1,000 signatures reached
To: The Board of Trustees of the Maine Public Employees Retirement System
Divest the Maine Public Employees Retirement System from Fossil Fuels
Immediately cease new investments by MPERS in the top 200 fossil fuel companies and divest all stock in those companies within five years.
Why is this important?
We the people of Maine take our state motto seriously: "Dirigo" ("I Lead").
From our first greenhouse gas emissions inventory in 1995 to the nation’s first statewide climate change law in 2003, Maine has been a leader in addressing climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Despite good initiatives by both public and private sectors in Maine, atmospheric CO2 and climate change are accelerating. Climate scientists say we have years, not decades, to stabilize CO2 and other greenhouse gases. Climate change is already having an impact on the people and natural resources of Maine, and those effects will only get more severe if we do not take further action now.
The fossil fuel industry is not looking out for our welfare. They consume millions in federal subsidies, spend millions on candidates, lobbying, and climate denial campaigns to protect their interests, all while planning to dig up and burn enough fossil fuels to devastate the planet.
We do not believe the public employees of the state wish to have pension security at the cost of the health and safety of the people of Maine. Fossil fuel investments no longer represent fiduciary responsibility. We believe there are socially responsible investments available to the Public Employees Retirement Fund that will provide more true security to the hard-working public servants of the State of Maine. Let us continue to Lead.