All of Maine looked toward Rumford last week as the snow turned brown from pollution. An industrial accident at the paper mill owned by ND Paper discharged black liquor waste into the atmosphere and discolored the snow. This pollution event occurred in the birthplace of Maine’s Edmund S. Muskie, U.S. senator, environmental advocate and author of the Clean Water Act of 1972.

“We should all understand that we are all in the same boat,” Sen. Muskie said while campaigning for the act’s passage. “That what happens in our environment, should make a difference to all of us, whoever we are. And what happens to each of us, must make a difference to the rest of us.”

Pollution is happening to the residents of Rumford. I sympathize with the stress of waiting for test results from Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) from this snow, and I am compelled to speak out for accountability.

Last year, I witnessed the snow turn black with coal dust on Portland’s waterfront. This, too, led to DEP testing. This pollution event occurred during delivery of 45,000 tons of coal at Sprague’s Cassidy Point Terminal, which is transported by uncovered train and destined for burning at this same mill in Rumford. This black dust blanketed the ground, covered children’s sailboats and spread through the air near schools, hospitals and neighborhoods, bringing to life Sen. Muskie’s claim that “we are all in the same boat.”

The children, families and workers of Rumford, Portland and greater Maine deserve better. Air pollution from these practices expands well beyond ZIP codes and economic status. ND Paper claims $10 billion in sales annually and is the largest paperboard producer in Asia. Sprague Energy, an asset of Hartree Partners, is one of the largest suppliers of energy products in the Northeast. Sprague is the largest supplier of gas to New York City, which the company touted at a presentation to the Portland Climate and Coffee meeting last year.

With this amount of capital and resources, what is keeping them from innovating new means of industrial work to keep our communities safe from their pollution? Does emphasizing profits over protecting communities keep Sen. Muskie’s vision of a clean environment from full realization? As the rest of the Northeast successfully transitions away from industrial coal usage, these two multibillion-dollar companies stand in the way of a coal-free Maine.

There are answers to these questions that Rumford’s native son understood. In Portland, the City Council could ban industrial-scale coal storage. At the state level, our leaders could implore this industry to clean up their act by utilizing new technologies. In my advocacy for a clean environment, a common refrain is: “What about the jobs?” I agree, what about these jobs? With billions in capital, no worker need be exposed to pollution and no job need be lost to innovate.

Sen. Muskie famously asked President Nixon: “Can we afford clean water? Can we afford rivers and lakes and streams and oceans which continue to make life on this planet? Can we afford life itself?” If my favorite billionaire just gave $197 million in bonuses to her employees, then companies can certainly afford these changes if they value the health of employees, children and their community.

I implore us to follow Sen. Muskie’s lead and raise our collective voices for environmental protection since it affects all of us. Muskie’s experiences and passion for Maine improved the environment and the health of the entire country.

Join me in supporting statewide candidates who will work to strengthen the DEP to protect all of us. Together, we can advocate for the wealthiest corporations in the state to innovate away from archaic equipment and harmful fuel sources because it is the right thing to do. Discolored snow bearing the mark of industrial pollution in any Maine community is unacceptable.