% below those levels in 2020. Both the targets and the development of the plan are a result of a law enacted by Maine last year. Maine’s plan proposes increasing sequestration of carbon through new forestry practices, creating incentives for more efficient vehicles, and trading emission reduction credits. In assessing the costs of the plan, the Department of Environmental Protection predicted that almost half of the actions would reduce emissions at little or no cost. ¹