Midcoast legislators get high marks from Maine Conservation Voters
AUGUSTA – Sales of new upholstered furniture containing flame-retardant chemicals is to be prohibited in Maine. People with solar panels will incur charges for the electricity they generate starting in 2018, and five-cent deposits on ‘nip’ liquor bottles will become the norm in 2019.
During the 2017 state legislative session, seven environmental bills came before lawmakers. Five of those bills were vetoed by the governor, yet successfully overridden afterward. One bill veto was sustained, and one bill was defeated.
The Maine Conservation Voters kept tally of how lawmakers voted on the seven laws, which are listed below. Every year, the Maine Conservation Voters issues its Environmental Scorecard, which is a resource for citizens to see how their legislators voted on the state’s environmental laws.
“Find out who really voted for our environment,” the report said. “See how your state legislators voted on key environmental legislation to protect our air, land, water, and climate future. Then hold them accountable if your conservation values are not being represented at the State House.”
Click on the lawmakers’ names to see the breakdown of votes.
David R. Miramant, D-Knox County, voted with the Maine Conservation Voters six of seven times.
Status: Bill vetoed by governor; veto override successful.
Pollution from metallic mineral mining poses a significant threat to Maine’s waters and to the taxpayers who are frequently left paying the cleanup cost. After several years of rejecting too-weak mining rules, the legislature enacted LD 820, a strong set of regulations that will protect clean water and taxpayers from Continue...
Status: Bill vetoed by governor; veto override successful.
Flame-retardant chemicals used in upholstered furniture are linked to cancer, birth defects, and learning disabilities in children. While fighting fires, firefighters are exposed to these chemicals. Cancer is now the leading cause of death among firefighters. Scientists find that these chemicals do not even slow down fires. This bill passed Continue...
See the Pen Bay Pilot’s previous article: Maine House passes bill banning flame-retardant furniture, Midcoast firefighters support measure
Status: Bill vetoed by governor; veto sustained.
The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) issued a rule, effective January 1, 2018, that will charge people for the solar they produce to power their own homes. The rule will require Central Maine Power (CMP) to install new meters on solar homes, which are to be paid for by all ratepayers Continue...
See the Pen Bay Pilot’s previous article: Lincolnville shines with solar energy power
Status: Bill vetoed by governor; veto override successful.
Public Reserved Lands are managed for a variety of resources including outdoor recreation, wildlife habitat conservation, and commercial timber harvesting. In 2015, a study commission developed a set of recommendations for improving access, prioritizing recreation infrastructure projects, and clarifying that timber harvest revenue should be used by the Bureau of Continue...
Status: Bill vetoed by governor; veto override successful.
One in eight Maine drinking water wells contain hidden toxic chemicals like arsenic, which can elevate the risk of cancer and cause learning disabilities. Arsenic has no smell, taste, or color, and many Mainers do not know that they should test their wells for it. LD 454 will raise awareness Continue...
Status: Bill defeated
MUBEC is a minimum energy efficiency code required for towns with populations over 4,000; towns with less than 4,000 are exempt from the code. LD 1392 would have weakened the code by allowing any town to opt out, which would have resulted in the building of energy inefficient homes that Continue...
Status: Bill vetoed by governor; veto override successful.
Maine has one of the strongest bottle bills in the country, and as a result of LD 56, it is even stronger. On January 1, 2019, a deposit of five cents will be charged for every ‘nip’ liquor bottle in an effort to reduce litter. The bill passed the legislature Continue...
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