As someone dedicated to protecting the environment and our climate future, the intersection of health, environmental, and legislative action has always been a focal point of my work.

Today, I write to urge the House of Representatives to take a critical step forward and support LD 1215, An Act to End the Sale of Flavored Tobacco. This would be a critical step forward at the intersection of health justice, racial justice, and environmental justice.

And that is why Maine’s Environmental Priorities Coalition came out strongly endorsing this legislation earlier this year. The EPC is an inclusive statewide alliance of 34 conservation, climate action, and public health organizations. Each year, we collectively identify a slate of policy priorities to act on the climate crisis, further environmental justice, protect land, water, and wildlife, and cultivate healthy Maine communities. This endorsement represents 120,000 Mainers, just in our group alone, who want to see this legislation passed.

While there are countless reasons to support this legislation, let’s look at it through the lens of protecting our environment.

A 2022 World Health Organization report lays bare the tobacco industry’s staggering environmental footprint, revealing that its carbon emissions rival a fifth of the annual carbon dioxide emissions of the entire airline industry. Cigarette filters, teeming with microplastics, rank as the second most prevalent form of plastic pollution globally. Here in the U.S., cigarettes mar our landscapes as the most frequently littered item, contaminating our waterways and beaches with toxins and waste.

In our own backyard, Friends of Casco Bay’s data underscores a grim reality: cigarette butts are the leading source of beach trash in Cumberland County. These findings are not mere statistics; they are a call to action to safeguard the natural beauty that defines Maine and ensures the health of our communities.

The environmental harm extends beyond traditional tobacco products. E-cigarettes, a rapidly growing concern, contribute plastics, nicotine salts, heavy metals, and lithium-ion batteries to the pollution mix. Shockingly, in the U.S. alone, young individuals dispose of five disposable vapes every second. These are not just figures; they are a burgeoning environmental crisis, one that LD 1215 can address head-on.

Ending flavored tobacco sales would significantly reduce the influx of toxic waste — chemicals, microplastics, and heavy metals — into our environment. This is not merely a legislative measure; it is an act of conservation and stewardship. LD 1215 would help us preserve the integrity of Maine’s ecosystems for future generations.

Our support for LD 1215 extends beyond environmental stewardship. The commitment to our youth is another significant reason to support this bill. By ending the sale of flavored tobacco products, we can take a stand against the tobacco industry’s tactics to ensnare the next generation into nicotine addiction. Flavored tobacco is not a benign indulgence; it is a calculated marketing strategy to increase profits, while saddling young people with lifelong consequences to their health and well-being.

Our commitment to the environment, to our children, and to the future of Maine compels us to take bold action, and the Environmental Priorities Coalition’s full-hearted endorsement of LD 1215 underscores the bill’s alignment with our collective vision for a healthier, more sustainable Maine. LD 1215 represents an opportunity to lead by example, to demonstrate that environmental conservation and public health are inextricably linked, and to affirm our resolve to protect the natural beauty that defines our state.

I hope our elected officials in Augusta can channel these values into action by supporting LD 1215, for the sake of the environment, our youth, and the health of our communities.

It’s time to clear the air, water and land in Maine, for today and for all tomorrows to come.

Kathleen Meil of Camden is senior director of policy and partnerships for Maine Conservation Voters, where she leads state and federal climate action work and facilitates Maine’s Environmental Priorities Coalition.

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