Good Morning from Augusta.
It has been a slow week here in Augusta as the Legislature was not in session for the February school vacation week and only two Committees (Appropriations and Transportation) conducted business so most everything ground to a halt. In the good news Department, the PLC did testify in support of renaming a bridge in honor of the late husband of one of our members (more below) in the Transportation Committee and the the Committee quickly moved to work session and approved it unanimously. With the week-long break behind us, things will heat up quickly starting next week as this is the last break the Legislature will take until the statutory date of adjournment in June.
PLC Legislative Breakfast 2023
The PLC’s 2023 Legislative Breakfast is next Thursday, March 2 from 7:00 – 8:30 am at the Governor Hill Mansion in Augusta. If you have not done so, please RSVP by clicking here, call 688-8195 or email office@maineloggers.com
Also, please personally invite your legislators to join you on March 2. It’s quick and easy and can be done with one click after you fill in your name, email address, phone number and home address.
This meet and greet opportunity is a great way to sit down and build a relationship with your state representative who could impact your business with the decisions that they make in Augusta. Make sure that they get to know you, the business you operate, the number of individuals you employee and the impact that your business has on their district. Decisions that they make could impact your business and when you call them or the PLC testifies on a bill, it’s because it could harm or help your business in the end.
Loggers need to stand shoulder to shoulder at this event and the more of you that attend, the more impactful it will be. We look forward to seeing you next week at the event!
PLC Quarterly Board Meeting
Immediately following the Legislative Breakfast, PLC’s 1st Quarter Board meeting will take place at the Governor Hill Mansion from 9 am to 1 pm. All PLC Contractor Members are invited to stay and participate in the meeting and stay for lunch. If you are able to attend, please call 688-8195 or email office@maineloggers.com to RSVP.
Other Activity
886 of the expected 2,000 bills have now progressed on the path to legislation, transitioning from an LR# (Legislative Reference - bill request) to an LD# (Legislative Document - bill reviewed and approved by the Revisor's Office) and have been referred to committees of jurisdiction by both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
I have updated our bill tracking spreadsheet so you can see the bills and the related language.
Legislative Activity February 20 – February 24, 2023
Tuesday, February 21, 2023
Public Hearing and Work Session, Transportation Committee, LD 318, Resolve, to Designate the Route 170 Bridge Located in Webster Plantation the Gary “Swampy” Worster Memorial Bridge. This bill will rename a bridge in memory of Gary “Swampy” Worster, the late husband of Hollie Raymond Worster. Hollie is the daughter of PLC Member, Terry Raymond, T Raymond Logging, Lee, Maine. The PLC testified in proud support of the bill as did Senator Trey Stewart and Hollie Raymond. There was unanimous support for the bill and the Committee quickly moved into work session and passed it out of Committee Ought to Pass. The bill will move to the floor in the coming weeks.
You can watch the public hearing and proceedings here by fast forwarding to 10:49 am.
https://legislature.maine.gov/audio/#126?event=87494&startDate=2023-02-21T10:00:00-05:00
Legislative Activity February 27 – March 3, 2023
Tuesday, February 28, 2023
Public Hearing, Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee, 1 pm LD 43, An Act to Reduce the Cost of Electricity by Removing the 100-megawatt Limit on Renewable Resources of Energy and LD 622, An Act to Create Equal Opportunity Access to Clean Energy by Removing the 100-megawatt Limit on Clean Energy Sources; Both of these bills remove the 100-megawatt maximum capacity limit for a source of electrical generation to qualify as a renewable resource for purposes of meeting the State's renewable resource portfolio requirement. These two bills are similar to numerous attempts over the last decade to provide opportunities for large hydro dams to be built in the state of Maine. These attempts will harm biomass energy and the PLC will testify in opposition.
Thursday, March 2, 2023
Public Hearing, Education and Cultural Affairs Committee, 2 pm, LD 570, Resolve, to Provide Information to Maine's School Administrators and Maine Communities About the Financial Advantages of Modern Wood Heating This resolve, sponsored by Senator Trey Stewart (R-Presque Isle), directs the Commissioner of Education to notify school administrators, school boards and communities in the State of the Efficiency Maine Trust's Thermal Energy Investment Program and the opportunity to stabilize and reduce annual school heating costs when replacing an existing fossil fuel heating system or planning the heating system for a new school building. Senator Stewart had similar legislation passed in 2019 which directed schools to consider wood heat. This resolve ensures information on financing is made available. The PLC will testify in support.
Public Hearing, Transportation Committee, 1 pm, LD 522, An Act to Require That Motor Vehicles Be Clear of Snow When Operated on Public Ways, This bill, sponsored by Rep. Bruce White (D-Waterville) prohibits a person from operating on a public way a vehicle with a load of unsecured snow or a vehicle that has naturally accumulated snow on top of the vehicle, except that, with regard to snow that has accumulated naturally, a driver may not be cited during a snowstorm and the 48-hour period after the snowstorm that took place in the area. This bill is similar to previous attempts to do the same thing. The PLC will testify in opposition.
Contact Your Representative or Senator
Don’t know who your Representative or Senator is? A complete roster, sortable by town, is available here: House Members Senators
In your message, clearly state the bill(s) you support and why each one is important to Loggers in Maine.
Introduce yourself and/or company.
- Identify the town you live in or where your business is located. If you work in multiple towns, please identify those towns (we need to show that harvesting occurs across the state);
- # employees (gross pay roll figure would be good);
- # of subcontractors your business supports (e.g. how much you spend for repairs, fuel, how many logging crews you keep busy, etc.),
- Volume of wood you move annually;
Conclude your message by thanking the Representatives for their service to the state and asking them to support these bills.
Have a great weekend and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
Best,
Dana