Maine needs strong EPA
The first time I visited Maine was in the early 1970s. I remember seeing the signs along the rivers, “water not safe for swimming,” and on one particularly scenic stretch “water not safe for human contact.” It was hard for me to comprehend that the rivers were so polluted that it was dangerous to even touch the water.
Now, nearly 50 years later, I see people playing and swimming in these same spots. It makes me happy to think at least one thing is going right. We can thank the environmental movement of the 1970s that gave rise to the Environmental Protection Agency for this night-and-day difference.
Sadly, President Donald Trump’s extreme anti-environmental agenda threatens this great achievement. His proposed budget would slash the EPA’s funding by nearly a third.
Our state has one of the highest rates of asthma in the country since we’re downwind from so many major industrial centers. If the EPA once again allows big corporate polluters to pollute as they want, more Maine kids will struggle with breathing problems and more will probably die. It’s been estimated that rolling back clean air regulations will result in 15,000 more deaths a year nationwide.
If there’s one thing we can all agree on, I would hope it is that we all deserve drinkable water, breathable air and a habitable planet. Please join me in calling on our senators to vote down this dirty budget proposal and to move forward with a strong, clean-energy-driven and environmentally sustainable agenda for our country.
Don Marietta
Portland
Front-page good news
Kudos to the Bangor Daily News for featuring two poignant stories of compassion — when a Beach to Beacon runner helped a competitor across the finish line — and perseverance — the story about the oldest long-distance swimmer on the paper’s front page. During these uncertain and angst-ridden times, it is especially important to be made aware of the many good deeds and selfless acts that people are doing all the time around the world.
Thanks to the BDN for the front-page focus on both runner Rob Gomez and Pat Gallant-Charette, the long-distance swimmer, and their inspiring stories.
Sara Hessler
Ellsworth