This was yet another busy week in Augusta as committees work their way through an unusually high volume of bills. With roughly 500 bills yet to be printed and assigned to committees and roughly one month left for committees to complete work for the year, the pressure is on.

In order to accommodate this work flow, the Legislature has forgone it's usual April break. Instead, they will only take Monday off in observation of Patriot's Day. The House and Senate sessions scheduled on Wednesdays have been canceled for the remainder of the month in order to allow some additional time for committees to meet. As we previously mentioned, the typical two-week notice period for public hearings has been waived for the remainder of the session, so bills will start moving quickly. We will continue to keep you up to speed as best as we can as the remainder of the session unfolds.

Here is a glimpse of what we worked on in Augusta this week.

Monday was Sunday hunting day in the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee. The Council testified in opposition to all four bills (listed below), which were heard all at once. Our testimony can be found here.

• LD 626, "An Act to Preserve Maine's Sporting Heritage and Enhance Sporting Opportunities for Maine's Youth by Allowing Maine's Youth to Hunt on Sunday"
• LD 672, "An Act to Establish Youth Deer Hunting Weekend"
• LD 1166, "An Act to Allow Sunday Hunting by Landowners on Their Land"
• LD 1241, "An Act to Allow Sunday Hunting with a Bow and Arrow or Crossbow"

***

On Tuesday, we were joined by a broad coalition to support LD 1222, "An Act to Expand Child Care Services Through an Employer-supported Tax Credit." This bill, which is a priority for the Council this session, would provide an important tool for employers of all sizes to attract and retain a diverse workforce. Hannah Stevens of Seven Islands Land Company joined us for this public hearing (photo below) and Scott Beal submitted testimony in support on behalf of Woodland Pulp. Our testimony can be found here.

We also co-authored an op-ed in the Central Maine paper this week with HospitalityMaine in support of this bill. Our op-ed, titled "Our state's industries need child care reform to succeed" can be found here.

On Wednesday, the Council submitted testimony to the Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee in opposition to LD 1111, "An Act Concerning Contracts and Agreements for Large-scale Water Extraction." Our testimony can be found here.

***

Thursday afternoon was dedicated to public hearings for a host of mining bills before the Environment and Natural Resources Committee. The bills were divided in two groups. Our testimony on each can be found below.

• LD 1363, "An Act to Support Extraction of Common Minerals by Amending the Maine Metallic Mineral Mining Act." MFPC testified in support.
• LD 1433, "An Act to Exclude Pegmatites from the Definition of 'Metallic Mineral'." MFPC testified in support.
• LD 1476, "An Act to Amend the Definition of "Metallic Mineral" in the Maine Metallic Mineral Mining Act." MFPC testified in support.
• LD 1495, "Resolve, Establishing the Commission to Study the Role of Critical Minerals as a Resource in the State." MFPC testified neither for nor against.
• LD 1471, "An Act to Amend Provisions of the Maine Metallic Mineral Mining Act." MFPC testified in opposition.
• LD 1508, "An Act to Ensure a Strategic Approach to Maine's Energy Transition by Imposing a Moratorium on Lithium Mining." MFPC testified in opposition.
• LD 1564, "An Act to Eliminate Metallic Mineral Mining Activities Without a Permit." MFPC testified in opposition.

Also on Thursday, the Council testified before the Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee in support of LD 1408, "An Act to Reduce Maine's Dependence on Fossil Fuels and Carbon Footprint for Energy Production Using Waste Wood Fuel." Our testimony on this bill can be found here.

That's all for this week. A peak at the week ahead is below. If you have any questions, or need help submitting testimony, please don't hesitate to reach out to Krysta West for assistance.

Best,

Pat

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 1135 - "An Act To Ensure That Carbon Credits Can Be Sold On Forest Land Enrolled In The Maine Tree Growth Tax Law"

Public Hearing in TAX on Tuesday April 18, 2023 @ 1:00 PM in State House, Room 127

MFPC Position: Oppose

Sponsored by Rep. James Boyle, LD 1135 is a concept draft that would allow a person that owns wooded property enrolled in the Maine Tree Growth Tax Law to sell carbon credits for that property and stay enrolled in the Maine Tree Growth Tax Law as long as timber harvesting was not prohibited under the carbon credit agreement. Possible amendments for this bill are currently under review.

