1. United States
2. Maine
3. Letter

Maine has been a trailblazer in environmental protection since before the EPA existed. In fact, it was the Androscoggin River and the actions of senator Edmund Muskie of Maine that led to the federal water pollution control action of 1948 and the subsequent Clean Water Act of 1972. These laws, currently enforced by the EPA, provide clean surface water for folks across the US and help us maintain clean water here in Maine and regulate industry to maintain human health and well being. People have a right to clean and and clean water. These rights are the backbone of our economy and culture here in Maine. Given the historical role that Maine has played in environmental regulation and the huge significance such regulations hold for the economy and culture of Maine, it seems especially important for our elected officials to lead support for the EPA and its scientific arm. Recent deregulation announcements from administrator Zeldin place the health and well-being of Mainers at risk. Additional reported layoffs of over one thousand scientists at the EPA make this even worse. The EPA has a mandate to use the best available science to regulate pollutants in the US with a goal of providing safe conditions for all. This will not be possible with layoffs and deregulation. I urge you to take a stand against this dismantling of environmental regulation. Our state and people will suffer the consequences. We are mere decades from a time when the Androscoggin was the most polluted river in the country, ripe with raw sewage and industrial waste. Thanks to the clean water act and the EPA, we now have fish communities in the lower river and the river is healthier than it has been for at least a century. But they can change SO quickly. Please take a stand in support of the EPA and the federal scientific enterprise.