Committee drafts revised LD 1
A legislative committee has pared down Gov. Paul LePage's list of proposed environmental regulatory reforms following testimony from the public.
The Regulatory Fairness and Reform Committee on Wednesday issued draft legislation of LD 1, which LePage initially submitted as a list of 63 changes in January and then amended in February, according to MaineToday Media. The draft bill includes some of LePage's suggestions, such as changes to allow reuse of hazardous materials and an environmental audit policy that would provide incentives for businesses to self-report violations. However, a proposal to eliminate the Board of Environmental Protection was dropped, and instead changed to reduce it from 10 to seven members and more strictly define what projects it would handle. Lawmakers on the committee said much of LD 1 reinforces or clarifies what already exists to make it more effective, including the existing small-business ombudsman in the Department of Economic and Community Development. More controversial elements of the initial LD 1 proposal, including repealing the Informed Growth Act and the ban on the chemical BPA, have been moved to other committees.
A final public hearing on LD 1 is schedule for April 14, according to the news service.
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