______________________________________________________________

LD 1475 - "An Act To Promote Biomanufacturing And Biotechnology Development By Establishing A Tax Credit"

Public Hearing in TAX on Tuesday April 18, 2023 @ 1:00 PM in State House, Room 127

MFPC Position: Support

Senator Troy Jackson, LD 1475 establishes a refundable Maine income tax credit for investment in biotechnology incubators and biomanufacturing facilities. The amount of the credit is 30% of qualified investment, taken in the form of an annual credit of 6% of the qualified investment each year for 5 years after a certificate of completion has been issued by the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development. The amount of investment in a biotechnology incubator that is eligible for a credit is capped at $15 million for each project and $30 million for all projects in total.

Bills scheduled for a work session

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

LD 43 - "An Act To Reduce The Cost Of Electricity By Removing The 100-megawatt Limit On Renewable Resources Of Energy"

Work Session in EUT on Wednesday April 19, 2023 @ 1:15 PM in Cross Building, Room 211

MFPC Position: Oppose

Sponsored by Senator Jeff Timberlake, LD 43 would remove 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 622 - "An Act To Create Equal Opportunity Access To Clean Energy By Removing The 100-megawatt Limit On Clean Energy Sources"

Work Session in EUT on Wednesday April 19, 2023 @ 1:15 PM in Cross Building, Room 211

MFPC Position: Oppose

Sponsored by Representative Donald Ardell, LD 622 would remove 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 698 - "An Act Directing The Public Utilities Commission To Study The State Natural Gas Supply Pursuant To The Maine Energy Cost Reduction Act"

Work Session in EUT on Wednesday April 19, 2023 @ 1:15 PM in Cross Building, Room 211

MFPC Position: Support

Sponsored by Representative Steven Foster, LD 698 would direct the Public Utilities Commission to examine its previous reports made pursuant to the Maine Energy Cost Reduction Act on the status and future of the natural gas supply in the State and, using current natural gas supply information as well as future projections, submit a report of the commission's findings and recommendations to the Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee.

_______________________________________________________________________

LD 993 - "An Act To Facilitate Stakeholder Input Regarding Forest Policy In Maine"

Work Session in ACF on Wednesday April 19, 2023 @ 10:00 AM in Cross Building, Room 214

MFPC Position: Oppose

Sponsored by Rep. Maggie O'Neil, LD 993 would create a Maine Forest Advisory Board to advise the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Bureau of Forestry on a variety of forestry issues and to provide input on the state forest action plan required under the federal Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008. The board is directed to submit annual reports to the Legislature, including a report outlining conditions and trends in the State's forests to be submitted by December 6, 2023 to the Second Regular Session of the 131st Legislature.

The Council strongly opposes this bill, as it seeks to make forest policy political, and it fails to account for the fact that the vast majority of forestland in Maine is privately owned.

Regulatory Calendar

Extended Producer Responsibility

Readily recyclable, audits and program goals

Due to impending weather, the Department will postpone the stakeholder meeting scheduled for March 14^th to March 28^th. Resultantly, the stakeholder meeting scheduled for March 28^th will be postponed to the tentative focus-meeting date of April 11^th. 

If you have already registered for a stakeholder meeting addressing the topics of readily recyclable, audits, and program goals, you do not need to register again. In the case you have not yet registered and would like to, please use the following links:

• Meeting 2: Tuesday, April 11^th from 1:00 to 5:00 pm ED
• EPR-RR, Audits, & Program Goals-#2 Stakeholder Meeting Registration

As a reminder, Meeting 1 will provide an opportunity for stakeholders to provide information and their perspective on the topic, and Meeting 2 will allow for discussion of issues raised during Meeting 1. Meetings will be held in room 101 of the Deering Building located at 90 Blossom Lane, Augusta, Maine 04330 and available virtually. The Departments asks stakeholders who plan to present comments provide a written copy to MainePackagingEPR@maine.gov.

The Council is monitoring this issue closely. Paper products were recycled at a rate of 68% in 2021; cardboard was recycled at a rate of 91.4%. Together, paper and cardboard were recycled at a rate of 76.6% and can be reused up to seven times. All other materials were recycled at a rate of just 23.4%. For that reason, we are concerned that the EPR law could saddle the paper industry with the cost of recycling non-renewable fossil fuel derived products.

Board of Licensure of Foresters

Who: Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation

What: Proposed rulemaking - Chapter 70: Qualifications for Forester License; Chapter 100: Code of Ethics and Chapter 70-A: Licensure by Endorsement pursuant to Public Law 2021, Chapter 167 An Act to Facilitate Licensure for Credentialed Individuals from Other Jurisdictions. 

When: Public hearing on April 24, 2023; Public comment period through May 9, 2023

FMI: https://www.maine.gov/pfr/professionallicensing/professions/board-licensure-foresters