Since 1990, I have been working as a volunteer to encourage the sustainable use of energy as a way to protect human health and the environment as well as promote economic development in Maine. On Earth Day, April 22, President Bush came to Wells to encourage volunteers to work on the environment and not wait for the government: “[Progress] will happen when people say ‘I’m not going to rely on the government to be the solution to the problem.'” Here are several examples where governmental action is needed now to enable progress in human health, the environment as well as economic development.

Global climate change: According to a government-funded study a decade ago, the flat parts of our southern coast (including Wells, Walker’s Point and Camp Ellis in Saco) are some of the areas in Maine most vulnerable to sea-level rise and storm surges. The town of Wells’ real estate valuation in 1999 was $1.1 billion – much of that is threatened. Throughout Maine, many homeowners have lost their insurance or had their rate s soar due to storm-related claims.

The Bush home on Walker’s Point had a tremendous amount of damage from a storm surge during former President George H.W. Bush’s term of office. What has the current Bush administration done about reducing the threat of human-induced climate change? He withdrew the United States from the international Kyoto Protocol treaty process, refused to raise fuel efficiency standards for cars, refused to require reducing carbon dioxide emissions from power plants, rolled back higher efficiency standards for air conditioners, and promotes building additional coal-fired power plants.

Standards need to be set to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from coal -and oil-fired power plants, vehicles and appliances. The nations that have ratified the Kyoto treaty are benefiting from the efficiency savings, new technology development for their economies and reduced air pollution. Volunteers cannot push back the sea; prevent storm surges or the human health effects from droughts, floods, heat, ice storms and insects.

Mercury: The current administration is refusing to set adequate limits on mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants. Another source for mercury is from vehicle fuels, but in a January 2004 U.S. EPA documentation report, there is a memo stating that the estimate of mercury from vehicle fuels is unknown and probably underestimated, “… can be at least an order of magnitude higher…”At HoltraChem, it took many volunteers years of work and a major lawsuit to start the cleanup of that mercury-laden site. There are cost-effective pollution controls for mercury from power plants. Volunteers cannot set standards, cannot pay for the research to learn what the real mercury emissions are from fuels, or pay for the cleanup of contaminated sites.

Fuel efficiency in vehicles: There have been no changes in U.S. fuel efficiency requirements in almost two decades – and now more and more vehicles on the road are the least efficient and most polluting light-duty vehicles – trucks, vans and SUVs. Sen. Olympia Snowe and the rest of the Maine congressional delegation have tried to raise these standards. The average mileage for the U.S. fleet is decreasing. All studies, even by the National Academy of Sciences, have shown that greater mileage per gallon is possible without sacrificing either safety or performance and without much cost – even for light-duty vehicles. At present, manufacturers are making bigger and less fuel-efficient trucks and cars. Volunteers cannot set new fuel-efficiency standards for vehicles.

Acid rain and restoring Atlantic salmon in Maine’s rivers: There is very good work being done by many volunteers in improving the habitat for the salmon in the Down East rivers in Maine. Millions of taxpayer dollars are also going into the effort. However, salmonids cannot live when the waters are acidic. Governments need to take action to reduce the sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides (the two sources of acid rain) that come from fossil fuel combustion in power plants and vehicles. Volunteers cannot stop acid rain.

Three cost-saving voluntary actions can start to make a difference:

1. Use compact fluorescent light bulbs. These bulbs save money, about $60 over the life of the bulb compared to an incandescent light bulb, because they use so much less electricity for the same amount of light. The State of Maine’s Efficiency Maine program gives you an instant $2 rebate when you buy a bulb. I urge you to buy and install these bulbs in most of your light fixtures. It is good not only for your pocketbook, but also for reducing air pollution, global climate change and acid rain.

2. Combine your trips in your vehicle to reduce your time, costs, fuel, pollution – I have found that if I make one trip and do three or more errands on that trip that I have more time with my family and friends, working in my yard, or reading – plus I save fuel costs and the resulting pollution.

3. Hang your wash. It takes a bit of time, but saves significant kilowatts.

I enjoy my volunteer work but we need the federal government’s action to gain substantial progress.

Pamela Person, of Orland, serves on many local, regional, state and bi-national energy and environmental boards. These are her personal opinions.