PLEASE NOTE: Legislative Information cannot perform research, provide legal advice, or interpret Maine law. For legal assistance, please contact a qualified attorney.
An Act To Restore Regular Mapping of Eelgrass Beds in the State
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  38 MRSA §1805  is enacted to read:
§ 1805. Eelgrass mapping
In accordance with the requirements of this section and in consultation with the Department of Marine Resources, the department shall establish and administer an eelgrass mapping program. For the purposes of this section, "eelgrass" means the flowering marine plant species Zostera marina that is primarily found in shallow, protected intertidal and subtidal locations in the State.
 
1.  Mapping procedures.     The department shall in accordance with the schedule in subsection 2 facilitate the production and update of eelgrass distribution maps for eelgrass beds within the State. The data collected and the maps produced in accordance with this section must, to the maximum extent practicable, be compatible with the State's geographic information system.
 
2.  Mapping schedule.     The mapping of eelgrass beds required under this section must be conducted in accordance with the following schedule.
 
A.  No later than November 1, 2020, mapping must be completed for that portion of the coast from Kittery to Cape Elizabeth and must be updated every 5 years thereafter.
 
B.  No later than November 1, 2021, mapping must be completed for that portion of the coast from Cape Elizabeth to Small Point and must be updated every 5 years thereafter.
 
C.  No later than November 1, 2022, mapping must be completed for that portion of the coast from Small Point to St. George and must be updated every 5 years thereafter.
 
D.  No later than November 1, 2023, mapping must be completed for that portion of the coast from St. George to the Schoodic Peninsula and must be updated every 5 years thereafter.
 
E.  No later than November 1, 2024, mapping must be completed for that portion of the coast from the Schoodic Peninsula to Eastport and must be updated every 5 years thereafter.
 
3.  Availability of data and maps.     The department shall make available on its publicly accessible website the data collected and maps produced and updated under this section.
 
4.  Report.     On or before January 1, 2021, and biennially thereafter, the department shall submit to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over environmental and natural resources matters a report summarizing the data collected and maps produced under this section and including an analysis, if available, of the changes to the eelgrass beds within the State that are demonstrated by the data collected and maps produced under this section.
 
SUMMARY
This bill directs the Department of Environmental Protection, in consultation with the Department of Marine Resources, to establish and administer a program to regularly produce and update maps regarding the distribution of eelgrass beds in the State. Data collected and maps produced under this program must be made available on the Department of Environmental Protection's publicly accessible website. The Department of Environmental Protection is directed to submit to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over environmental and natural resources matters on or before January 1, 2021, and biennially thereafter, a report on the data collected and maps produced under this program.