Good afternoon!

This week was a bit of a whirlwind with an evening session and a second Senate session day scheduled to work on the Supplemental Budget that contained critical funding to implement an Early Intervention Strategy on roughly 300,000 acres of Aroostook County this spring. This funding, in combination with federal and private dollars, is necessary for a successful spray program this spring. Unfortunately, after many weeks of back and forth and deliberations, LD 209 reached the end of the road yesterday afternoon after coming within one vote on final enactment.

While we are disappointed with this outcome, we understand that this funding was held up over disagreements that were well beyond our mission and what we are trying to achieve.

This spring, when the spruce budworm larvae emerge, our state will be faced with a quickly mounting natural disaster. The timing for the Early Intervention Program is critical; too much is at stake for Maine's economy and environment to get this wrong. This remains the most important initiative of the session for the forest products industry and for rural Maine.

We remain hopeful that legislators will quickly identify another vehicle to move this important initiative forward on its own as emergency legislation, and we are thankful for the outpouring of bipartisan support that this issue has received. Thanks to all of our members that have taken the time to engage with legislators in support of the spruce budworm early intervention program.

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This week, we also engaged on a few other issues including LD 161, a bill to convene a stakeholder group tasked with overhauling our subdivision laws and LD 820, a bill proposing an amendment to our state constitution to establish a right to hunt and fish. The Council has taken a "neither for nor against" position on both bills in order to highlight some member concerns. Our testimony on LD 161 can be found here and our testimony on LD 820 can be found here.

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Looking to the week ahead, our team will be active in a number of committees on behalf of our membership (see preview below), but we would like to quickly bring your attention to LD 870, "An Act Regarding the Membership of the Maine Land Use Planning Commission." This is the first bill that we will oppose this session before the Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee, and our opposition to this proposal is unified and strong.

As drafted, this bill would bring us back to the dark days of LURC by diluting the voice of local residents and businesses within the Unorganized Territories (UT) by eliminating requirements for the governor's appointee(s) to have a connection to the jurisdiction. The proposal also increases the number of appointees by the governor from one to five, implements a limit of two terms, restricting the flexibility that is rightfully granted to each UT county to appoint representatives of their choosing, and reduces the time that counties have to fill vacancies from 90 days to just 30. If counties are unable to fill a vacancy within the new unrealistic timeframe, they would lose the opportunity to appoint a designee of their choosing and the governor would fill the vacancy instead.

This bill is an aggressive attempt to restrict the opportunity of the residents and businesses in and around the UT to determine their own destiny, and it flies in the face of recommendations made by the Commission on Reform of the Governance of Land Use Planning in the Unorganized Territories in December of 2011. It is all around a bad idea, and it is unclear what problem this bill is trying to solve.

WE URGE OUR MEMBERS TO JOIN US IN TESTIFYING IN STRONG OPPOSITION TO LD 870

WHO: Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee

WHAT: Submit testimony online or join us in testifying in strong opposition to LD 870, "An Act Regarding the Membership of the Maine Land Use Planning Commission."

WHEN: Thursday, March 20 at 1:00 PM

WHERE: Room 214 of the Cross Office Building or sign up to testify online/submit testimony online here.

Special interest groups looking to gain a seat on the Land Use Planning Commission are rallying their members in support of this legislation, so please make your voices heard!

That's all for now. Should you have any questions about our policy positions, or if you have any questions about how to testify on Thursday, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Pat Strauch and Krysta West

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 987 - "An Act Clarifying Exemptions From The Notification Requirements For Products Containing PFAS"

Public Hearing in ENR on Monday March 17, 2025 @ 10:15 AM in Cross Building, Room 216

MFPC Position: Support

LD 987 expands the list of vehicles and equipment exempt from the notification requirement that the products contain perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, including any textile article or refrigerant that is included in or as a component part of such products.

