While some think the business community is uninterested with America’s environmental and climate challenges, I, and so many others in the crabbing and lobstering sector, do care. Many small-business owners like me want to be part of the solution and support common-sense policies to help protect our climate and environment, especially since it affects us directly. Importantly, there are win-win opportunities to boost the domestic economy at the same time as stewarding the environment.

A promising pathway would use the power of the market to reward domestic producers for their clean-tech progress. After all, American entrepreneurs like me wake up every day and solve problems. We try to cut down on waste, invest in energy efficiency and offer customers cleaner products, all of which are demanded more and more by our customers.

The result: In America, we produce goods in a cleaner and more carbon-efficient manner than the rest of the world – a whole 40% cleaner on average. Compared to China, we’re three times more carbon-efficient.

As the conversation about climate continues in Augusta and in the U.S. Congress, I urge our pragmatic leaders like Sen. Susan Collins to consider how to work with business and further accelerate our innovative potential. Market-based solutions, like a polluter import fee, are a great place to start.

Jillian Robillard
owner and founder, Southern Maine Crabs
Kittery

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