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The bill combines
the Ground Water Oil Clean-up Fund and the Maine Coastal and Inland Surface
Water Clean-up Fund within the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)
and names the combined fund the Maine Ground and Surface Waters Clean-up and
Response Fund (Response Fund). The Response Fund will be used to respond to
oil spills and clean-up activities, repair, retrofit, replace or remove
aboveground and underground oil storage tanks, as well as undertake certain
other activities. This bill allows the Clean-up and Response Fund Review
Board to adopt rules raising fees on barrels of certain fuel if the Response
Fund's balance becomes $6,000,000 or less. These fee increases terminate when
the Response Fund's balance reaches $10,000,000. No estimate is made at this
time of the potential amount of revenue that would be generated from this fee
increase. Combining these two funds will not change the amount of revenue to
the DEP. There will be total transfers of $831,509 and $827,736 in fiscal
years 2015-16 and 2016-17, respectively, from the Response Fund for staff
time for reporting oil spills, providing the Board of Environmental
Protection with funds and other related costs. Under current law, yearly
allocations may not exceed $250,000 for certain research and development
costs and this bill places a $100,000 maximum on allocations per year. The
bill includes Other Special Revenue Funds deallocations of $250,000 in each
of fiscal years 2015-16 and 2016-17 from projected savings from combining
these funds and reducing the maximum amount allowed for allocations for
research and development. |