Source: https://www.fishwildlife.org/law-research-library/law-categories/endangered-species/endangered-species-habitat-provisions-maine
Timestamp: 2019-07-18 01:24:21
Document Index: 67930326

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 12804', '§ 544', '§ 480', '§ 12760', '§ 1868', '§ 480', '§ 480', '§ 480', '§ 6207', '§ 544', '§ 480']

Endangered Species - Habitat Provisions - Maine :: Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies
2. Habitat.--For species designated as endangered or threatened under this subchapter the commissioner may by rule identify areas currently or historically providing physical or biological features essential to the conservation of the species and that may require special management considerations. Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A...
Citation: 12 M.R.S.A. § 12804.
1. Establishment.-- The Natural Areas Program is established within the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry and is administered by the commissioner...
3. Functions of the Natural Areas Program. The Natural Areas Program shall perform the following functions.
A. The Natural Areas Program shall conduct an ongoing, statewide inventory of the State's natural areas, including, but not limited to, rare plants, animals, natural communities and ecosystems or other geological, hydrological, natural historical, scenic or other similar features, and may conduct investigations related to the population, habitat needs, limiting factors and other biological and ecological data to support the mandates of the Natural Areas Program or other cooperating agencies.
B. The Natural Areas Program shall maintain a biological and conservation database that must contain data from inventories and other data sources and other relevant biological, ecological or other information about natural features described in paragraph A and about ecologically significant sites that harbor these features. Information contained in the biological and conservation database may be made available as necessary or appropriate for conservation and land use planning, environmental review, scientific research and inquiry, education or other appropriate use. For the purpose of this paragraph, an appropriate use is one that will not jeopardize sensitive species or habitats.
C. The Natural Areas Program may coordinate inventory and data management and planning activities with other appropriate state agencies or entities to maximize efficiency and increase communication among agencies and to provide appropriate data interpretation and technical services to support the mandates and programs of those agencies.
D. The Natural Areas Program may levy appropriate charges to those using, for commercial gain, the inventory and information services provided by the Natural Areas Program to recover the costs of providing the services and a reasonable portion of the costs associated with building and maintaining the biological and conservation database. Charges must be fixed in a schedule prepared and revised as necessary by the Natural Areas Program and supported and explained by accompanying information.
E. The Natural Areas Program may enter into cooperative agreements with federal or state agencies, political subdivisions of this State or private persons or organizations to receive or disburse funds for the purposes of this subchapter.
F. The Natural Areas Program shall maintain a database of areas designated as ecological reserves as defined in section 1801, subsection 4-A and other public lands designated and managed for equivalent purposes and shall provide scientific review of areas on state land proposed as ecological reserves.
G. The Natural Areas Program shall provide staff assistance to support the Land for Maine's Future Board established under Title 5, chapter 353.
Citation: 12 M.R.S.A. § 544.
1. General permit.-- An individual permit is not required for the alteration of freshwater wetlands to cultivate cranberries as long as the provisions of this section are met.
2. Requirements.-- An application must be filed with the department and must meet the following requirements.
A. The application must contain written certification by a knowledgeable professional that the cranberry cultivation project will not be located in a wetland that has one or more of the following characteristics:...
(3) Contains endangered or threatened plant species as defined in Title 12, section 544...
(5) Contains any of the following resources:
(a) Habitat for species appearing on the official state or federal lists of endangered or threatened species when there is evidence that the species is present...
Citation: 38 M.R.S.A. § 480-U.
4. Initiation of fishway proceedings. The commissioner and the Commissioner of Marine Resources shall initiate proceedings to consider construction, repair or alteration of fishways in existing dams or other artificial obstructions whenever the commissioners determine that one or more of the following conditions may exist:...
B. Fish passage at the dam or obstruction in issue is necessary to protect or enhance rare, threatened or endangered fish species...
