Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME) at an Event in Portland Last Year..
In an Appropriations Hearing meeting today in Washington, DC, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-First District ME) emphasized the importance of bolstering climate change resilience and supporting tribal co-stewardship in Acadia National Park and other national partks across the county.
In a budget hearing this morning with Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Deb Haaland, Pingree highlighted new funding from the Inflation Reduction Act of Acadia National Park which will be used to implement the “Two Eyed Seeing” model which meaningfully integrates Indigenous Knowledge with western medicine.
“The project will build on 15 years of consultation at Acadia National Park, Saint Croix Island International site and Roosevelt Campobello International Park with the Wabanaki Tribes,” Pingree said during the hearing. “This is just one example of the amazing work the Inflation Reduction funding will support to prepare parks across the country to be resilient to clilmate change.”
In February, the Natioal Park Service announced $195 million for climate restoration and resilience projects over the next decade.
Secretary Haaland said the National Park Service’s budget includes $4 million for additional climate vulnerability studies and $2.5 million for climate related natural resource projects in the national parks.
“As you know, more than one third of coastal parks are at significant risk from sea level rise, coastal emission and storm surge that’s happening on all of our coasts,” Secretary Haaland said.”Both of these invesments could help the Narional Park Service make progress in addressing climate resiliency.”
Pingree also called attention to the severe back-to-back storms Maine endured in recent months, refuting Rep. Ryan Zinke’s (R-Mont) assertion that sea level rise is not due to climate change.
“You can say that there’s some kind of tectonic plate shift going on or this isn’t really real or whatever, but I invite you to come to my communities,” said Pingree. “I thoroughly invite anyone from this committee to come spend some time in my district and the coast of Maine. We’d love to have you. But you’re going to see some tears in the eyes of fishermen and people.”
Congresswoman Pingree is Ranking Member of the House Appopriations Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Subcommittee.
“I wonder why the “Portland Press Herald” isn’t covering this important news,” said the puzzled blogger for the munjoyhillnews.com. “Maybe it’s because so many of its readers do not believe in climate change. Perhaps they are on board with Republican Repesentative Zinke from Montana and out of sinc with most Americans. Election deniers, climate change deniers, abortion deniers; what’s next?”