Resolve, To Realign Maine's Natural Resource Agencies
Maine Legislature, Session 124, LD 1270
Committee: State and Local Government
Sponsors: PIEH, CLARK, EDGECOMB, PENDLETON, PERCY, WATSON, NUTTING

MAINE STATE LEGISLATURE 
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124th MAINE 'LEGISLATURE 
FIRST P~GULAR 
SESSIOl'-~-2009 
Legislative Document 
No. 1270 
H.P.889 
House of Representatives, March 31,2009 
Resolve, To Realign Maine's Natural Resource Agencies 
Reference to the Committee on State and Local Government suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Representative PIEH of Bremen. 
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MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
. Clerk 
Cosponsored by Representatives: CLARK of Millinocket, EDGECOMB of Caribou, 
PENDLETON of Scarborough, PERCY of Phippsburg,. RICHARDSON of Warren, WATSON 
of Bath, Senators: NUTTING of Androscoggin; SHERMAN of Aroostook. 
Printed on recycled paper 
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Sec. 1. Realignment of Maine's natural resource agencies. Resolved: 
That the commissioners of the Department of Conservation, the Department of 
Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources, the .Department· of Marine Resources and the 
Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife shall reconfigure their departments as 
follows. 
1.. Department of Public Lands and Water. The Department ofCbnservation must 
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be known as the Department of Public Lands and Water and consist 0·1 the following: 
A. Bureau of Parks and Lands; 
B. Division of Realty; 
C. Division of Submerged Lands; 
D. Division of Agriculture Easements; and 
E. Division of Boat Launch Programs. 
2. Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Forestry. The Department of 
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Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources must be known as the Department of Agriculture, 
Aquaculture and Forestry and consist ofthe following: 
A. Division of Animal Health and Industry; 
B. Division of Market and Production Development; 
C. Division of Plant Industry; 
D. Division of Quality Assurance and Regulation; 
E. Maine Forest Service; 
F. Division of Aquaculture; 
22G. Maine Land Use Regulation Commission; and 
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H. Bureau of Geology and Natural Areas. 
3. Department of Marine Resources. The Department of Marine Resources must 
consist of the following: 
A. Bureau of Administration and Licensing; 
B. Bureau of Community and Resource Development, including: 
(l)Wedands, permit review; 
C. Bureau of Resource Management, including: 
(1) Division of Biological Monitoring and Assessment; 
(2) Division of Ecology; 
(3) Division of Marine Education, including: 
(a) Burnt Island Living Lighthouse; and 
(b) Maine State Aquarium; and 
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(4) Division of Public Health, including: 
(a) Shellfish management; 
D. Bureau of Sea-run Fisheries and Habitat; 
E. Bureau of Marine Patrol; 
F. Bureau of Information; and 
G. Bureau of Recreational Saltwater Fishing. 
4. 
Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. 
The Department of Inland 
Fisheries and Wildlife must consist of the following: 
A. Bureau of AcLTIlinistrative Services; 
B. Bureau of Resource Management; 
C. Bureau of Warden Service, including: 
(1) Division of Motorized Recreation Programs; and 
(2) Division of Landowner Relations; 
D. Division of Public Information and Education; and 
E. Hatcheries, which must move towards privatization; and be it further 
Sec. 2. Development of plan. Resolved: That the Department of Conservation, 
the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources, the Department of Marine 
Resources and the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, referred to in this section 
as "the departments" shall work jointly to develop a plan to reorganize the departments. 
Under the plan, the departments shall reconfigure their duties and, based on the 
reconfiguration, make appropriate department name changes as necessary; and be .it 
fu~cr 
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Sec. 3. Report. Resolved: That, no later than December 1, 2009, the Department 
of Conservation, the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources, the 
Department of Marine Resources and the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, 
referred to in this section as "the departments" shall submit a report outlining the progress 
on the reorganization of the departments to the Joint Standing Committee on Agriculture, 
Conservation and Forestry, the Joint Standing Committee on Marine Resources and the 
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Joint Standing Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. 
The departments shall 
submit proposed legislation to implement the plan to reorganize the departments to the 
SUMMARY 
This resolve directs the COlllIIl1SSlOners of the Department of Conservation, the 
Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources" the Department of Marine 
Resources and the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to reconfigure their 
departments. 
The bill also reqUlres the Department of Conservation, the Department of 
-Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources, the Department of Marine Resources and the 
Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to coine up with a plan to reorganize the 4 
departments. The bill requires the d'epartments to report to the Joint Standing Committee 
on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, the Joint Standing Committee on Marine 
Resources and the Joint Standing Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife by 
December 1, 2009 outlining the progress on the reorganization and to submit proposed 
legislation to the Second Regular Session of the 124th Legislature by March 1, 2010. 
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