The oil industry telling us jobs will be lost and the local economy will be affected is designed to do a couple things: instill fear and divide us as a community. It’s time to stop being manipulated. It’s time to stop acting from fear and be brave enough to do the right thing, which is to strategically move away from fossil fuels as a requirement of a healthy economy. The best place for fossil fuels is in the ground. We can build a thriving economy without oil. The one resource we do have in unlimited quantity is human creativity and determination to find these better ways. Do the brave thing and vote for the Waterfront Protection Ordinance in South Portland and connect with your neighbors who are kicking the fossil fuel habit and building a robust local economy that will have no need of pipelines or tar sands oil.

Lisa Fernandes
Cape Elizabeth