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LD 402 - "An Act To Move The Natural Areas Program From The Department Of Agriculture, Conservation And Forestry To The Department Of Inland Fisheries And Wildlife And To Amend The Law Governing Administration Of The Bureau Of Resource Management Within The Department Of Inland Fisheries And Wildlife"

Public Hearing in ACF on Tuesday March 18, 2025 @ 1:00 PM in Cross Building, Room 214

MFPC Position: Monitor

LD 402 repeals the laws governing the Natural Areas Program administered by the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry and reassigns certain responsibilities under the program to the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. The bill updates relevant definitions in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 12 and cross-references in Titles 36 and 38 to reflect these changes. The bill also establishes the Natural Areas Conservation Fund, which is administered by the Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. It also replaces the coordinator of the Natural Areas Program with a person appointed by the commissioner who is responsible for monitoring natural areas.

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LD 261 - "An Act Regarding The Authority Of Municipalities To Regulate Timber Harvesting"

Public Hearing in ACF on Tuesday March 18, 2025 @ 1:01 PM in Cross Building, Room 214

MFPC Position: Support

Sponsored by Representative Bunker, LD 261 provides that municipal ordinances subject to review by the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Bureau of Forestry are limited to ordinances that regulate timber harvesting activities. The bill provides that a timber harvesting ordinance adopted on or after September 1, 1990 and prior to January 1, 2026 must meet the requirements of Title 12, section 8869, subsection 8 by June 30, 2029. The bill also makes other clarifications. ______________________________________________________________

LD 341 - "An Act To Amend The Definition Of "oversized ATV" To Increase The Minimum Weight Requirement"

Public Hearing in IFW on Wednesday March 19, 2025 @ 1:00 PM in Cross Building, Room 206

MFPC Position: Oppose

LD 341 increases the minimum weight of an oversized all-terrain vehicle from 2,000 to 3,500 pounds. ______________________________________________________________

LD 870 - "An Act Regarding The Membership Of The Maine Land Use Planning Commission"

Public Hearing in ACF on Thursday March 20, 2025 @ 1:00 PM in Cross Building, Room 214

MFPC Position: Oppose

LD 870 mends the membership of the Maine Land Use Planning Commission by increasing the number of members from 9 to 13, with the Governor appointing the additional members. The bill also adds qualifications to be considered by the Governor and boards of county commissioners when appointing members to the commission and provides a membership term limit of 2 consecutive 4-year terms. ______________________________________________________________

LD 638 - "An Act To Create Equal Opportunity Access To Clean Energy By Removing The 100-megawatt Limit On Clean Energy Sources"

Public Hearing in EUT on Thursday March 20, 2025 @ 1:00 PM in Cross Building, Room 211

MFPC Position: Oppose

LD 638 removes the 100-megawatt maximum capacity limit for a source of electrical generation to qualify as a renewable resource for purposes of meeting the State's renewable resource portfolio requirement. ______________________________________________________________

LD 204 - "An Act To Reduce The Cost Of Electricity By Removing The 100-megawatt Limit On Renewable Resources Of Energy"

Public Hearing in EUT on Thursday March 20, 2025 @ 1:00 PM in Cross Building, Room 211

MFPC Position: Oppose

LD 204 removes the 100-megawatt maximum capacity limit for a source of electrical generation to qualify as a renewable resource for purposes of meeting the State's renewable resource portfolio requirement. ______________________________________________________________

LD 371 - "An Act To Expand Hydroelectric Development By Removing The 100-megawatt Cap"

Public Hearing in EUT on Thursday March 20, 2025 @ 1:00 PM in Cross Building, Room 211

MFPC Position: Oppose

LD 371 provides that sources of electrical generation relying on hydroelectric generators are not subject to a limit of 100 megawatts of power production capacity.

Bills scheduled for a work session

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

NONE SCHEDULED AT THIS TIME

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

Kryst a West, Deputy Director

Annabelle Kidson, Office Manager

207-622-9288

www.maineforest.org

535 Civic Center Drive, Augusta, Maine 04330

Thanks to MFPC's sponsors!

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