6. Decision. In the event that the commissioner and the Commissioner of Marine Resources decide that a fishway should be constructed, repaired, altered or maintained pursuant to this section, the commissioners shall issue final orders with specific plans and descriptions of the fishway construction, alteration, repair or maintenance requirements, the conditions of the use of the fishway and the time and manner required for fishway operation. The commissioners may issue a decision requiring the owners, lessees or other persons in control of the dam or obstruction to construct, repair, alter or maintain a fishway. Such a decision must be supported by a finding based on evidence submitted to the commissioners that either of the following conditions exist:...
B. The construction, alteration, repair or maintenance of a fishway is necessary to protect or enhance rare, threatened or endangered fish species. In the event that the commissioners decide that a fishway should not be constructed, the commissioners shall specify in that decision a period not to exceed 5 years subsequent to that decision during which a fishway may not be required to be constructed...
Citation: 12 M.R.S.A. § 12760.
1. Site identification process.-- No later than December 15, 2009, following consultation with the Department of Environmental Protection, the Public Utilities Commission, the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, the Maine Land Use Planning Commission, the Department of Marine Resources, the Maine Historic Preservation Commission and the University of Maine System and opportunity for public comment, the department shall identify and map up to 5 specific offshore wind energy test areas. An offshore wind energy test area identified under this subsection must be a geographic area on state-owned submerged lands suitable for offshore wind energy demonstration projects constructed and operated in accordance with Title 38, section 480-HH. In identifying each such area, the department must consider existing information regarding pertinent ecological, environmental, social and development-related factors, including but not limited to:...
B. Potential adverse effects on species listed as threatened or endangered under section 6975 or section 12803, subsection 3; avian species, including seabirds, passerines, raptors, shorebirds, water birds and waterfowl; bats; and marine mammals...
3. Modification of identified offshore wind energy test areas.-- Following the identification of offshore wind energy test areas under subsection 1, the department may, following notice and opportunity for public comment, add to, remove or other otherwise modify the list of offshore wind energy test areas identified under subsection 1. In making modifications under this subsection, the department is subject to the site identification criteria under subsection 1, except that modifications under this subsection may result in more than 5 identified areas.
4. Judicial review.-- The identification of an offshore wind energy test area or areas under subsection 1 or subsection 3 constitutes final agency action.
Citation: 12 M.R.S.A. § 1868.
...2. General permit.-- A person may apply for a general permit for an offshore wind energy demonstration project in accordance with this section. If a general permit is granted pursuant to this section, a permit is not required under section 480-C for the construction and operation of an offshore wind energy demonstration project.
3. Application requirements.-- An applicant for a general permit must file with the department an application that contains:...
(7) Provisions for filing an annual report with the department describing the monitoring results and any recommendations for modifying the generating facilities or other project elements, or commencing the approved project removal plan, if necessary to minimize adverse effects on natural resources identified pursuant to plans required under this section. Thirty days prior to submission of the report to the department, the applicant shall provide a draft of the report to the Department of Marine Resources, the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service and shall include in the annual report any comments from those agencies and the applicant's responses to them...
G. A project removal plan that the applicant will, at its expense, initiate within 60 days of expiration or termination of a general permit granted pursuant to this section and that provides for:...
(3) Monitoring the effects of the removal activities on species listed as threatened or endangered species in Title 12, section 6975 or Title 12, section 12803, subsection 3 and marine resources both during and subsequent to completion of removal activities.
Citation: 38 M.R.S.A. § 480-HH.
1. General permit.-- A general permit is required for the alteration of a freshwater, nontidal stream to construct an agricultural irrigation pond. If the provisions of this section are met, an individual permit is not required.
2. Eligibility criteria.-- The following eligibility criteria must be met...
C. The pond may not be located in a wetland containing endangered or threatened plant species as determined pursuant to Title 12, section 544-B, subsection 3 or containing a natural community that is imperiled (S2) or critically imperiled (S1) as defined by the Natural Areas Program pursuant to Title 12, section 544.
Citation: 38 M.R.S.A. § 480-Y.
