Monday, May 3, 2021
Environment and Natural Resources at 9:00 AM (Public Hearing)
LD 1498 An Act To Prevent Increased Heating Fuel, Natural Gas, Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Pricing in Maine by Prohibiting Adoption of Rules Limiting Greenhouse Gas Emissions

This bill makes the rules adopted by the Board of Environmental Protection, the Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Transportation to limit greenhouse gas emissions major substantive rules.  It prohibits the adoption by the Board of Environmental Protection, the Department of Environmental Protection or the Department of Transportation of a rule that limits the amount of heating fuel, natural gas, gasoline or diesel fuel sold to limit greenhouse gas emissions, that imposes a tax or requires a permitting fee to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including a tax or permitting fee that is based on the carbon emissions of any carbon-based fuels as part of a rebate or dividend program, or that causes the State to join a multistate consortium or coalition that requires the State to implement either of those policies as a condition of membership.  It also requires that a proposal to implement by legislation a policy limiting the sale of gasoline or diesel fuel to limit greenhouse gas emissions or imposing a tax or permitting fee to reduce greenhouse gas emissions may not become law without the Senate and House of Representatives approving legislation both adopting the policy and joining a multistate consortium or coalition.  It also requires that any carbon sequestration policy prioritize the offset of Maine-generated emissions.

LD 1532 An Act To Protect Maine’s Air Quality by Strengthening Requirements for Air Emissions Licensing
This bill repeals the provision that allows the Department of Environmental Protection to grant a variance from ambient air quality standards to a person who owns or is in control of specified sources for which an air emission license was granted.  It repeals the provision that prohibits the Commissioner of Environmental Protection from requiring a person to submit more than one copy of ambient monitoring data or meteorological data more frequently than quarterly. This bill also:

  1. Creates new hearing requirements for applications for air emission licenses or renewals;
  2. Creates new civil penalties for violation of air emission standards and requires any penalties recovered to be transferred to the municipality where the violation occurred;
  3. Prohibits the department from granting a license when certain requirements are not met; and
  4. Changes the term of an air emission license to 3 years, except when the term is specified in federal law as a fixed term.

State and Local Government at 9:00 AM (Public Hearing)
LD 1256 An Act Requiring Climate Impact Notes on Proposed Legislation and Agency Rules
This bill requires a climate impact note on every rule proposed by a state agency and on all legislation that would have an apparent significant climate impact if implemented.

Wednesday, May 5, 2021
Environment and Natural Resources at 10:00 AM (Public Hearing)
LD 640
An Act To Ban Single-serving, Disposable Plastic Water Bottles
This bill prohibits the sale, offering for sale and distribution for promotional purposes of uncarbonated, unflavored drinking water in containers of one liter or less that are made of plastic, except for the immediate preservation of public health or safety during an event for which a Governor’s state of emergency proclamation has been issued.

LD 1367 An Act To Create a Grant Program To Promote Innovation in Municipal Carbon Reduction Initiatives

This bill establishes the Maine Municipal Carbon Reduction Initiatives Program for the purpose of providing competitive grants for towns and cities to help fund technology and innovation projects that will reduce carbon emissions and that are in line with Maine’s climate action plan.

LD 1467 An Act To Promote a Circular Economy through Increased Post-consumer Recycled Plastic Content in Plastic Beverage Containers
This bill provides that, beginning January 1, 2026, a manufacturer of beverages in plastic beverage containers may not sell, offer for sale or distribute for sale in the State a plastic beverage container unless the total number of plastic beverage containers sold, offered for sale or distributed for sale in the State by that manufacturer contains, on average and in the aggregate, at least 25% post-consumer recycled plastic.  That post-consumer recycled plastic requirement increases to 30% post-consumer recycled plastic beginning January 1, 2031.  The bill also requires the Department of Environmental Protection to administer and enforce these provisions and authorizes the department to assess administrative penalties against a noncompliant manufacturer based on the weight, in pounds, of plastic beverage containers sold by that manufacturer that are not in compliance.

State and Local Government at 10:00 AM (Work Session)
LD 1472 An Act To Require Legislative Approval for the State’s Participation in Compacts, Programs and Agreements Regarding Transportation and Climate Change
This bill provides that the State or any state agency may not participate in an interjurisdictional compact, program or agreement regarding transportation and climate change unless that participation is approved by the Legislature.

Thursday, May 6, 2021
Tax at 10:00 AM (Public Hearing)
LD 1443 An Act Regarding Higher Income Tax Levels
This bill establishes 5 new tax brackets for income exceeding $100,000 for persons filing as single individuals or married individuals filing separately, $150,000 for individuals filing as head of household and $200,000 for individuals filing married joint returns or surviving spouses.

LD 1500 An Act To Bring Equity to Maine’s Tax Law by Adjusting Certain Individual Income Tax Rates
This bill changes the individual income tax brackets to provide 4 brackets rather than 3.  The bill adds a new bracket of 12.4% on taxable income exceeding $200,000 for single individuals and married persons filing separately, $300,000 for heads of households and $400,000 for individuals filing married joint returns and surviving spouses.

Friday, May 7, 2021
Health and Human Services at 9:00 AM (Public Hearing)
LD 1550,  “An Act To End the Sale of Flavored Tobacco Products”.
This bill would prohibit the sale any type of flavored tobacco including menthol cigarettes.

Labor and Housing at 9:00 AM (Public Hearing)
LD 1559 Resolve, To Create the Commission To Develop a Paid Family and Medical Leave Benefits Program
This resolve establishes the Commission To Develop a Paid Family and Medical Leave Benefits Program.  It requires the State Controller to transfer $200,000 from available balances in Other Special Revenue Funds accounts within the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation to the General Fund unappropriated surplus to support the duties of the commission.

Environment and Natural Resources at 9:00 AM (Public Hearing)
LD 1567 An Act To Equitably Fund Maine’s Climate Change Mitigation Efforts

This bill establishes the Maine Climate Change Equitable Mitigation Fund, a nonlapsing, revolving fund administered by the Department of Environmental Protection to carry out the purposes of the climate action plan adopted pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 38, section 577.  The fund is funded through fees collected pursuant to Title 38, section 551 on crude oil and certain petroleum products, including home heating oils and gasoline transferred within the State.  The use of the money in the fund is subject to various restrictions, and money in the fund may be disbursed only for the cost of fund administration, grants awarded to municipalities or counties for climate change assessments and risk mitigation, loans or grants awarded to community action agencies to supplement existing Efficiency Maine Trust programs for low-income individuals and families and associated administrative expenses, transfers to the Department of Transportation for climate-related programs and projects and transfers to the Efficiency Maine Trust for programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  The bill permits the Department of Environmental Protection to adopt routine technical rules for the administration of the fund.