PORTLAND,
Maine -- The threat of global warming and its link to commuting
patterns in Maine were detailed Thursday morning at an outdoor news
conference in Portland, on a midwinter day with temperatures hovering
around 50 degrees.
Environmental
advocates released a census-based study that ranked Maine's towns and
cities on the amount of carbon dioxide each resident produces based on
his or her commute to work.
To
no one's surprise, people living in fast-growing towns on Portland's
outer fringes -- places like Waterboro, Limington and Naples -- had
disproportionately long commutes and thus produced a high share of
pollution linked to global warming.
Maine's
large cities, including Portland, Lewiston and Bangor, ranked low on
the list because residents live closer to their jobs.
Authors
of the report said they found a few surprises. They said one positive
finding was that 24 percent of Orono residents don't use cars to get to
work. A less positive note, they said, was that only 3 percent of
commuters living in Portland rely on public transit, even though an
extensive bus system is available.
