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With the help of a generous grant from the Onion Foundation and an anonymous individual, the Lake Protection Coalition hired Sarah Nichols, from Omnium Collective, to help build support for lake-friendly bills in the current legislative session. Maine Lakes staff were involved with all levels of advocacy, from testifying to grassroots alerts to assistance with technical aspects of priority bills, but our capacity was greatly expanded, and improved, by working with Sarah and Lake Protection Coalition members. We got the first glimpse of how elevating our cooperation and collaboration will help us in the years ahead.
Thank you to the the more than 160 individuals who together submitted 265 pieces of testimony supporting lake-friendly legislation!
We had some wins and some disappointments, but the session was a success in helping us, and the coalition, build momentum for more and stronger lake-friendly policies in the future and strengthen relationships with legislators. It also gave us a chance to do a lot of outreach with legislators, an effort that we'll need to continue in the years ahead. Below is a recap of the priority legislation we engaged on this session, with updates on where each bill landed.
LD 1763 – Prohibit Non-Water Dependent Floating Structures
This bill bans floating structures that aren’t functionally water-dependent—like floating camps—helping protect Maine's lakes and coastal waters from inappropriate development. There is a process to grandfather the few existing structures that exist today, with improved standards for sewage and water, and clear guidelines for operations.
✅ Signed into law by the Governor. A major win for lake and coastal stewardship.
LD 1550 – Update Septic Rules to Protect Water Quality
This bill ensures septic systems are better designed in vulnerable soils, helping towns avoid costly groundwater contamination and long-term cleanup liabilities. The rulemaking process will allow us an opportunity to affirm the changes are what we want to keep lakes clean.
✅ Signed by the Governor. A key water quality and municipal health win.
LD 296 – Appropriate Funds for Lake Water Quality Restoration
Provides $50,000 annually for the next two years for projects that improve lake health, protecting tourism, property values, and local economies. While this was much less than we wanted to see appropriated to this fund, it was competing with many other bills for very limited dollars so getting this small amount should be considered a win.
✅ Signed by the Governor. The bill helps set the stage for future funding requests.
LD 173 – Exempt Small Motorized Watercraft from Registration
A bill that we opposed as it proposed removing registration requirements for small boats—raising concerns about enforcement and revenue loss from municipalities and from the invasive species risk reduction programming at both the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IFW).
✅Died after hard-fought floor debate, which is a win for clean lakes.
LD 171 – Enhance Protections Against Invasive Aquatic Plants
This bill will require DEP and IFW to improve inspection and notification protocols in infested inland waters—reducing invasive spread and future mitigation costs.
✅ Passed House and Senate, went into law without the Governors signature.
LD 646 – Study Commission on Unregulated Stormwater Pollution
This bill would have established a commission to study how Maine can better manage unregulated stormwater pollution—a key driver of lake and stream degradation. The bill was a priority of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee but faced stiff competition for passage due to limited staff capacity.
🟡 Placed on study table. Monitoring for future movement.
LD 1435 – Allow Lake Groups to Post Info at Boat Launches
This bill would have required IFW to make space on boat launch signage for lake associations to share water protection information. While it didn't pass, it opens the door for more discussion with IFW about the need for shared ownership of sign resources in local communities
❌ Voted Ought Not to Pass at committee
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