Labour unions in Maine, the northernmost state in New England, on Tuesday, created a new Maine Labor Climate Council, saying that they have a lot of ideas on how the state can combat climate change and create clean energy jobs.

At the launch of the council, the unions which partnered with Cornell University to study climate change and have set 11 goals for creating clean-energy jobs in Maine, say Maine has an opportunity to tackle climate change, the economic fallout from the pandemic and income inequality all at once.

The union recommend that Maine build a high-speed rail service to Bangor, install 25,000 public electric vehicle charging stations by 2030, and retrofit half of all residential units around the state with more energy-efficient materials.

They also suggest the installation of solar panels at Maine’s K-12 schools and electrifying school and city buses.

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In his reaction, President of Maine AFL-CIO, Cynthia Phinney said that the recommendations could generate 10,000-to-20,000 jobs per year for the next two decades in Maine, depending on how far the state takes them.

She said, “as we create a roadmap to transition to a planet-sustaining economy, we see the opportunities to create good jobs that help end that economic divide,”. “As the transition will impact what works get done and how it will get done, we see the necessity of bringing labor’s voice to the center of plans to transition.”

The council’s new executive director, Matt Schlobohm said they have already met with members of Governor Janet Mills’ administration, adding that the council’s report dovetails nicely with the goals outlined in the governor’s “Maine Won’t Wait”.

Story was adapted from Maine Public.