Maine Oil Damages: State to Calculate Climate Costs

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection intends to hire a consultant to calculate the financial damage caused to the state by greenhouse gas emissions. The assessment will cover a thirty-year period ending in 2024. This action follows a legislative measure passed earlier this year.

The department issued a request for proposal in October to identify the firm that will conduct the study. The evaluation will measure specific impacts on economic growth, natural resources, and public health. The state aims to determine the total cost of pollution resulting from the sale of fossil fuels.

Sean Mahoney, director of the Conservation Law Foundation Maine advocacy center, called the process a necessary initial step. He stated that the state should model a compensation method on the federal Superfund program. Mahoney explained, 'If you break it, you fix it. If you cause the pollution, you are responsible for the costs in addressing the pollution.'

Legislators previously considered creating a climate superfund in 2025. They delayed the decision after the department requested a review of legal challenges in Vermont and New York. Those states have their own superfund laws that are currently facing litigation.

The selected consultants must submit a draft assessment to the state by July 2027. A final report is due by the end of that same year. The study will provide the data needed for lawmakers to determine how to hold oil companies accountable for climate-related harms.