An Act To Fight Sprawl and Ensure That Public Lands Are Equitably Distributed
Maine Legislature, Session 122, LD 1017
Committee: Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
Sponsors: JOY, HOTHAM, JACOBSEN, PINKHAM, SYKES
Amends: 5 MRSA §6206, 5 MRSA §6207

Legislative Document 
No.tOt7 
H.P.701 
House of Representatives, February 24, 2005 
An Act To Fight Sprawl and Ensure That Public Lands Are 
Equitably Distributed 
Reference to the Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry suggested and 
ordered printed. 
Presented by Representative JOY of Crystal. 
7Jl~ 
/h.17/P£~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Cosponsored by Representatives: HOTHAM of Dixfield, JACOBSEN of Waterboro, 
McFADDEN of Dennysville, PINKHAM of Lexington Township, SYKES of Harrison, 
V AUGHAN of Durham. 
Printed on recyc led paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 5 MRSA §6206, sub-§I, ,D, as amended by PL 1993, c. 
728, §8, is further amended to read: 
D. 
In accordance with the strategy and guidelines developed 
under paragraph A, 
authorize distribution of proceeds from 
the Land for Maine's Future Fund and the Public Access to 
Maine Waters Fund for acquisitions of property or interests 
in property; aHa 
Sec. 2. 5 MRSA §6206, sub-§I, ,E, as amended by PL 2001, c. 
548, §2, is further amended to read: 
E. 
On January 1st of every odd-numbered year, report to the 
joint 
standing 
committee 
of 
the 
Legislature 
having 
jurisdiction over matters pertaining to state parks 
and 
public 
lands 
on expenditures 
from 
the 
Land 
for 
Maine's 
Future Fund and the Public Access to Maine Waters Fund and 
revisions to the strategies and guidelines. 
This report 
must include a description of access to land and interest in 
land acquired during the report period. 
If an acquisition 
has 
been 
made 
that 
does 
not 
include 
guaranteed public 
vehicular 
access 
to 
the 
land 
acquired, 
the 
board 
must 
provide justification for that acquisition and a plan for 
continuing efforts to acquire guaranteed public access to 
the land. 
This report must include a summary of the board's 
experience during the reporting period with projects funded 
pursuant to section 6203 or 6203-A and in which the land or 
interest in land is acquired by a cooperating entitYT; and 
Sec. 3. 5 MRSA §6206, sub-§I, V is enacted to read: 
F. 
Report annually to the joint standing committee of the 
Legislature having jurisdiction over matters pertaining to 
state parks and public lands on the expenditures made and 
acreage acquired and leased on a county-by-county basis. 
Sec. 4. 5 MRSA §6207, sub-§3, as amended by PL 2001, c. 466, 
§2, is further amended to read: 
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, provided that 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 
mul tiple outstanding resource or recreation values or a single 
exceptional value, provide geographic representation and build 
upon or connect existing holdings. 
When acquiring land or interest in land, the board shall examine 
public vehicular access rights to the land and, whenever possible 
and appropriate, acquire guaranteed public vehicular access as 
part of the acquisition. 
The majority of expenditures from 
t~e Land for Maine's Future 
Fund and the Public Access to Maine Waters Fund during over a 
2-year period described in section 6206, subsection 1, paragraph 
E must be used for land acguisi tion in the 8 counties that are 
below the state median in percentage of public land. 
SUMMARY 
This bill requires the Land for Maine's Future Board to 
report 
annually 
to 
the 
joint 
standing 
committee 
of 
the 
Legislature having jurisdiction over matters pertaining to state 
parks 
and public lands 
on the expenditures 
made 
and 
acreage 
acquired and leased on a county-by-county basis. 
The bill also 
requires that the majority of expenditures from the Land for 
Maine's Future Fund and the Public Access to Maine Waters Fund 
during a 2-year period must be used for land acquisition in the 8 
counties that are below the state median in percentage of public 
land.