This week was an important one for the Council, as the Legislature began deliberations on the Governor’s Supplemental Budget, LD 209, which includes $2 million in funding for the early intervention of the building Spruce Budworm outbreak in northern Maine. Arguably the most important bill of the session for our industry, this bill provides the state match required to draw from the $14 million in federal funds recently included in the federal Disaster Relief bill.
This funding is critical to implement an Early Intervention Strategy (EIS) in Maine this spring to keep our forests and rural economy healthy.
On Tuesday, we were joined by our members testifying in support of the funding before a joint public hearing before the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee and the Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee. Our testimony can be found here and news coverage of the hearing can be found here. Thank you to those who were able to testify and/or submit testimony.
Thursday, the Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee held a work session on the Supplemental Budget following presentations from the Department. During the Work Session, the Maine Forest Service was able to answer questions about the funding request and the Early Intervention Strategy.
There was a rumor that surfaced during deliberations that the federal disaster funding was in jeopardy. We have received confirmation from the Senate Appropriations Committee that the rumor is false. The funding has been secured and will move forward accordingly.
Fortunately, the rumor did not influence the outcome of the work session, with the entire committee supporting the Governor’s request for emergency funding, at some level. The majority of members present (8) voted in favor of the full $2 million allocation while the minority of members present (3) voted for a $1 million allocation. We are thankful to ACF Committee members for their support.
The bill will now go back to the Appropriations Committee with a Work Session on this portion of the Supplemental Budget scheduled for Monday at 2:00 pm. Please take a moment to contact members of the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee and urge support of the majority report of LD 209 Part U. We have included our fact sheets at the bottom of this email for your reference.
Appropriations and Financial Affairs
Senator Margaret Rotundo – Chair
Margaret.Rotundo@legislature.maine.gov
Senator Sue Bernard
Susan.Bernard@Legislature.Maine.gov
Senator Cameron Reny
Cameron.Reny@Legislature.Maine.gov
Representative Drew Gattine – Chair
Andrew.Gattine@legislature.maine.gov
Representative Amy Arata
Amy.Arata@Legislature.Maine.gov
Representative Mark Blier
Mark.Blier@Legislature.Maine.gov
Representative Michael Brennan
Michael.Brennan@Legislature.Maine.gov
Representative Kristen Cloutier
Kristen.Cloutier@Legislature.Maine.gov
Representative Deqa Dhalac
Deqa.Dhalac@Legislature.Maine.gov
Representative Jack Ducharme
John.Ducharme@Legislature.Maine.gov
Representative Kenneth Fredette
Kenneth.Fredette@legislature.maine.gov
Representative Ambureen Rana
Ambureen.Rana@Legislature.Maine.gov
Representative Holly Stover
Holly.Stover@Legislature.Maine.gov
Best,
Patrick Strauch and Krysta West
Maine Forest Products Council