SPECIAL LAKE ASSOCIATION ISSUE:

Sign TODAY to support LD 2101

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An egregious shoreland zoning violation on Sebago Lake has highlighted the ability of wealthy landowners to bury towns in litigation and the need for more effective tools for towns to protect our lakes. FMI, read an article from the Sun Journal , which includes before and after photos of this horrific violation. Photo Credit Town of Raymond.

Dear Maine Lakes,

We are reaching out to our lake associations today to first of all, thank you for the work you and your members do on behalf of Maine's lakes, and second of all, to ask for your help, at the very last minute, to improve the chances of getting an important lake protection bill, LD 2101, out of committee.

There are more details at the end of this message, but essentially LD 2101 gives municipalities and the Land Use Regulation Commission the ability to place a lien on a property where shoreland violations have been egregious and landowners have chosen to litigate rather than comply with the terms of their permit, like in the photo above.

The public hearing for LD 2101 was held a few weeks ago, and testimony overwhelmingly supported the bill. There were 76 letters submitted or presented in support of the bill, including many from you. Thank you!!! Only two lone voices opposed the rule and unfortunately they have swayed many on the State and Local Government Committee to oppose this bill.

The committee will discuss the bill on Thursday at 1 p.m. so we have just over 24 hours to submit a sign-on letter to the committee demonstrating the depth and breadth of the support that the lakes community has for this bill.

We are asking for two actions today:

Please take a moment to read and sign the community letter HERE.

The letter was created by Maine Audubon and will be delivered to the

committee on behalf of all the signatories tomorrow.

Please also take a moment to forward this message to your members so we can get more signatures on our community letter.

The more signatures, the greater the impact!

More details about LD 2101 and important links are below if you would like to read more.

As always, please be sure check our advocacy page here for updates, and feel free to email sgallo@lakes.me with any questions or concerns.

Thank you for all that you and your members do for lakes. And thank you for your help getting this important bill out of committee!

Susan Gallo

Executive Director

Maine Lakes

SUPPORT 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.

To read the text of the bill, click here.

To see the status of the bill, including the testimony submitted so far, click here.

To sign a community letter expressing support, 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 steep fines and endless litigation.

Maine's shoreland zoning laws benefit us all, and we must ensure that they work. 

Click here to renew your membership or donate to Maine Lakes

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Maine Lake Talk Slack Channel.

Thank you for your support!