Sec. B-1. Bay management study. The Land and Water Resources Council established in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, section 3331, referred to in this Part as "the council," shall undertake a study of bay management. The intent of this study is to explore and document potential new and innovative concepts for the management of Maine's embayments through a 2-year pilot initiative.
Sec. B-2. Study oversight. The council shall begin the study no later than September 1, 2004. The study must be carried out under the direction of the council with work performed by an interagency staff work group with input from a project steering committee. The project steering committee must include members of the public with expertise in relevant fields of interest such as marine resources, fisheries, natural resource conservation, aquaculture, economic development, planning, tourism and marine recreation uses.
Sec. B-3. Staffing assistance; technical assistance. The Executive Department, State Planning Office and the Department of Marine Resources shall provide staff services to the council. The council may also seek or contract for technical assistance from any other agency or institution and any individual or group that it determines appropriate to support the study.
Sec. B-4. Issues to be considered. In developing its recommendations on bay management, the council shall:
1. Establish definitions, principles, goals and objectives for bay management in the State;
2. Drawing on national and international examples, define a range of approaches for bay management that is feasible for use in Maine;
3. Establish clear criteria and standards for bay management, including guidelines to inform voluntary planning efforts by citizen groups;
4. Identify data and information needs, mapping needs and information transfer needs for bay management;
5. Identify authorities that govern near-shore waters and identify changes needed to regulatory structures, including but not limited to statutes, regulations and grant programs;
6. Identify opportunities to create limited local authority for bay management; and
7. Identify state, local and volunteer resources and capacity needed for bay management.
Sec. B-5. Pilot projects. The council shall create one or more pilot projects of limited duration in a representative region or regions of the State where groups of marine resources users and other affected stakeholders investigate and discuss desired uses for specific land and water areas and determine methods for resolution of user conflicts. The council shall use the results of these pilot projects to shape the council's recommendations for bay management efforts.
Sec. B-6. Public meetings. When held, council meetings are open to the public for purposes of public input. The interagency staff work group shall meet to the extent necessary to fulfill its duties, including but not limited to work on pilot projects, in different regions of the State expressly for the purpose of receiving public comment and testimony on its work.
Sec. B-7. Reports. The interagency staff work group with the assistance of the project steering committee shall submit reports and updates on its work to the council as determined by the council. The council shall submit an interim report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over marine resources matters no later than January 15, 2006 updating the committee on the status and progress of the council's work. The council shall submit its final report and recommendations to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over marine resources matters no later than January 15, 2007.
Sec. B-8. Funding. The Director of the State Planning Office shall use funds from the State Planning Office's existing resources and other outside sources for the costs incurred in carrying out the purposes of this Part.
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