Sen. Luchini earns high score for voting record on the environment and natural resources
AUGUSTA – Sen. Louie Luchini, D-Ellsworth, earned a high score from the Maine Conservation Voters for his votes this session to preserve Maine’s natural resources, promote energy independence and protect the public from harmful chemicals. Maine Conservation Voters (MCV) 2021 Environmental Scorecard tracks how lawmakers voted on seven key proposals debated by the Maine Legislature this past year.
“Here in Hancock County, we understand just how much we rely on our environment for our economy and our way of life,” said Sen. Luchini. “Ensuring that we can continue to rely on it for generations to come takes hard work and investments now. I’m proud of the good work the Legislature accomplished on this front this past session, and I’m honored to have received this recognition.”
Sen. Luchini cosponsored one of the MCV’s priority bills this year to allow Maine to implement an online voter registration system. Forty other states already allow this practice, which saves money and makes registering to vote easier for Maine people while giving election clerks more time to focus on administering elections, rather than processing paperwork. As chair of the Legislature’s Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee, Sen. Luchini works closely on laws to make Maine’s campaign and elections systems more safe, secure and accessible — goals shared by MCV.
Sen. Luchini has a long history of supporting initiatives to promote, protect and preserve Maine’s environment, which supports the health and well-being of Maine people and the economy. This year, Sen. Luchini supported a landmark investment in the Land for Maine’s Future program, a popular program that leverages public-private partnerships to preserve and protect Maine’s natural resources and public lands.
Sen. Luchini also supported legislation to ban the aerial spraying of the toxic chemical known as glyphosate for the purpose of forestry in the Maine woods. Glyphosate, the central ingredient in many herbicides, has been banned in several towns, cities, states and countries over the past few years due to links to cancer. The World Health Organization’s International Agency on the Research of Cancer has declared the chemical “probably carcinogenic to humans.” Although the measure received strong support in both the House and Senate, it failed to become law.
MCV is a nonprofit organization committed to protecting Maine’s environment and democracy. MCV’s Scorecard can be viewed online at www.maineconservation.org/scores.
