No matter which way you lean politically, if you live in Maine, chances are you value the natural beauty, the coastline, vast forests, lakes, clean air and water, that our home has to offer. And you probably value your own health too. To help protect the natural resources of our state and the health of our citizens, I am asking all fellow Mainers to please reach out to their state legistlators and ask them to oppose Governor LePage's regulatory reform package, especially those of you that live in Republican districts. Our new Governor's proposal will repeal very important laws that will negatively affect our environment and the health of our children. Unfortunately, it looks as though this package will pass, but perhaps with enough calls to Republican leaders, we can stop it.
One law to be repealed protects vernal pools and bird habitat. I realize that not all Mainers value vernal pools as much as Silas, Levi and I do, but there are many other issues at stake. If Paul Lepage has his way, the toxic chemical BPA will be back in baby bottles and sippy cups, children's toys and products will no longer be required to meet Maine's Kid-Safe Products Act, which eliminates the worst of the worst toxic chemicals that threatens children's health, and the clean air law that limits sulfur dioxide pollution and associated asthma will be repealed. Those are just a few examples, you can read the complete list below.
Paul LePage is hoping to make things easier for businesses in Maine, at the expense of our health and environment. Many of his proposals don't even make sense, for example, the repeal of the e-waste recycling law, which requires manufacturers to finance the collection and recycling of used electronics. This proposal is made presumably to make Maine more attractive to electronics manufacturers, but this law was passed 6 years ago and since that time, 26 other states have passed the same legistlation, and there are no large electronics manufacturers in Maine, so how will this help Maine businesses? I don't think repealing this law will suddenly attract Sony to Maine, but it will lead to toxins like lead entering the waste stream & our environment.
Please help! Consider placing a call or writing your legislator today! If you aren't sure who to contact, click here.
Silas, Levi, Cricket & I thank you!
Here is a list of laws that Governor LePage's proposal would eliminate or weaken:
Protections passed in 2010:
- Rule to restrict the use of the toxic chemical bisphenol-A (BPA) in baby bottles, sippy cups, water bottles and reusable food containers. Passed unanimously by the Board of Environmental Protection and already the law for states comprising 50% of the nation’s population.
- Clean air law to reduce sulfur dioxide pollution, and associated asthma attacks, acid rain and poor visibility due to haze - LD 1662: An Act To Improve Maine’s Air Quality and Reduce Regional Haze at Acadia National Park and Other Federally Designated Class I Areas
- Law to create transparent process for identifying candidate products for producer-financed collection and recycling programs - LD 1631: An Act To Provide Leadership Regarding the Responsible Recycling of Consumer Products
- Resolve for DEP to report on best practices to reduce dependency on fossil fuels and promote energy efficiency in new, large-scale commercial development projects - LD 891 Resolve, To Develop Practices for Development of State and Regional Significance in Order To Reduce Dependency on Fossil Fuels and Meet the State’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Goals
Protections passed in 2009
- Law to reduce mercury pollution by having lamps manufacturers collect and recycle mercury-containing light bulbs - LD 973: An Act to Provide for the Safe Collection and Recycling of Mercury-containing Lighting
- Law to ensure adequate fish passage for Maine’s native fisheries when new culverts are created for new roads. LD 1333: An Act to Ensure that Replacement Culverts Permit Fish Passage
Protections passed in 2008
- Maine's Kid-Safe Products Act - identifies and phases out the “worst of the worst” toxic chemicals in everyday products that threaten children’s health - LD 2048: An Act To Protect Children’s Health and the Environment from Toxic Chemicals in Toys and Children’s Products
Protections passed in 2007
- “Deca.” Law to replace toxic brominated flame retardant with safer alternatives. LD 1658: An Act To Protect Pregnant Women and Children from Toxic Chemicals Released into the Home
- Law to prevent sprawl and protect Maine’s community character by requiring certain large scale developments to conduct economic-impact analysis on local communities. LD 1810: An Act To Enact the Informed Growth Act (based on LD #1810: Conserving Maine’s Character and Combating Sprawl )
- Law to reduce pollution and promote sustainable reuse and recycling by requiring cell phone providers to recycle cell phones at retail locations.
Protections passed in 2006
- Law to help protect significant vernal pools, high and moderate value wading bird and waterfowl habitat, and shorebird nesting, feeding and staging areas. LD 1981: Resolve, Regarding Legislative Review of Portions of Chapter 335: Significant Wildlife Habitat, a Major Substantive Rule of the Department of Environmental Protection
- Law to reduce mercury pollution by having mercury thermostat manufacturers provide incentives for recycling thermostats at participating wholesalers and retailers - LD 1792: An Act to Protect Maine Families and the Environment by Improving the Collection and Recycling of Mercury Thermostats
Protections passed in 2005
- Law to prevent lead poisoning through funding for remediation and direct education on lead-safe work practices to contractors and homeowners; funding raised through 25 cent fee on a gallon of paint - LD 1034: An Act to Prevent Lead Poisoning of Children and Adults
Protections passed in 2004
- Maine’s e-waste recycling law. Law to have electronics manufacturers finance the collection and recycling of used electronics. Law has saved taxpayers more than $9.6 million dollars and prevented more than 3.3 million pounds of lead and other toxic materials from entering the waste stream and our environment. LD #1892: An Act to Protect Public Health and the Environment by Providing for a System of Shared Responsibility for the Safe Collection of Electronic Waste
- Law to phase out the toxic brominated flame retardants, octa and penta-BDE in favor of safer alternatives. This law also created a review process to study phasing out the last commercial PBDE flame retardant, deca-BDE.
Protections passed in 2003
- Law to phase out pressure-treated wood containing arsenic in favor of safer arsenic-free products. LD 1309: An Act To Protect Human Health by Reducing Exposure to Arsenic
Protections passed in 2002
- Law to prevent mercury pollution by requiring automakers to pay for recovery and safe disposal of mercury-containing switches from vehicles before they are scrapped - LD 1921:An Act to Prevent Mercury Emissions when Recycling and Disposing of Motor Vehicles
- Law requiring that Maine dentists install equipment to capture 98% of mercury from dental amalgams before it enters waste water.
Protections passed in 2001
- Law that bans the sale of mercury-added switches, relays, measuring devices and instruments, and helped improves recovery of old mercury thermostats - LD 1665: An Act to Further Reduce Emissions of Mercury from Consumer Products
Plus:
- Removes all environmental standards for new permitting under the Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC).
- Rezones at least 3 million acres of Maine’s North Woods for development.
- Scraps the current LURC Comprehensive Land Use Plan which is intended to guide development in the North Woods.
- Require every proposed development be rushed through for a permit in 30 days, a pace that would likely be impossible for DEP staff to manage the workload, or ensure that proposals meet minimum legal requirements, or for citizens to have input.
- Eliminate Maine's right to choose its own environmental safeguards, by weakening our environmental protections to bare minimum requirements in federal law.
See the complete list here.
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