‘Resolve, To Protect Maine's Beaches and Shoreline’

‘Sec. 1. Department of Environmental Protection; review of Integrated Beach Management Program Working Group Report. Resolved: That the Department of Environmental Protection shall review the report titled "Integrated Beach Management Program Working Group Report," dated January 2017 and submitted to the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources in the First Regular Session of the 128th Legislature pursuant to Resolve 2015, chapter 66, and the specific recommendations for legislative, regulatory or other actions contained in that report. In coordination with the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, the Department of Environmental Protection shall identify and, where necessary and appropriate, develop strategies, legislation or other actions to assist municipalities in the mitigation of coastal erosion in the State and to keep the State's beaches healthy for protection against storms, for habitat protection for coastal wildlife species and for recreational uses, including:

1. A state program, to be managed by relevant state agencies, that is designed to provide technical assistance to coastal municipalities in the management of coastal erosion issues and in the development and implementation of beach and shoreline management projects. The program must be designed to prioritize the provision of technical assistance to those coastal municipalities whose beaches and shoreline are most severely affected by coastal erosion, sea level rise and storm surges;

2. Proposals to support the identification and mapping of upland and marine sources of sand or sediment suitable for beach nourishment activities that are potentially available for such use by coastal municipalities, as well as proposals for the development and implementation of an expedited, streamlined and cost-effective state permitting or approval process to facilitate the removal of such sand or sediment by municipalities for beach nourishment purposes;

3. A comprehensive state beach nourishment policy that incorporates specific implementation strategies for beach nourishment activities and that identifies specific criteria for prioritizing beach nourishment projects based on the severity of the effects on a coastal beach of sea level rise and storm surges; and

4. A comprehensive state beach management program that includes identification of the funding sources that are necessary and available to successfully fund beach management projects under the program. In developing the program, the Department of Environmental Protection shall, at a minimum, review similar programs implemented by other coastal states, including, but not limited to, the Florida Beach Management Funding Assistance Program.

Sec. 2. Report to Legislature. Resolved: That, no later than January 15, 2021, the Department of Environmental Protection shall report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over environment and natural resources matters its findings and recommendations under section 1, including any proposed legislation necessary to implement those recommendations. The joint standing committee may report out legislation to the First Regular Session of the 130th Legislature relating to the department's findings and recommendations.’