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Committee passes LD 2187 but rejects upgrade amendment; DEP will continue to accept volunteer monitoring data
Summary
The committee voted 8–5 to pass LD 2187 as the department originally wrote it; Director Brian Kavanaaugh confirmed DEP will continue to accept volunteer monitoring data. Members split over an amendment to upgrade a segment of the Androscoggin River, and a minority report including that upgrade was filed with a proposed Dec. 31 effective date for that portion.
The Environment and Natural Resources Committee advanced LD 2187 on a majority vote after a contentious work session that included technical questions about volunteer monitoring and a prolonged debate over whether to upgrade the classification for a segment of the Androscoggin River.
Senator Martin moved that the bill as printed by the Department of Environmental Protection and the Board of Environmental Protection "ought to pass." Director Brian Kavanaaugh, bureau director for water quality, told the committee that the department can and intends to continue accepting volunteer citizen monitoring data: "Yes, we could continue to accept data from volunteers. They're an important part of our network for sampling," he said. Members who had worried that the bill might curtail volunteer sampling were satisfied by that assurance.
The more divisive debate concerned a proposed upgrade of a stretch of the lower Androscoggin (discussion in the record referred to municipal capacity, permit timing and federal preemption). Some members opposed upgrading the classification now, citing municipal wastewater costs and the risk of imposing new regulatory obligations on municipalities and small communities without adequate state or federal support. Other members, including representatives from districts along the river, said protecting river health and preventing backsliding warranted the upgrade and asked for more continuous monitoring stations.
After debate the committee voted 8–5 in favor of the original bill as printed (without the Androscoggin upgrade in the majority motion). Those who opposed the majority motion filed a minority report that includes the upgrade amendment and requested that the upgrade portion be effective Dec. 31, 2026 to give the department time to issue permits under current conditions before the upgrade takes effect.
The work session closed with the committee noting the split on the river upgrade; staff said the minority report and the majority report would be included in committee paperwork.
