MWGO Legislative Priorities
In advance of each legislative session, the MWGO Advocacy Committee meets to identify a short list of priority bills for the organization to support or oppose, as appropriate. The committee then creates an action plan for each bill, which may include testifying before the Legislature, submitting written testimony, contacting specific legislators, educating our members about what’s at stake through social media, and communicating with our membership through email to encourage them to send messages to lawmakers.
For the short session of the 130th Legislature in 2022, the MWGO Advocacy Committee selected three priority bills. Below is a summary of each bill and MWGO’s position. If you have any questions about any of these bills or wish to read MWGO’s testimony on any of them, please contact the Advocacy Committee by emailing our Advocacy Committee:
Tribal Sovereignty
LD 1626, the bill that would restore the Wabanaki’s rights to exercise self-governance and self-determination, was arguably the most watched bill this past session. MWGO supported the bill. It was the product of many of the recommendations of the Maine Indian Claims Task Force, but progress on restoring tribal sovereignty was slow since the Task Force wrapped up its work in 2020 because of the pandemic and the complexity of the bill. The Judiciary Committee held an abbreviated public hearing on LD 1626 in 2021, and the bill was carried over. For the continuation of the public hearing on February 15 in 2022, over 1,800 people submitted supportive testimony, which may be record-breaking. The Judiciary Committee held several work sessions on the bill and ultimately an amended version was passed 8-6 by the Committee. Unfortunately, Governor Mills did not support LD 1626 as written, it lacked the 2/3 vote of the House and Senate that is necessary to override a veto, and the bill died on the Appropriations Table.
Dam Removal
Not to be confused by its title, LD 1979 is an anti-dam removal bill, and MWGO opposed it. The bill would limit the ability of state agencies to fully participate in the evaluation of the impacts of dams, preventing them from making science-based recommendations to restore rivers and fisheries. The Environment and Natural Resources Committee voted 10-3 to turn the bill into a resolve directing the Department of Environmental Protection to report back with a plan to create river management plans, which was a win for opponents of the bill, like MWGO. The amended version of LD 1979 became law on May 1.
River Reclassification
LD 1964 which MWGO supported, will update the classification of rivers and streams across Maine, as part of the state’s triennial review. The bill increases the protection of over 800 miles of waterways, including the South Branch Sandy River and its tributaries, the Androscoggin, and West Branch Penobscot River. The Environment and Natural Resources held a public hearing and work session on the bill that were fairly straightforward, and voted unanimously to pass the bill. This is a significant victory for water quality across the state and a nice way to mark the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act. The bill was strongly supported by the Legislature and signed into law on March 31.