Natural Resources Committee to Review Pollution Bill

The Natural Resources Committee is going to hear a draft proposal tomorrow (Feb. 25th) at 1 p.m in Room 437 of the State House on “non-point source pollution”. Roughly translated that means “if we can’t get you one way, we’ll get you another”.

I’m told that the draft deals with storm water runoff that carries nutrients and sediment into streams. There is no bill at the moment, but this committee is hoping to write one. Word is that if they do and it passes, it will be devastating to forestry. If you can get there, please make the effort but you may want to call first to confirm since things can change fast at the State House. The NRC tel. # is 287-4149. If you can’t get there, call that number and ask for a copy of the draft.

Members of The Natural Resources Committee: Sen Sharon Treat, Chair, Sen John Nutting, Sen Jeffrey Butland, Rep Steven Rowe, Chair, Rep David Shiah, Rep Tom Bull, Rep Scott Cowger, Rep Sharon Libby Jones, Rep Linda McKee, Rep Ed Dexter, Rep Roy Nickerson, Rep June Meres, Rep Clifton Foster, Paul Bisulca of the Penobscot Nation

Insiders at the State House believe this is a back-door way for some lawmakers to restrict forestry in Maine… and they believe it’s a power grab by the Department of Environmental Protection and the Natural Resources Committee to get into forestry. Right now the forestry bills are in the Agriculture Committee (accept the right of access bill, LD 253, which has been sent to Judiciary).

On Thursday afternoon (Feb. 26th) at 1 p.m. in Room 109 of the State Office Building the Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee with hear about Green Certification and Audits. This will interest a lot of you and you may want to plan to attend.

Also heard at the State House… the Appropriations Committee is taking up the Forest Practices Act next week. This means that it’s time to contact your legislators over the week-end about their own support for fully funding FPA and ask them to speak to members of the Appropriations Committee to get the additional $409,000 assigned to fund the law. This was what our side was saying in the two referenda and now we have to get it done. Freely copy this to others and ask them to get active now on behalf of fully funding FPA.

If you need the list again of Appropriations Committee members with addresses, let me know and I’ll re-mail that list. You and everyone else you know can really help by letting Appropriations and legislators in general hear that this funding is all they have to do for forestry this year. There’s a desire to “so something” among legislators who haven’t seen the light yet, so we have to keep reminding them “no new regulations”. They’ve done enough already!


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