Thank you to all our advocates who made a difference this session. We appreciate every single piece of testimony, every call to every legislator, and every signature on every sign-on letter. We would not have gotten as far as we did without your help. Here’s a short summary of the lake bills we followed this year.

LD 2141: An Act Regarding Enforcement of the Annual Reporting Requirement of the Laws Governing Unclaimed Beverage Container Deposits: They say that we have to celebrate the small victories, but this is a tough one. The original language of LD 2141 would have designated a small portion of unredeemed bottle deposits ($4 million out of an estimated $11-17 million) to support lake programming and farmland protection. More than 120 people submitted testimony, and many more reached out to their legislators during the frantic last weeks of the session. We knew it was going to be a tough fight, but in the end it was clear the bill would not have enough votes to pass the Senate. The bill was amended to eliminate the funding but keep important language around enforcement. This version was passed and signed into law.

The language requires initiators of deposit to report annually to the Department of Environmental Protection. Those who don’t will be prohibited from selling or distributing beverages. While it doesn’t seem like much, this change will help assure accountability for unredeemed deposits. We also now have the opportunity to find out more from those who opposed the bill.

LD 1904: An Act to Establish the Municipal Shoreline Protection Legal Fund: This bill, held over from last session, creates a state-managed legal fund to help Maine municipalities pay for costly court cases when enforcing shoreland zoning laws. Towns can draw from the fund to pursue violations, and if they win, they repay the fund using awarded legal fees. The bill was given $100,000 in initial funding from the Appropriations Committee along with added staff time from DEP to oversee the fund. Thanks to all who replied to the last-minute call to sign a letter of support. It made a difference! A huge win for towns enforcing shoreland zoning violations.

LD 646: Resolve, Establishing the Commission to Study Unmanaged Storm Water Pollution: This bill creates a commission that will issue a report by the end of 2026 covering the effects of storm water pollution on public and environmental health; strategies to improve storm water mitigation and to address pollutants of concern; strategies to address storm water pollution associated with development not effectively managed through existing rules; and barriers to policies that address storm water pollution to protect public health, water quality, essential habitats and commercially important species. Policy improvement as a result of this report will protect the future of Maine’s clean lakes.

Finding a long-term, sustainable funding source for lake protection remains a top priority for Maine Lakes and the Lake Protection Coalition. We are committed to supporting future efforts like LD 2141, and we hope you’ll join us in the years ahead.