Sad Day for Northern Maine (Kittery, Greenville: how much, gated, utilities)

[Submariner]

This puts one person from each county onto the board, so we may now begin to see representation for our taxation.

This shifts focus to both conservation and economic development [which stops rural cleansing, it stops the 'no-human-presence' and 'primitive-use-only' language that LURC loved so much].

This requires that they accept local input from Mainers.

This requires that the board leave Augusta, and actually visit the UTs.

This requires them to identify areas of the UT for economic investment and job creation.

Grid-scale wind projects in the UT now will now be reviewed by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.

Regulation of forestry activities in the UT will be handled by the Maine Forest Service.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by Kristin85

What are the immediate and long-term repercussions of the abolishment of the LURC? Immediate changes to building/forestry restrictions and long-term changes to land sales?

No instead of being focused so much of 'primitive use only' they will be required to also allow development.

Forestry operations are taken from the board and given to the Forestry Department.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by Missing_The_Greatland

Is this the first step in LePage's plan to zone 10 million acres of northern Maine for development (info taken from Wikipedia, so I'm not sure of the reliability)? I understand the need for responsible development and also the need for jobs, but is this what Mainers want?

I'm asking because I am in the process of moving to your lovely state and just trying to understand what to anticipate. I noticed that the "Welcome to Maine" signs were amended with the "Open for Business" slogan just beneath "The Way Life Should Be" slogan. Does Maine really want to take the same path as the rest of the east coast? Very sad, IMHO.

There needs to be a balance.

Not simply cleansing all humans from Northern Maine as LURC had so badly wanted.

Now people will be able to stay.

Some groups like 'Maine Guides' got hammered hard in this action. They were lobbying hard for 'primitive-use only' and wide corridors of conservation for wildlife only zones.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by Northern Maine Land Man

This is a huge victory for the environmental industry. It freezes the hated CLUP in place. The CLUP is the Comprehensive Land Use Plan. It has designated less than one percent of the ten million acres they govern for development. Any guesses who owns that one percent? It is owned by the environmental industry. The old line families who own timberland in Maine are out of luck. The Devil is in the details. The Devil won.

It says within it that the old CLUP must be re-worded to comply with the new focus of allowing human presence.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

It's 77,000 per year for the last 70 years. The problem is that LURC has ruled that less than one percent of what they rule can be developed. Did you catch the brass ring? Is your land inside their colored line where they think somebody could build camps? If not, you are out of luck. The law was signed today.

The CLUP is supposed to be updated every 10 years. Last time they finally got around to it after 14 years and they made it much more restrictive.

[Three Wolves In Snow]

Am I understanding this correctly:

Basically this is saying that they are able to go in to those areas, cut things down and put up McMansions?

Is that what I'm reading?

If so, $&*(#$@!!!! One of the main reasons I moved up here was because it's NOT like that!

[reloop]

Originally Posted by Three Wolves In Snow

Am I understanding this correctly:

Basically this is saying that they are able to go in to those areas, cut things down and put up McMansions?

Is that what I'm reading?

If so, $&*(#$@!!!! One of the main reasons I moved up here was because it's NOT like that!

We've prostituted ourselves as "Vacationland" for so long that we're now more fully reaping what we've sown.

This is speaking as a native Mainer who can't afford the taxes on a camp currently up for sale in our family.

I'd buy it in a minute if the taxes on that 1 bedroom/loft camp with lake frontage weren't literally within hundreds of what they are on my 4 bedroom split-level suburban ranch.

At least the lot comes with it and isn't on some land baron's 'about to be turned into a nature preserve, so take your cabins and get out!" land.

[retiredtinbender]

Originally Posted by reloop

We've prostituted ourselves as "Vacationland" for so long that we're now more fully reaping what we've sown.

This is speaking as a native Mainer who can't afford the taxes on a camp currently up for sale in our family.

I'd buy it in a minute if the taxes on that 1 bedroom/loft camp with lake frontage weren't literally within hundreds of what they are on my 4 bedroom split-level suburban ranch.

At least the lot comes with it and isn't on some land baron's 'about to be turned into a nature preserve, so take your cabins and get out!" land.

I remember when camps, at least around here, were more storage sheds with a few bunks in them and a place to cook inside. Now they have frost walls, indoor plumbing (beats fighting skunks and porcupines I guess) and crown moulding all around. And, a 12x20 storage sheds out back for the gear.

[Badfish740]

Originally Posted by retiredtinbender

I remember when camps, at least around here, were more storage sheds with a few bunks in them and a place to cook inside. Now they have frost walls, indoor plumbing (beats fighting skunks and porcupines I guess) and crown moulding all around. And, a 12x20 storage sheds out back for the gear.

As someone "from away" who's trying to make sense of all of this I'm trying to figure out whether this means that Maine will or will not be a place for what you're talking about anymore. All we want is to buy a piece of land and put up a three season place off the grid with primitive accommodations. Is this legislation going to make that type of thing easier or harder?

[Coaster]

Originally Posted by Badfish740

As someone "from away" who's trying to make sense of all of this I'm trying to figure out whether this means that Maine will or will not be a place for what you're talking about anymore. All we want is to buy a piece of land and put up a three season place off the grid with primitive accommodations. Is this legislation going to make that type of thing easier or harder?

I hate to equivocate, but a lot depends on how/who the board is constituted and what sort of policy it promulgates to the staff. It may take a year or more before the final direction is known.

Obviously the legislature and governor are determined to remove as much responsibility from the new agency as possible. The bill moves all wind power projects to DEP jurisdiction, just as the new mining bill cut LURC out of the picture entirely and moved all mine permitting to DEP.

Note that the executive director of LURC is not a political appointee, while the DEP commissioner answers directly to the governor and is appointed by the governor.