An Act To Clarify and Harmonize State Policy on Groundwater Management
Maine Legislature, Session 122, LD 1643
Committee Amendment CA_A_H547 (House)
Committee: Natural Resources, the Joint Standing Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry and the Joint Standing Committee on Business, Research and Economic Development

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to H.P. 1158, L.D. 
To 
Clarify 
and 
Harmonize 
State 
Policy 
Management" 
1643, Bill, "An 
on 
Groundwater 
Amend the bill in Part A by striking out all of section 2 
(page 1, lines 25 to 37 in L.D.) 
Further amend the bill in Part B in section 3 in the 4th 
line (page 3, line 20 in L.D.) by striking out the following: 
"routine technical" and inserting in its place the following: 
'major substantive' 
Further amend the bill in Part C by striking out all of 
section 2 and inserting in its place the following: 
'Sec. C-2. Oversight. 
The council shall begin the study under 
section 1 no later than October 1, 2005. 
The study must be 
carried out 
under 
the 
direction of 
the 
council 
with 
work 
performed by a work group composed of appropriate personnel from 
the Department of Environmental Protection, the Department of 
Agriculture, 
Food 
and 
Rural 
Resources, 
the 
Maine 
Land 
Use 
Regulation 
Commission, 
the 
Department 
of 
Health 
and 
Human 
Services' drinking water program, the Maine Geological Survey, 
the 
Department 
of 
Economic 
and 
Community 
Development, 
the 
Executive Department, State Planning Office and members of the 
public with expertise in relevant fields of interest, including, 
but 
not 
limited 
to, 
agriculture, 
public 
water 
utilities, 
groundwater law and water bottling and sale. 
In addition, the 
work 
group 
must 
include 
a 
private 
domestic 
well 
owner 
and 
legislative members from the Joint Standing Committee on Natural 
Resources, 
the 
Joint 
Standing 
Committee 
on 
Agriculture, 
Conservation and Forestry and the Joint Standing Committee on 
Business, Research and Economic Development.' 
Page l-LR2288(2) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
." 
~ 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT ,A" to H.P. 1158, L.D. 1643 
Further amend the bill in Part C in section 4 in subsection 
in the 3rd line (page 4, line 38 in L.D.) by inserting after 
the 
following: 
"groundwater," 
the 
following: 
'giving 
consideration to sizes and uses of withdrawal, , 
Further amend the bill in Part C in section 4 in subsection 
in the 2nd and 3rd lines (page 5, lines 10 and 11 in L.D.) by 
striking out the following: "uniform regulatory threshold for the 
volume of the proposed groundwater withdrawal" and inserting in 
its place the following: 
'series of regulatory thresholds with 
appropriate levels of review for each, such as permit-by-rule,' 
Further amend the bill in Part C in section 5 in the first 
line (page 5, line 33 in L.D.) by inserting after the following: 
"work group" the following: 'established under section 2 of this 
Part' 
Further amend the bill in Part C in section 6 in the 5th 
line (page 5, line 43 in L.D.) by striking out the following: 
"section" and inserting in its place the following: 'chapter' 
Further amend the bill by relettering or renumbering any 
nonconsecutive 
Part 
letter 
or 
section 
number 
to 
read 
consecutively. 
SUMMARY 
This amendment strikes from the bill certain determinations 
that the Department of Health and Human Services would need to 
make in order for a new source of water supply to be approved. 
The amendment also designates rules to establish a 
consistent 
approach to the review of hydrogeological issues and to adjust 
permit fees as major substantive rules. 
It also changes the 
structure of the work 
group that is formed 
to study state 
regulation of groundwater withdrawal and modifies the issues that 
the work group is directed to consider. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Legislative Study 
Approved: 05119/05 ~ac:... 
LD 1643 
LR2288(02) 
An Act To Clarify and Harmonize State Policy on Groundwater Management 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment ,A, 
Committee: Natural Resources 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
Current Costs - Legislative Study 
The Rrojected cost for one Legislator from each of the joint standing committees identified in section 
C-2 to participate in four meetings of the work group is $1,260. If more than 3 legislators are 
appointed to serve on the work group, the additional cost for each additional Legislator for 4 
meetings would be $420. 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
Any additional costs associated with this legislation can be absorbed by the Department of Environmental Protection, 
the Department of Conservation, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Economic and 
Community Development and the Land and Water Resources Council utilizing existing budgeted resources. 
LR2288(2) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1