Maine Climate Council Reports

Supporting Reports

Scientific Assessment of Climate Change and Its Effects in Maine

The Maine Climate Council's Scientific and Technical Subcommittee was responsible for delivering a report that summarizes the impacts of climate change in Maine and how it might impact our state in the future. Their final report is part of the State Climate Action Plan. The findings from this report informed the ongoing deliberations of the Maine Climate Council and have aided the Maine Climate Council’s six working groups in the development of their draft recommended strategies. In addition, the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee identified critical scientific information gaps and needs to better understand and forecast potential future climate change impacts in the State.

Maine Climate Science Update 2021 (PDF)
Scientific Assessment of Climate Change and Its Effects in Maine (PDF) -updated September 23, 2020
Read the report online as a flipbook by clicking here (link)

Equity Subcommittee

The Equity Subcommittee has met to discuss Maine Won’t Wait, the state’s four-year climate action plan, and to develop interim recommendations for ensuring that all Mainers can benefit from climate action. In January 2023, the Equity Subcommittee adopted its final recommendations for submission to the Maine Climate Council (PDF).

Strengthening Maine's Clean Energy Economy

The Governor’s Energy Office (GEO) and Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future (GOPIF) are required to develop a plan to identify pathways and strategies for, and pursue, the advancement of Maine’s clean energy economy. While Maine’s 10-year economic plan highlights the opportunity to grow Maine’s clean energy economy with positive impacts reaching across sectors, the strategies outlined in this Clean Energy Economy Transition Plan, in combination with the Maine Climate Council’s Climate Action Plan, will provide specific strategies to leverage Maine’s renewable energy resources and energy efficiency services to recover and grow Maine’s economy.

Strengthening Maine's Clean Energy Economy (PDF), posted November 9, 2020
Maine Economic Development Strategy 2020-2029, a Focus on Talent and Innovation (PDF)

Assessing the Impacts Climate Change May Have on the State’s Economy, Revenues, and Investment Decisions

Eastern Research Group and Synapse Energy Economics produced the following reports analyzing the vulnerability of the State of Maine to the future impacts of climate change; the cost of doing nothing in response to climate change to the State; an emissions analysis of draft greenhouse gas reductions strategies proposed by the Working Groups; and an economic analysis of the draft emissions- and adaptation-related strategies proposed by the Working Groups (below).

The Maine Climate Council will use these reports in their consideration of the draft strategies to refine and select the strategies that will be incorporated into Maine’s Climate Action Plan.

Summary Report (PDF) -updated December 2, 2020
Volume 1: Vulnerability Analysis (PDF) -updated November 20, 2020
Volume 2: Cost of Doing Nothing Analysis (PDF) -updated September 29, 2020
Volume 3: Maine Emissions Analysis, Consolidated Energy Sectors Modeling Results (PDF) -updated November 9, 2020
Volume 4: Economic Analysis of Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies (PDF) -updated December 2, 2020

Clean Transportation Roadmap

To accelerate Maine’s progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transportation, Governor Janet Mills has signed an executive order (PDF) calling for a “clean transportation roadmap” to achieve the state’s climate plan goal of increasing the number of electric vehicles (EVs) on the road in Maine by 2030.

Reducing emissions from transportation – which is the source of more than half of all greenhouse gas emissions in Maine – is a key piece of Maine’s overall effort to curb state emissions by 45% by 2030. The state’s climate action plan, Maine Won’t Wait, estimates Maine needs 219,000 light-duty EVs on the road by 2030 to meet its emissions targets.

The roadmap delivered recommendations to enhance the EV market in Maine, expand charging infrastructure, evaluate effects on electric utilities and the grid, and ensure an equitable and affordable transition to clean transportation for all people in Maine.

The Roadmap was developed by by The Cadmus Group, LLC with support from E2Tech.Work on the clean transportation roadmap was led by the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future and the Governor’s Energy Office, in concert with the Maine Department of Transportation, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, the Efficiency Maine Trust, with the input of a broad range of public and industry stakeholders.

Governor's Forest Carbon Task Force Final Report

The Governor’s Task Force on the Creation of a Forest Carbon Program has released a report with its final recommendations for maximizing carbon storage on Maine’s smaller woodlands. Established by Executive Order on January 13, 2021, the Task Force was charged with developing incentives to encourage forestland management practices that increase carbon storage specifically on woodlands of 10 to 10,000 acres while maintaining harvest levels overall. The 10-month long process involved substantial public input and resulted in a consensus report containing wide-ranging recommendations which, if implemented, will enable Maine’s forests to contribute significantly toward achieving the state’s climate goals.