An Act To Better Understand and Control Invasive Aquatic Plants and Nuisance Species
Sec. 1. 12 MRSA §10206, sub-§6, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 414, Pt. A, §2 and affected by c. 614, §9, is amended to read:
Sec. 2. 12 MRSA §13058, sub-§3, as repealed and replaced by PL 2013, c. 580, §3, is amended to read:
The remainder of the fee is disposed as follows:
A motorboat, personal watercraft or seaplane owned by the Federal Government, a state government or a municipality is exempt from the fee established in this subsection or in subsection 4.
Sec. 3. 12 MRSA §13058, sub-§4 is enacted to read:
Sec. 4. Study to better understand and control invasive aquatic plants and nuisance species. The Commissioner of Environmental Protection and the Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, in cooperation with the Interagency Task Force on Invasive Aquatic Plants and Nuisance Species established under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 38, section 1871, jointly shall facilitate a study of the State's efforts to prevent the infestation of, to control, to eradicate and to otherwise manage invasive aquatic plants and nuisance species in the waters of the State through the program implemented under Title 38, chapter 20-A. The study must, at a minimum:
1. Evaluate the effectiveness of the program in addressing issues relating to invasive aquatic plants and nuisance species;
2. Identify areas in which the program could be improved to more effectively address issues relating to invasive aquatic plants and nuisance species in the State;
3. Review the financial and operational needs of the program and identify all funding sources and other resources available to the program; and
4. Based on the financial and operational needs of and resources currently available to the program, determine the additional amount of funding, if any, necessary to ensure the long-term viability and success of the program as well as any recommendations for acquiring that additional amount of funding, including, but not limited to:
The Commissioner of Environmental Protection and the Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife jointly may agree to contract with a 3rd-party entity to conduct the study described under this section. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary in Title 12, section 10257 or Title 38, section 1863, the Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife may cover the actual costs to each agency of conducting or contracting for the study described under this section with the fee revenues collected and deposited into the Invasive Aquatic Plant and Nuisance Species Fund and the Lake and River Protection Fund pursuant to Title 12, section 13058, subsections 3 and 4.
Sec. 5. Report to Legislature; authority to report out bill. On or before January 15, 2018, the Commissioner of Environmental Protection and the Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife jointly shall submit to the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources and the Joint Standing Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife a report detailing the findings and recommendations of the study conducted under section 4, including any draft legislation, relating to the program to prevent the infestation of, to control, to eradicate and to otherwise manage invasive aquatic plants and nuisance species in the waters of the State implemented under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 38, chapter 20-A. The Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources may, in consultation with the Joint Standing Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, report out a bill relating to the report to the Second Regular Session of the 128th Legislature.
SUMMARY
This bill temporarily increases by $1 the annual fee for the lake and river protection sticker required under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 12, section 13058. The additional revenue from this increased fee may be used to fund a study of the State’s efforts to prevent the infestation of, to control, to eradicate and to otherwise manage invasive aquatic plants and nuisance species in the waters of the State through the program implemented under Title 38, chapter 20-A. The bill directs the Commissioner of Environmental Protection and the Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, in cooperation with the Interagency Task Force on Invasive Aquatic Plants and Nuisance Species, to facilitate this study, which must, among other things, identify the additional amount of funding, if any, necessary to ensure the long-term viability and success of the statutory program as well as recommendations for acquiring that additional amount of funding.
On or before January 15, 2018, the Commissioner of Environmental Protection and the Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife jointly are required to submit a report to the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources and the Joint Standing Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife detailing the findings and recommendations of the study, including any draft legislation, and the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, in consultation with the Joint Standing Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, may report out a bill relating to the report to the Second Regular Session of the 128th Legislature.