AUGUSTA — A coalition of environmental groups said they were both pleased and disappointed with actions taken in the first session of the 125th Maine Legislature during a State House press conference Monday.
Maine’s Environmental Priorities Coalition, comprising 26 groups representing more than 100,000 people, praised the bipartisan efforts of lawmakers that defeated several proposals they opposed.
But the group does have concerns about some recently passed measures, said Maureen Drouin, executive director of the Maine League of Conservation Voters.
“The reality is that some real harm to our water, land and wildlife did occur and people and businesses across the state will definitely feel the negative effects for months and years to come,” she said.
She cited the elimination of the pesticide notification registry, legislation weakening the uniform building and energy efficiency code and the impending fate of the Land Use Regulation Commission, which oversees regulation of more than 10 million acres of Maine land.
State Sen. Tom Saviello, R-Wilton, and state Rep. Melissa Walsh Innes, D-Yarmouth, were both praised by the coalition for their work on the Environment and Natural Resources Committee this year and spoke at the press conference.
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