Industry reps deplore natural resources plan
A Baldacci administration proposal to improve collaboration among the state's natural resources agencies has been derided by some stakeholders as a thinly veiled attempt to consolidate the departments.
As the state seeks to close a $438 million budget gap, the governor has proposed creating a working group to find $1.25 million in savings in the Departments of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife; Marine Resources; Conservation; and Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources, the Bangor Daily News reported. Last winter, Baldacci proposed merging the departments to create a single natural resources "superagency" to save a projected $1.5 million annually.
Constituent groups strongly opposed the proposal and it eventually was killed. At a meeting of the Legislature's appropriations committee Thursday, groups representing lobstermen, farmers and sportsmen criticized Baldacci's latest proposal, saying it shows he remains determined to merge the agencies, the paper reported.
Go to the article from the Bangor Daily News >>
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