LePage proposes regulatory changes
Gov. Paul LePage has issued a set of 63 proposals to change state regulatory procedures, many in the Department of Environmental Protection, sparking opposition from environmental groups.
Among the proposed changes are replacing the citizen Board of Environmental Protection with a full-time professional administrative law judge system to hear appeals of DEP actions and measures to keep state environmental standards from exceeding federal guidelines, including rules applying to greenhouse gas emissions, sulfur dioxide and hazardous waste, according to the Portland Press Herald. The proposals also include repealing the Informed Growth Act, which requires retail developments of more than 75,000 square feet to file an impact study, and changing a product stewardship law passed last year that requires manufacturers to handle recycling or reclamation of some of their products.
LePage has also proposed a requirement that at least 30% of the 10 million acres of unorganized territory under the Land Use Regulation Commission's jurisdiction be zoned for development, according to the paper.
The set of proposals is aimed at loosening regulatory burdens, according to LePage's office, but Lisa Pohlmann, executive director of the Natural Resources Council of Maine, called the list of changes "an ideological push rather than a reasoned, science-based approach," according to the paper.
Go to the article from the Portland Press Herald >>
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