Last week, our staff and lobbyists appeared before four legislative committees to represent our membership in Augusta.

In the Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee, we presented testimony in support of LD 24, "An Act To Prohibit Open Burning Under A Red Flag Warning And Regulate Recreational Campfires" and neither for nor against LD 108, "An Act To Establish A Logger Relations Advocate Within The Maine Forest Service."

In the Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee, we testified in support of LD 122, "An Act To Authorize The Efficiency Maine Trust To Establish A Program To Support The Uptake Of Medium-duty And Heavy-duty Zero-emission Vehicles By Maine Businesses And To Establish A Medium-duty And Heavy-duty Zero-emission Vehicle-to-grid Pilot Project" and against LD 177, "An Act To Amend the Authority of the Public Utilities Commission Regarding Special Rate Contracts."

In the Environment and Natural Resources Committee, we testified in support of LD 9, "An Act To Establish Processing Time Limits For Permit By Rule Applications Under The Site Location Of Development Laws."

In the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee, we introduced ourselves during their interested parties orientation and monitored the updates delivered to the committee by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

Our testimony on these bills can be found linked above or here on our website under the Legislative Action section of our new website.

A preview of the public hearings and work sessions that we will be monitoring next week are included below. If you need help submitting testimony or have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Best,

Pat Strauch

Maine Forest Products Council

Bills scheduled for a public hearing

Public hearings are livestreamed and archived here on the Legislature's Website. Testimony will be accepted in-person, via Zoom or in writing. Committee meeting guidance for public/interested parties can be found here.

To sign up to testify via Zoom or submit written testimony, click here.

LD 57 - "An Act To Amend Maine's Endangered And Threatened Species List"

Public Hearing before IFW on Monday February 6, 2023 @ 1:00 PM in Cross Building, Room 206

MFPC Position: Support

Sponsored by Representative Dill on behalf of the Department, LD 57 amendments to the State's list of endangered and threatened species. It removes the box turtle and the rapids clubtail from the endangered species list. It adds the Ashton's cuckoo bumble bee and the saltmarsh sparrow to the endangered species list. It adds the bank swallow, the Bicknell's thrush, the blackpoll warbler, the cliff swallow, the margined tiger beetle and the tricolored bat to the threatened species list. It also makes some taxonomic nomenclature changes.

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LD 180 - "An Act To Allow A Person To File A Paper Copy Of A Timber Harvest Notification Form"

Public Hearing before ACF on Wednesday February 8, 2023 @ 9:00 AM in Cross Building, Room 214

MFPC Position: Neither for nor against

Sponsored by Senator Russell Black, LD 180 would allow harvest notification forms to be submitted to the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Bureau of Forestry in either an electronic or paper format. Currently, electronic filing is required. The Council is supportive of continuing efforts to improve the electronic system.

Bills scheduled for a work session

Work Sessions are livestreamed and archived here on the Legislature's Website.

LD 24 - "An Act To Prohibit Open Burning Under A Red Flag Warning And Regulate Recreational Campfires"

Work Session before ACF on Wednesday February 8, 2023 @ 11:00 AM in Cross Building, Room 214

MFPC Position: Support

Sponsored by Senator Glenn Curry, LD 24 would protect Maine's forests by prohibiting open burning, including recreational campfires, whether open burning is permitted or not, during periods in which a red flag warning is in effect. The bill also limits the size of recreational campfires, including those that do not require a permit.

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LD 108 - "An Act To Establish A Logger Relations Advocate Within The Maine Forest Service"

Work Session before ACF on Wednesday February 8, 2023 @ 11:00 AM in Cross Building, Room 214

MFPC Position: Neither for nor against

Sponsored by Representative Scott Landry, LD 108 would require the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Bureau of Forestry to establish a logger relations advocate to serve as a liaison to the public.

The Council believes that the MFS does a good job supporting all sectors of the forest products industry.

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LD 9 - "An Act To Establish Processing Time Limits For Permit By Rule Applications Under The Site Location Of Development Laws"

Work Session before ENR on Wednesday February 8, 2023 @ 10:00 AM in Cross Building, Room 216

MFPC Position: Support

Sponsored by Representative James Boyle, LD 9 would allow the Department to create a Permit by Rule program for smaller projects under Site Law (e.g. solar projects between 20-50 acres) that would have a review period that is longer than 20 days, but shorter than the regular review period.

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LD 57 - "An Act To Amend Maine's Endangered And Threatened Species List"

Work Session before IFW on Wednesday February 15, 2023 @ 1:00 PM in Cross Building, Room 206

MFPC Position: Support

About MFPC

Since 1961, the Maine Forest Products Council has been the voice of Maine's forest economy. MFPC's members are landowners, loggers, truckers, paper mills, tree farmers, foresters, lumber processors and the owners of more than 8 million acres of commercial forestland, but they are also bankers, lawyers and insurance executives. The Council represents members at the Maine Legislature throughout the state, in Washington D.C. and the U.S.

Patrick Strauch, Executive Director

Krysta West, Deputy Director

Pat Sirois, SFI Coordinator

Sue McCarthy, Office Manager

207-622-9288

www.maineforest.org

535 Civic Center Drive, Augusta, Maine 04330

Thanks to MFPC's sponsors!

Click on the images below to visit their websites