The department shall grant a permit upon proper application and upon such terms as it considers necessary to fulfill the purposes of this article. The department shall grant a permit when it finds that the applicant has demonstrated that the proposed activity meets the standards set forth in subsections 1 to 11, except that when an activity requires a permit only because it is located in, on or over a community public water system primary protection area the department shall issue a permit when it finds that the applicant has demonstrated that the proposed activity meets the standards set forth in subsections 2 and 5...
3. Harm to habitats; fisheries.-- The activity will not unreasonably harm any significant wildlife habitat, freshwater wetland plant habitat, threatened or endangered plant habitat, aquatic or adjacent upland habitat, travel corridor, freshwater, estuarine or marine fisheries or other aquatic life.
In determining whether there is unreasonable harm to significant wildlife habitat, the department may consider proposed mitigation if that mitigation does not diminish in the vicinity of the proposed activity the overall value of significant wildlife habitat and species utilization of the habitat and if there is no specific biological or physical feature unique to the habitat that would be adversely affected by the proposed activity. For purposes of this subsection, “mitigation” means any action taken or not taken to avoid, minimize, rectify, reduce, eliminate or compensate for any actual or potential adverse impact on the significant wildlife habitat, including the following:
A. Avoiding an impact altogether by not taking a certain action or parts of an action;
B. Minimizing an impact by limiting the magnitude, duration or location of an activity or by controlling the timing of an activity;
C. Rectifying an impact by repairing, rehabilitating or restoring the affected environment;
D. Reducing or eliminating an impact over time through preservation and maintenance operations during the life of the project; or
E. Compensating for an impact by replacing the affected significant wildlife habitat.
Citation: 38 M.R.S.A. § 480-D.
1. Distribution of funds.-- The board shall authorize the distribution of funds from the Land for Maine's Future Fund and the Public Access to Maine Waters Fund to state agencies and cooperating entities for the acquisition of natural lands that meet the criteria set forth in this chapter.
2. Determination of state significance.-- In determining whether a proposed acquisition must be funded, in full or in part, by the Land for Maine's Future Fund or the Public Access to Maine Waters Fund, the board shall consider whether the site is of state significance and:...
B. Is habitat for plant or animal species or natural communities considered rare, threatened or endangered in the State...
3. Priorities.--Whenever possible, the Land for Maine's Future Fund and the Public Access to Maine Waters Fund must be used for land acquisition projects when matching funds are available from cooperating entities, as long as the proposed acquisition meets all other criteria set forth in this chapter. For acquisitions funded by the Land for Maine's Future Fund, the board shall give priority to projects that conserve lands with multiple outstanding resource or recreation values or a single exceptional value, conserve and protect deer wintering areas, provide geographic representation and build upon or connect existing holdings...
Citation: 5 M.R.S.A. § 6207.
The commissioner has the following responsibilities pertaining to natural areas...
2. Register of Critical Areas. -- The commissioner shall maintain a register of critical areas that must contain natural areas classified as critical areas as follows...
B. Each registered critical area must be documented with at least the following information:...
(2) A list of the endangered or threatened species or other unique or exemplary natural features occurring at the area or site, and reasons for inclusion in the register...
3. Endangered Plants. -- The commissioner has the following responsibilities related to endangered plants.
A. The commissioner shall establish and maintain the official list of native endangered and threatened plants of the State. The purpose of the list is informational and may be provided on an informational basis to public agencies, private institutions or individuals for environmental assessment, land management or educational purposes...
Citation: 12 M.R.S.A. § 544-B.
...2. Permit requirements. -- An applicant for a permit to construct a small-scale wind energy development shall demonstrate that the proposed project:...
B. Will be constructed using the best practical mitigation techniques for mitigating impacts to endangered and threatened species, essential wildlife habitat and other protected resources from all aspects of construction and operation, in accordance with rules adopted under Title 35-A, section 3459...
Citation: 38 M.R.S.A. § 480-II.