Bills scheduled for a public hearing
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LD 24 - "An Act To Prohibit Open Burning Under A Red Flag Warning And Regulate Recreational Campfires"
Public Hearing on Monday January 30, 2023 @ 9:00 AM in Cross Building, Room 214
MFPC Position: Support with amendment
Sponsored by Senator Glenn Curry, LD 24 would protect Maine's forests by prohibiting open burning, including recreational campfires, whether open burning is permitted or not, during periods in which a red flag warning is in effect. The bill also limits the size of recreational campfires, including those that do not require a permit.
The Council would like to see this bill amended to provide for agricultural and forestry exemptions.
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LD 108 - "An Act To Establish A Logger Relations Advocate Within The Maine Forest Service"
Public Hearing on Monday January 30, 2023 @ 9:00 AM in Cross Building, Room 214
MFPC Position: Neither for nor against
Sponsored by Representative Scott Landry, LD 108 would require the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Bureau of Forestry to establish a logger relations advocate to serve as a liaison to the public.
The Council believes that the MFS does a great job supporting all sectors of the forest products industry.
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LD 122 - "An Act To Authorize The Efficiency Maine Trust To Establish A Program To Support The Uptake Of Medium-duty And Heavy-duty Zero-emission Vehicles By Maine Businesses And To Establish A Medium-duty And Heavy-duty Zero-emission Vehicle-to-grid Pilot Project"
Public Hearing on Thursday February 2, 2023 @ 1:00 PM in Cross Building, Room 211
MFPC Position: Support
Sponsored by Senator Henry Ingwersen, LD 122 would authorize the Efficiency Maine Trust to establish a program using federal or other funding sources to support the uptake of medium-duty and heavy-duty zero-emission vehicles and associated charging or fueling infrastructure. It also authorizes EMT to establish a vehicle-to-grid pilot project to evaluate the benefits of using these vehicles for purposes such as school buses and freight trucks as energy storage resources capable of delivering electricity to the grid when vehicles are not being used for their primary purpose.
While the Council recognizes that we are a long way off from electric logging trucks, we view this as a step in the right direction.
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LD 180 - "An Act To Allow A Person To File A Paper Copy Of A Timber Harvest Notification Form"
Public Hearing on Wednesday February 8, 2023 @ 9:00 AM in Cross Building, Room 214
MFPC Position: TBD
Sponsored by Senator Russell Black, LD 180 would allow harvest notification forms to be submitted to the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Bureau of Forestry in either an electronic or paper format.
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