Maine Toolkit for Action on Saving the Northeast Canyons & Seamounts

We need your help to take action to protect the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts. We ask that you take action in these three ways. Please see details/resources within this document for more information. 

1. Write an op-ed or letter to the editor
   
2. Sign and share our petition
   
3. Contact your member of Congress
   

 (6.5.20
We need your help to take action to protect the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts. We ask that you take action in these three ways. Please see details/resources within this document for more information. 

1. Write an op-ed or letter to the editor
2. Sign and share our petition
3. Contact your member of Congress

Write an Op-Ed or Letter to the Editor
One of the best ways to ensure that the spotlight on saving the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts is to express to your local and regional media that you care. Please consider writing a letter to the editor or an op-ed about what the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts mean to you and why it’s important to protect them. We've included the statements made so far from congressional members as a great starting point to respond to, as well as what local and regional media has said about the decision. We also encourage you to check out this resource for writing an op-ed. To see how other faith leaders have spoken out on the decision made by President  Trump, check out our press release. If you have additional questions, please contact [email protected]

Maine Media Response:
“Trump Didn’t Save Maine’s Fishing Industry” Editorial Board of The Bangor Daily News (6.5.20)
In Maine. Trump rescinds protections on marine national monument off Cape Cod  News Center Maine (6.5.20)
Trump Opens Atlantic Marine Monument To Fishing During Maine Roundtable Maine Public Radio (6.5.20)
Trump opens marine monument to fishermen, promises trade relief Portland Press Herald (6.5.20)
Opinion: Trump Rights a Wrong by Opening Monument to Commercial Fishing Portland Press Herald (6.10.20)
Suit Claims Trump's Decision to Open Up Seamounts Unlawful Maine Public Radio (6.17.20)
Environmental Groups Sue Trump (6.17.20)

What The Maine Delegation Has Said So Far:
Chellie Pingree: Representative, District  1
Link to official statement

June 5, 2020: “President Trump spent much of his roundtable saying he could fix trade policies that have hurt Maine fishermen with the stroke of a pen, but it is his failed trade policies that caused China to retaliate with a lobster tariff. The congressional delegation wrote to him last June to help our fishermen and he did nothing.”
“President Trump had four years to meet with Maine fishermen who have been devastated by his reckless trade and commerce policies, but did not. When Congress approved $300 million in COVID-19 relief money for the fishing industry, the Trump Administration dragged its feet to release that money. Forget the fact that the President doesn’t have explicit legal authority to unilaterally open up a national monument for commercial fishing, this will be tied up in the courts for years. This move will not provide economic benefits to the fishing industry at a time when markets have been lost, the global supply chain in shambles, and boats are tied up at the dock.”

Jared Golden: Representative, District 2
Link to statement
“While I’m glad to hear that the president will also hold a roundtable with representatives of Maine’s fishing industry while he’s in our state, I have to ask: where has he been for the past four years? Lobstermen have been raising the alarm with the White House for some time, and I have been asking for help from the Trump Administration since I came to Congress. Last July, I led the Maine delegation to formally request that the president intervene to block his own administration’s proposed regulations on the lobster fishery. Nearly a year later, we still haven’t received a response or seen any action against these harmful regulations. I genuinely hope the president commits the full power of the presidency to protecting Maine’s lobster industry, and I am ready to work with him — as I have been for some time now — if he will commit to taking action. This debate has been going on throughout his presidency. We are long past the time for roundtables — Maine lobstermen need action.” – Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) (6.4.20)

Members of Maine’s congressional delegation panned the decision. U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat from the 2nd Congressional District, said the policy change would mostly benefit fishermen in Massachusetts. (Bangor Daily news 6/5 article)

Angus King: Senator, Independent
“The President’s decision today to roll back the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument designation won’t improve the prospects for our fishermen a fraction as much as reconsidering the tariffs that have wiped out years of time, toil, and energy invested by our seafood industry in developing new markets around the globe. To make matters worse, while other agricultural producers, who are suffering similar losses as a result of these trade wars, receive significant support – financial and otherwise – Maine’s seafood industry has largely been left to weather this storm alone. If the President truly wants to take action to help Maine lobstermen, I’d urge him to start with those tariffs.” 
Maine Senator Angus King (6.5.20 in News Center Maine)

Susan Collins: Senator, Republican
“I have worked closely with Maine fishermen, lobstermen, and industry leaders on the most pressing issues they face, which include addressing trade barriers with China and the E.U., ensuring the impending right whale regulations are based on sound data and do not impose an unfair burden on Maine’s lobstermen and women, and providing direct financial relief to help offset the economic harm caused by COVID-19. The federal government should direct its focus to resolving these challenges rather than reopening the debate over this national marine monument.” ~ Maine Senator Susan Collins (6.8.20 in Bloomberg Law)


Sign and Share Our Petition
Build momentum! Sign our petition for the faith community on why the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts are so important. And once you’ve signed, share it with others on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram - wherever you show up in your community! If you’re a faith leader, consider adding the petition to your newsletter or website.

Link to share petition: https://creationjustice.salsalabs.org/canyonsandseamounts

Contact Your Member of Congress
Call your members of Congress to tell them why protecting God's marine creation matters to you and your community, and that the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument needs strong conservation protections. Call the Capitol switchboard at: (202) 224-3121 or check out this website to find your representative's websites!

Here's a script you can use when making these calls/emails: 
Hello I'm ______ (name) with ________ (faith community affiliation) in ___ (city). I would like to leave a message. On World Environment Day, President Trump rolled back vital protections for the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument. Faith communities worked hard to win this historic and vital biodiverse, climate resilience sanctuary for God's marine creation. I am appalled. I respectfully request you do what you can to uphold and strengthen national monument conservation protections, including this important marine monument. If you would like to follow up with me for next action steps on this issue, my contact information is __________. Thank you.