Amend the bill by inserting after the title and before the enacting clause the following:
‘Emergency preamble. Whereas, acts and resolves of the Legislature do not become effective until 90 days after adjournment unless enacted as emergencies; and
Whereas, the statutorily established Ground Water Oil Clean-up Fund and Maine Coastal and Inland Surface Oil Clean-up Fund support activities related to the cleanup of spills and discharges of oil and other hazardous materials in the State; and
Whereas, these funds are funded primarily through fees on the imports of oil into Maine, which have declined in recent years and are projected to decline further; and
Whereas, the timely integration of these 2 funds, as proposed in this legislation, will streamline and stabilize the State's oil clean-up programs, allowing the Department of Environmental Protection to effectively manage its prevention, response and remediation activities; and
Whereas, in the judgment of the Legislature, these facts create an emergency within the meaning of the Constitution of Maine and require the following legislation as immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety; now, therefore,’
Amend the bill in section 16 in §551 in the first paragraph in the 4th line (page 4, line 22 in L.D.) by striking out the following: " $15,000,000" and inserting the following: ' $18,500,000'
Amend the bill in section 16 in §551 in the first paragraph in the 8th line (page 4, line 26 in L.D.) by inserting after the following: " and to" the following: ' and subchapter 2-B'
Amend the bill in section 16 in §551 in subsection 4 in paragraph E in the 2nd line (page 8, line 35 in L.D.) by striking out the following: " $15,000,000" and inserting the following: ' $18,500,000'
Amend the bill in section 16 in §551 in subsection 4 in paragraph E in the 3rd line (page 8, line 36 in L.D.) by striking out the following: " $15,000,000" and inserting the following: ' $18,500,000'
Amend the bill in section 16 in §551 in subsection 4 in paragraph F in the 4th line (page 9, line 1 in L.D.) by inserting after the following: " except" the following: ' unrefined crude oil,'
Amend the bill in section 16 in §551 by striking out all of subsection 4-B (page 9, lines 15 to 18 in L.D.) and inserting the following:
Amend the bill in section 16 in §551 in subsection 5 in paragraph A in the 3rd line (page 9, line 23 in L.D.) by inserting after the following: "subchapter" the following: ' and subchapter 2-B'
Amend the bill in section 16 in §551 in subsection 5 in paragraph D in the 3rd line (page 9, line 36 in L.D.) by inserting after the following: " pursuant to" the following: ' section 568-A,'
Amend the bill by striking out all of sections 27 and 28 and inserting the following:
‘Sec. 27. 38 MRSA §568-A, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2013, c. 300, §11, is further amended to read:
Amend the bill in section 31 in §568-B in subsection 1 by striking out all of paragraph B and inserting the following:
‘B. Four members of the public , appointed by the Governor , . Of the 4 members, 2 of whom must have expertise in biological science, earth science, engineering, insurance or law. The 4 members may not be employed in or have a direct and substantial financial interest in the petroleum industry;’
Amend the bill in section 31 in §568-B in subsection 1 by striking out all of paragraphs E to H and inserting the following:
‘ E. One member representing marine fisheries interests appointed by the President of the Senate;
F. One member familiar with oil spill technology appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;
G. One member with expertise in coastal geology, fisheries biology or coastal wildlife habitat appointed by the President of the Senate; and
H. One member who is a licensed state pilot or a licensed merchant marine officer appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.’
Amend the bill in section 34 in the first paragraph in the 7th line (page 22, line 9 in L.D.) by striking out the following: "damages" and inserting the following: ' damages damage'
Amend the bill in section 34 in the first paragraph in the 9th line (page 22, line 11 in L.D.) by striking out the following: "reasonable" and inserting the following: ' reasonable State's'
Amend the bill by inserting after section 42 the following:
‘Sec. 43. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and allocations are made.
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, DEPARTMENT OF
Remediation and Waste Management 0247
Initiative: Transfers 20 positions, associated All Other and Capital Expenditures from the Maine Coastal and Inland Surface Oil Clean-up Fund to the Maine Ground and Surface Waters Clean-up and Response Fund.
OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS |
2015-16 |
2016-17 |
Personal Services
|
$0 |
$0 |
All Other
|
($250,000) |
($250,000) |
Capital Expenditures
|
$0 |
$0 |
|
|
|
OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS TOTAL |
($250,000) |
($250,000) |
’
Amend the bill by adding before the summary the following:
‘Emergency clause. In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this legislation takes effect when approved.’
Amend the bill by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or section number to read consecutively.
SUMMARY
This amendment adds an emergency preamble and emergency clause and retains all provisions from the bill except as follows.
1. It provides that the balance in the new Maine Ground and Surface Waters Clean-up and Response Fund is limited to $18,500,000.
2. It provides that unrefined crude oil is not subject to the funding provision for the new Maine Ground and Surface Waters Clean-up and Response Fund that allows for fee increases when the fund balance falls to $6,000,000 or less.
3. It provides additional specific fee information for reimbursement of fees imposed on transfers out of state.
4. It removes from the bill certain changes to the statutory standard deductible amounts for coverage of clean-up costs and eligible 3rd-party damage costs under the new Maine Ground and Surface Waters Clean-up and Response Fund. It eliminates from the bill the section that transfers from the Board of Environmental Protection to the Clean-up and Response Fund Review Board the authority to adopt rules to determine the standards for assessing an applicant's ability to pay the deductible with respect to the applicant's personal residence.
5. It amends certain provisions of the bill governing the appointment of members to the Clean-up and Response Fund Review Board.
The amendment also makes necessary changes to statutory cross-references and adds an appropriations and allocations section.
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED
(See attached)