“Methane makes up about 10 percent of greenhouse-gas emissions, but it is 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide and highly destructive to the climate. … I have long been a supporter of efforts to reduce pollution, and I will continue to advance policies in the Senate to tackle climate change,” Sen. Susan Collins said recently.

I thank Sen. Collins for her work on the climate crisis and reducing methane emissions. By continuing to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, as she has for the past decades, Sen. Collins can help protect critical permafrost and reduce additional methane pollution.

It is estimated that 10 to 20 pounds of carbon per square foot reside within the uppermost 10 feet of the permafrost and that disrupting the annual migration of caribou – which stabilize Arctic vegetation with their grazing habits – would have a profound effect on the soil and release even more greenhouse gas into the atmosphere.

Additionally, any oil from the Arctic Refuge would take decades to arrive on the market. Drilling in the Arctic Refuge is not a solution to this current crisis.

As a Maine business owner, I see climate impacts in my backyard, but I know what we do elsewhere in the world directly affects things at home. Sen. Collins has been supportive of protecting the Arctic Refuge in the past, and I hope that she will restore protections for the Arctic Refuge through the budget reconciliation process and oppose any attempt to block such protections.

Jesper Kruse
Greenwood

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