Legislature overrides LePage's veto of mining bill
The Maine Legislature on Wednesday overrode Gov. Paul LePage’s veto of legislation by Sen. Brownie Carson, D-Harpswell, that strengthens the state’s mining regulations and requires mining companies to provide up-front funding for the cost, as determined by a third party, of cleanup associated with any spill or accident.
The Senate voted voted unanimously to override the veto, while the House voted 122-21; both votes exceed the two-thirds majority needed for a bill to become law over the governor’s veto.
The bill — LD 820, “An Act To Protect Maine's Clean Water and Taxpayers from Mining Pollution” — includes bans on open pit mining for metallic mineral extraction and the storage of “wet mine waste” that can seep into local rivers, ponds, lakes and floodplains, according to a news release from the Senate Democratic Office.
The bill also requires mining companies to provide up-front funding for the cost, as determined by a third party, of clean-up associated with any spill or accident and requires that any future changes to Maine’s mining rules written to implement the law receive an affirmative vote from both houses of the Legislature.
More than 150 people testified on the bill, most in support, at its March 20 public hearing.
The bill will become law 90 days after the adjournment of this legislative session.
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