The environment is one of the most important pieces of Maine’s economy. The jobs and revenue brought in from fishing and tourism are invaluable and must be protected. If Rep. Bruce Poliquin truly cares about the environment, he should take action to protect it.

H.R. 5031, the Challenges and Prizes for Climate Act will establish a clean energy prize competition to encourage major technological advances with the potential to transform industries and markets. This bill was inspired by the DOE L Prize program designed to spur innovation to replace common incandescent light bulbs – which revolutionized LED light bulb technology. Compared to many bills protecting the environment, H.R. 5031 is not very costly for tax payers, but still has the potential to greatly protect the environment.

Climate change is a collective action dilemma. Without individual, state, federal, and global efforts to protect the environment, we will all suffer the consequences. H.R. 5031 already has bipartisan support. The bill is currently cosponsored by seven Republicans and six Democrats. Bruce Poliquin should be the next member of Congress to co-sponsor this bill. Not only would this be a step toward improving our environment, it would declare Maine as a contributor to climate change solutions, rather than a freeloader.

Graham Bonnell, Lewiston