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Dear Maine Lakes,
If, like me, you are horrified by the photo above showing brazen shoreland zoning violations on Sebago Lake in Raymond, please join me in writing a letter to the State and Local Government Committee urging them to SUPPORT of LD 2101, An Act to Strengthen Shoreland Zoning Enforcement.
Maine’s strong shoreland zoning rules are critical to protecting lake water quality and wildlife habitat. But when rules are ignored, enforcement of shoreland zoning can be extremely difficult, if not impossible.
Some homeowners and developers violate shoreland zoning rules by cutting trees along the water’s edge, removing vegetation that stabilizes shoreline and helps keep water clean, or adding jetties, stairs, rocks, boat launches, sand, and other features without the required permits. Fines may be assessed and paid as the "cost of doing business," but the long-term damage leaves a permanent legacy of erosion and lake pollution that affects all who use the lake long into the future.
LD 2101 will hold shoreland zoning violators accountable.
This bill authorizes municipalities and the Land Use Planning Commission (the zoning and planning authority for Maine’s 10.4 million acres of unorganized territory) to suspend or revoke shoreland zoning violators’ permits, and place liens on properties in violation.
PLEASE ACT TODAY!
Write a short note to the State and Local Government Committee before their hearing at 1:00 on Tuesday, February 6 to urge them to vote OUGHT TO PASS on LD 2101.
A sample letter is below.
To submit your letter, click here.
To read the text of the bill, click here.
To see the status of the bill, click here.
State and municipal shoreland zoning laws exist to help protect water quality, limit erosion, conserve wildlife, and preserve the natural beauty of Maine's shoreland areas.
We cannot let lakefront property owners violate our laws just because they can afford the finds and endless litigation.
Maine's shoreland zoning laws benefit us all, and we must ensure that they work.
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