The 2nd session of the 131st Legislature adjourned on Thursday morning, April 18, 2024.
Watch a recording of NRCM's 2024 Legislative Session Wrap-up webinar on our YouTube channel.
NRCM reviews every bill being considered by the Maine Legislature to determine which ones deserve support and which ones should be opposed based on their potential impact on Maine’s environment. This page is updated throughout the legislative session to provide you with the latest status and background information on the priority bills that we are following. Bookmark this page to stay informed about public hearings, opportunities to take action, read NRCM testimony, and more.
| 2024 Priority Issue | NRCM Position | Status Update & Actions to Take |
|---|---|---|
| Investing in trails statewide through a Maine Trails Bond (LD 1156) | Support | Governor Mills signed bill into law on April 22, 2024. The Maine Trails Bond will now appear on the November ballot. Read NRCM testimony. Read fact sheet. Learn more about the Maine Trails Bond. |
| Recognizing the inherent sovereignty of the Wabanaki Nations (LD 2007) Note: bill was amended to become "An Act Regarding the Criminal Jurisdiction of Tribal Courts and to Extend the Time for the Penobscot Nation to Certify Its Agreement to Public Law 2023, Chapter 369" | Support | Governor Mills signed bill into law on April 22, 2024. To learn more about the Wabanaki Alliance and their work, visit their website. Read NRCM testimony. |
| Customer costs and environmental & health effects of natural gas (LD 2077) | Support | Passed to be engrossed as amended by both House and Senate. Read NRCM testimony. |
How You Can Get Involved
- Sign up for NRCM's Action Network to receive action alerts to make your voice heard when legislators need to hear from you.
- To testify at a public hearing online or in person visit mainelegislature.org/testimony. For tips on how to testify visit our Take Action Toolkit.
- Watch public hearings at committees online live or you can attend the hearing in person.
As other bills are printed that NRCM staff are tracking, we’ll update the table below so you can take action and stay in the know.
| 2024 Bill Information & Summary | NRCM Position | Status Update & Actions to Take |
|---|---|---|
| Provide free access to State Parks for Indigenous people (LD 25) | Support | Bill passed to be enacted by the House on February 1 and the Senate on February 6. Placed on appropriations table on February 6. Read NRCM testimony. Read Portland Press Herald article. |
| Establish zero-emission vehicle-to-grid pilot program for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles (LD 122) | Support | Governor Mills signed the bill into law on March 14, 2024. Read NRCM testimony. |
| Funding for Maine Climate Corps (LD 142) | Support | Bill carried over to 2024 and placed on appropriations table Read NRCM testimony. |
| Ensure recyclability labeling of plastic containers and plastic packaging materials (LD 295) | Support | Governor Mills signed the bill into law on April 2, 2024. Read NRCM testimony. |
| Reduces the need for plastic water bottles by installing water refilling stations in schools (LD 957) | Support | Bill became law without governor's signature on January 7, 2024 Read NRCM testimony. |
| Create a Forest Advisory Board to bring together a variety of viewpoints to share information, facilitate public input, and look at the forest comprehensively (LD 993) | Support | Bill carried over to 2024 and placed on appropriations table Read NRCM testimony. |
| Establishes goals and requirements to reduce and divert food waste in Maine (LD 1009) | Support | House and Senate both passed to be engrossed as amended, and bill now placed on appropriations table Read NRCM testimony. |
| Balance renewable energy development and natural and working land conservation (LD 1227) | Support | Bill carried over to 2024 legislative session and placed on appropriations table Read NRCM testimony. |
| Extend funding for the Land for Maine's Future program (LD 1285) | Support | Bill carried over to 2024 legislative session and placed on appropriations table Read NRCM testimony. |
| Have State add water refill stations in State buildings (LD 1418) | Support | Bill placed in legislative dead files. No further action on this bill. Read NRCM testimony. |
| Amend tariff rates and billing credits under Net Energy Billing (LD 1465) | Oppose | Bill placed in legislative dead files. No further action on this bill. Read NRCM testimony. |
| Changes to Chapter 200, Maine's mining rules (LD 1471) | Support | Governor Mills signed Resolve on April 16, 2024 Read NRCM testimony. |
| An Act Regarding Environmental Justice (LD 1621) | Support | Bill is carried over to 2024 and placed on appropriations table Read NRCM testimony. |
| Protect Maine's Solid Waste Hierarchy by not allowing "advanced recycling" technologies to count as recycling (LD 1660) | Support | Bill became law without the Governor's signature on March 5, 2024 Read NRCM testimony. |
| Create Maine experiential education program (LD 1682) | Support | Bill is carried over to 2024 and placed on appropriations table Read NRCM testimony. |
| Changes to eligibility for Tree Growth Tax program (LD 1685) | Oppose | Bill was placed in legislative dead file on February 13, 2024, with no further action to be taken. Read NRCM testimony. |
| Establish a clean hydrogen pilot program (LD 1775) | Oppose | Governor Mills signed the bill into law on March 19, 2024. Read NRCM testimony. |
| Establish an outdoor school for all Maine students program (LD 1817) | Support | Bill is carried over to 2024 and placed on appropriations table Read NRCM testimony. |
| Advance Maine's clean energy goals (LD 1830) | Support | Bill was placed in legislative dead file on January 3, 2024, with no further action to be taken. Read NRCM testimony. |
| Future of clean energy transmission in Northern Maine (LD 1963) | Support | House and Senate passed amended bill to be enacted on April 16. Read NRCM testimony. |
| Allow businesses to provide food in reusable containers and be able to receive them back to sanitize and reuse (LD 2091) | Support | Governor Mills signed the bill into law on March 6, 2024. Read NRCM testimony. |
| Shoreland zoning protections (LD 2101) | Support | Governor Mills signed bill into law on April 9, 2024. Read NRCM testimony |
| Responsibility for activities to increase use of refillable and reusable beverage containers (LD 2134) | Neither For Nor Against | Governor Mills signed bill into law on March 6, 2024. Read NRCM testimony. |
| Enhance utility performance-based ratemaking (LD 2172) | Support | Bill placed in legislative dead file on April 1. No further action on this bill. Read NRCM testimony |
| Bill related to heat pump program at Efficiency Maine (LD 2206) | Oppose | Bill placed in legislative dead files. No further action on this bill. |
| Move decisions on emissions rules from the Board of Environmental Protection to the Legislature (LD 2261) | Oppose | Governor Mills signed bill into law on April 12, 2024. Read NRCM testimony. |
Committee Abbreviations & Meeting Rooms: We have included which legislative committee will hear each bill below. Here are the abbreviations and the full committee names, as well as the room in which each committee meets:
- ACF Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee (Room 214 Cross Office Building)
- ENR Environment and Natural Resources Committee (Room 216 Cross Office Building)
- EUT Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee (Room 211 Cross Office Building)
- IFW Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (Room 206 Cross Office Building)
Be sure to stay informed about important actions on bills affecting Maine's environment by signing up for NRCM's Action Network. You will be able to take action at a moment's notice on bills related to Maine's air, land, water, and wildlife.
To view past years' legislative bill information, see green footer below.
Read all past testimony by NRCM staff.
Banner photo: Maine State House, Augusta. Photo by Beth Comeau
