Your Support for Lake Protection Needed!
Greetings!

Once every few years, a bill comes in front of the legislature that is so important for the future health of Maine’s lakes that we pull out all the stops and alert our entire membership and all our colleagues about the need to speak up for lakes.

This is one of those times!

On Monday, January 30, at 9 a.m., the Environment and Natural Resources Committee will hold a public hearing for LD 164: An Act to Fund the Lake Restoration and Protection Fund. This bill allocates $9 million in each of the next two years to the Lake Restoration and Protection Fund at the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Funds will support projects that improve or maintain the quality of lake waters in the State. There has never been a better time to seed the Lake and River Protection Fund, which has been at the DEP since the late 1980s but rarely funded.

Yet there is so much work to be done to keep our lakes clean and healthy!

I am asking you to please join me in speaking up for Maine’s lakes today.


  • To read a fact sheet developed by Maine Lakes and partner watershed organizations, click here.

  • To keep up to date on bill news, including a copy of Maine Lakes written testimony (to be added later this week), visit our Advocacy page here. Click on the light blue box for LD 164.

Please consider speaking at the public hearing on Monday, Jan. 30th at 9 a.m. in Room 216 of the Cross Office Building at the capitol in Augusta.

A few sentences from people on the front lines of conservation, like you, makes a big difference for a bill like this. We need to show there is widespread support so the committee will vote to support the bill and move it to the Appropriations Committee where hopefully it will be incorporated into the next budget cycle.

Legislators and committees are very friendly and welcoming, and a few words from you will go a long way to moving this bill forward.

A sample letter is below but a personalized letter is even better. Consider adding a line or two about your experience protecting water quality and your concerns for adequately funding lake protection work in the future. For letter writing tips, click here.
Dear members of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee,

My name is _________ and I live in/spend the summer in _____________. I am asking for your support today for LD 164: An Act to Fund the Lake Restoration and Protection Fund.

The effects of warming waters, longer growing seasons, larger rain events, and increased development pressure are putting our lakes at greater risk with every passing day. Funding for lake protection projects, including implementation of Best Management Practices, replacement of failing septic systems, stronger invasive species management programs, and treatment of lakes with chronic algae blooms are desperately needed to safeguard lake health in the coming decades.

Please invest in the healthy future of Maine’s lakes today to protect local economies, outdoor tourism, sporting and recreation businesses, drinking water supplies, wildlife habitat and so much more for all who use lakes in the future.

Signed, 
___________________
You can also submit written testimony (see below for directions).

Please forward this email on to friends, lake association members, or anyone who cares about Maine’s lakes. It will take many voices to get this bill to the finish line!

Thank you for speaking up!

If you have any questions, please email sgallo@lakes.me.

Susan Gallo
Executive Director
Directions for Submitting Testimony:

To either speak at the hearing or submit written testimony: Visit www.legislature.maine.gov, and click on the “Testimony Submission” button (bottom, right). At the next screen select the committee where the bill originates (Environment and Natural Resources), then the date and time of the hearing (Jan. 30th, 9 a.m.). Finally, check the box for the bill you are addressing (LD 164). Then:

  • To submit written testimony, upload your written testimony (Word or PDF file). You can also type text directly into the submission box. Below that, add your full name, town or organization in Maine (either full-time or part-time/seasonal residence), email and phone.

  • To speak at the public hearing via Zoom, fill out the contact information as above but also click the box that says “I would like to testify electronically over Zoom”. You’ll then see an added box to indicate if you support, oppose or are neutral on the bill. Although written testimony is not required, feel free to upload testimony at this time if you’d like the committee to have a written record of your comments. Please note, you must upload your written comments AFTER you have selected the Zoom checkbox. If you upload before checking this box, your file will be deleted. 

  • To speak in-person, go to the hearing room 10-15 minutes before the public hearing begins. You do not need to preregister but you can upload written material via the portal mentioned above. If you do not upload testimony before hand but want to pass out to committee members, please bring 20 copies with you. There may be a signup sheet if the room is crowded. Please note for either Zoom or in-person testimony you are often limited to three minutes.