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Paul LePage on Environment
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Abstain from EPA petition to cut Midwest emissions
Environmental groups attacked Gov. Paul LePage for his refusal to sign a petition in favor of tough standards in nine states from which pollution affects air quality in Maine and other eastern states.Governors in eight stats--including every
New England state except Maine--have asked the US EPA to force states in the Midwest and South to reduce ozone-forming power plant emissions.
The LePage administration said Maine joined two other Ozone Protection Zone states--PA & NY--in abstaining
from the petition, in part because Maine's air is already clean enough to meet federal standards: "Maine is in attainment with federal air standards and the largest source of impacts to Maine's air is actually from mobile sources, not stationary ones.
DEP has strong reasons to believe that future state and federal pollution requirements will mean further overall emission reductions from mobile and stationary sources, and that the state will continue to meet the federal air standards."
Source: Bangor Daily News on 2014 Maine Governor race
, Dec 9, 2013
Vetoed ban on foreign workers in logging industry
Excerpts from legislation: LD 491: An Act Regarding Timber Harvesting on Land Managed by the Division of Parks and Public Lands: This bill prohibits contracting for timber harvesting on land under [public] management if the contractor
uses persons employed under the federal labor certification process for employment of foreign workers in logging for that purpose.Excerpts from veto message: This bill reflects the same policy outlined in LD 284 from the 121st
Legislature; it was vetoed by Governor Baldacci for the same reason: the bill is unconstitutional. I support Maine loggers working Maine lands. However, we must abide by our oaths to uphold the Constitutions of this State and the United States.
For these reasons, I return LD 491 unsigned and vetoed.
Legislative outcome: Rollcall #291, June 17, 2013, veto override failed Senate 18-17 (2/3 required); RC #132 May 28, 2013, passed House 85-54; Veto Sustained.
Source: Maine legislative voting records: LD 491
, Jun 14, 2013
OpEd: Pro-business assault on environmental regulations
The extent of LePage's pro-business assault on workplace and environmental regulations and social services has been breathtaking. His extreme Tea Party agenda ran into opposition even from Republican legislators,
particularly in relation to the environment. Mainers care about their forests, lakes, rivers, and coastline. LePage has not appealed to evangelicals, but his aggressive style has played well with Tea Party supporters.
Source: The Tea Party: A Brief History, by R. Formisano, p. 61
, Apr 4, 2012
Preserve shoreline, wetlands, & working forest
Preserving shoreline and wetlands is a win-win situation for both the adjoining working forest and recreation economy and the area's premier wildlife habitat.
This is the kind of highly targeted state acquisition that is enhancing Maine's expansion in the eco-economy sector.
Source: 2011 gubernatorial press release #282184
, Aug 3, 2011
Change environmental laws to replace red tape with jobs
LePage sent to the Legislature's new Joint Select Committee on Regulatory Fairness and Reform 36 sweeping changes to environmental laws. LePage's submission ignited howls of protest from environmental groups, who had met with the governor in a forum to
try to persuade him that environmental laws are good for the economy. "We are shocked and stunned," said the executive director of the Natural Resources Council of Maine, one of the state's largest and oldest environmental advocacy groups.
LePage's proposals are based on a series of "red tape workshops" that the administration is holding with chambers of commerce to identify government rules that may dampen the state's business climate. "Job creation and investment opportunities are
being lost because we do not have a fair balance between our economic interests and the need to protect the environment," LePage said in a written statement accompanying the list.
Source: Portland Press Herald on 2014 Maine gubernatorial race
, Jan 25, 2011
Stop manufacturer recycling; start cost-benefit analyses
Some of the governor's proposals for environmental reform include:Opening 10 million acres of northern Maine to development.Revise the law so that manufacturers do not have to pay to recycle their consumer products.Reverse a vote taken by the
state Board of Environmental Protection to phase out the use of bisphenol A in children's products.Making Maine's environmental laws conform to less stringent federal standards.Requiring a cost-benefit analysis for all rulemakings.
Relaxing air emissions removal standards, especially for smaller projects.Replacing the BEP with a system of administrative judges who would hear appeals of state Department of Environmental Protection staff decisions.Allowing vertical building
additions on sand dunes whether or not the entire building is on posts.Requiring the DEP to act within 30 days of receiving applications for site development permits.
Source: Portland Press Herald on 2014 Maine gubernatorial race
, Jan 25, 2011
Endorsed Targeted as "Dirty Dozen" for anti-environmentalism.
LePage is endorsed by in the "Dirty Dozen" by the League of Conservation Voters
The League of Conservation Voters (LCV)'s trademark Dirty Dozen program targets candidates for Congress--regardless of party affiliation--who consistently vote against clean energy and conservation and are running in races in which LCV has a serious chance to affect the outcome. Since 1996, more than 60 percent of the Dirty Dozen have been defeated.
Source: 2014 LCV Action Fund Senate Dirty Dozen website 14-LCV- on Aug 11, 2014
Page last updated: Nov 25, 2017