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May E-News |
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Included in this edition:
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URGENT: Make Your Voice Heard on Extreme Heat Protections |
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In 2024, OSHA finally took a historic step and announced a proposed federal rule to protect workers from heat injury and illness. This couldn't come at a more critical time — many states have passed laws that ban local governments from enacting heat safety protections for workers, often motivated by political ideology or profits.
Here’s How You Can Help
On June 16, 2025, OSHA will hold a virtual Public Hearing on the Heat Injury and Illness Prevention Rulemaking. This is our opportunity to make sure that the stories, experiences, and expertise of healthcare professionals — people who see firsthand the devastating effects of heat illness — are on the record.
Last year, we worked in coalition to submit over 300 public comments to back a strong federal rule. But we’re not done.
Now, we need your voice. You can sign up to speak for 5 to 20 minutes, and the deadline to register is May 2, 2025. We’ll support you with talking points, and your personal experience will be a powerful reminder of what is at stake. |
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Let us know that you've signed up by emailing info@psrmaine.org. Together, we can help push this rule across the finish line — and ensure that no one has to choose between their health and their job. |
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Congresswoman Pingree Co-Sponsors Bill to Bring us Back from the Brink |
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On April 10th, Rep. Jim McGovern (MA-02) introduced H. Res. 317 which lays out how we can fundamentally reform U.S. nuclear weapons policy and achieve a world free of nuclear weapons.
The resolution is a huge step forward in increasing public awareness and building Congressional support behind this growing movement. By co-sponsoring this bill, Congresswoman Pingree joined other leaders on Capitol Hill who understand that nuclear weapons don’t keep us safe and actually pose the biggest and most immediate threat to humanity.
ACTION: Take 1 minute to call Congresswoman Pingree's office (202.225.6116) and thank her for co-sponsoring HR 317!
We must create a safer world — a world without nuclear weapons — for us and for generations to come. |
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Urge Your U.S. Representative: Stop Spending on Nuclear Weapons |
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Every year, National PSR tracks how much our country spends on nuclear weapons programs — and the numbers are staggering. PSR-LA Co-President Dr. Bob Dodge released the Community Cost Calculator, which reveals how much of your hard-earned tax dollars go toward maintaining and expanding a nuclear arsenal that must never be used.
In Fiscal Year 2025, the U.S. spent more than $110 billion on nuclear weapons programs. That’s $324.43 for every person in the United States. In Maine, taxpayers in one year spent $442,623,572. And this is only a piece of the United States' massive defense spending which is proposed by President Trump to increase to $1 trillion in FY26. This is in addition to the concessions made to increase spending for the Pentagon and the militarization of our southern border in current budget reconciliation negotiations. These are resources that could be directed toward urgent priorities such as housing, clean water, and climate adaptation, not to mention healthcare - particularly as Medicaid is under attack in Congress.
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The Power of Our Collective Voice |
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Despite the dire news coming out of Washington every day, this month reminded us just how powerful we are when we speak with one collective voice.
On April 3, PSR Maine and Alliance members joined MCV members to fill the State House halls for Conservation Lobby Day. Together, with Environmental Priorities Coalition partners, we lobbied legislators to protect Maine people and our communities from toxic PFAS chemicals, to make polluters – not Maine people – pay for the damage they’ve done to the environment, to lower energy bills and protect customers, and to ensure Maine is ready for future severe weather and storms caused by climate change. |
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Clearing the Smoke on Fossil Fuels - The Health Imperative for a Countermarketing Campaign |
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Read this new paper, published by Linda Rudolph, MD, MPH, and Vishnu Laalitha Surapaneni, MD, MPH which calls on the health community to use strategies that have been effective in fighting other health-harming industries and use them against the fossil-fuel industry. A PDF of the article can also be found here. |
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Carbon Majors and the Scientific Case for Climate Liability |
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Extreme heat caused by emissions from 111 fossil fuel companies cost an estimated $28 trillion between 1991 and 2020.
A new study, which was published last week in "Nature," presents a peer-reviewed method for tying emissions to specific climate harms. Their goal is to help hold companies liable for the cost of extreme weather, similar to holding the tobacco industry liable for lung cancer cases or pharmaceutical companies liable for the opioid crisis.
About a third of the total cost was attributed to five companies, which can be tied to more than $9 trillion in climate damage, according to the study.
These are the top-emitting companies and the dollar amount the researchers estimate they are responsible for:
The researchers figured that every 1% of greenhouse gas put into the atmosphere since 1990 has caused $502 billion in damage from heat alone, which doesn't include the costs incurred by other extreme weather such as hurricanes, droughts and floods. |
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Give to PSR Maine |
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Thank you for your generous support of PSR Maine! To mail your contribution to us, please send a check to our mailing address: PSR Maine, 126 Western Ave #1012 Augusta ME 04330 Or point your camera at this QR code and you’ll be taken directly to our secure donor page: |
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