An Act To Help Municipalities Prepare for Changes in Sea Level
Maine Legislature, Session 127, LD 0408
Committee: State and Local Government
Sponsors: BLUME, JOHNSON, ALLEY, COOPER, FOLEY, HOGAN, HYMANSON, KRUGER, RYKERSON, LANGLEY
Amends: 30-A MRSA §4312, 30-A MRSA §4326, 38 MRSA §1801

Legislative Document 
No. 408 
H.P. 274 
House of Representatives, February 12, 2015 
An Act To Help Municipalities Prepare for Changes in Sea Level 
Reference to the Committee on State and Local Government suggested and ordered printed. 
ROBERT B. HUNT 
Clerk 
Presented by Representative BLUME of York. 
Cosponsored by Senator JOHNSON of Lincoln and 
Representatives: ALLEY of Beals, COOPER of Yarmouth, FOLEY of Wells, HOGAN of Old 
Orchard Beach, HYMANSON of York, KRUGER of Thomaston, RYKERSON of Kittery, 
Senator: LANGLEY of Hancock. 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  30-A MRSA §4312, sub-§3, ¶¶I and J, as enacted by PL 1989, c. 104, 
Pt. A, §45 and Pt. C, §10, are amended to read: 
I.  To preserve the State's historic and archeological resources; and 
J.  To promote and protect the availability of outdoor recreation opportunities for all 
Maine citizens, including access to surface waters.; and 
Sec. 2.  30-A MRSA §4312, sub-§3, ¶K is enacted to read: 
K.  To plan for the impacts of changes in sea level on buildings, transportation 
infrastructure, sewage treatment facilities and other relevant state, regional, municipal 
or privately held infrastructure, property or resources. 
Sec. 3.  30-A MRSA §4326, sub-§1, ¶¶J and K, as enacted by PL 1989, c. 104, 
Pt. A, §45 and Pt. C, §10, are amended to read: 
J.  Land use information describing current and projected development patterns; and 
K.  An assessment of capital facilities and public services necessary to support 
growth and development and to protect the environment and health, safety and 
welfare of the public and the costs of those facilities and services.; and 
Sec. 4.  30-A MRSA §4326, sub-§1, ¶L is enacted to read: 
L.  For a coastal municipality or multimunicipal region, projections regarding sea 
level rise and its potential impacts on buildings, transportation infrastructure, sewage 
treatment facilities and other relevant municipal, multimunicipal or privately held 
infrastructure or property. 
Sec. 5.  30-A MRSA §4326, sub-§3-A, ¶¶I and J, as enacted by PL 2001, c. 
578, §15, are amended to read: 
I.  Encourage the availability of and access to traditional outdoor recreation 
opportunities, including, without limitation, hunting, boating, fishing and hiking, and 
encourage the creation of greenbelts, public parks, trails and conservation easements.  
Each municipality or multimunicipal region shall identify and encourage the 
protection of undeveloped shoreland and other areas identified in the local planning 
process as meriting that protection; and 
J.  Develop management goals for great ponds pertaining to the type of shoreline 
character, intensity of surface water use, protection of resources of state significance 
and type of public access appropriate for the intensity of use of great ponds within the 
municipality's or multimunicipal region's jurisdiction.; and 
Sec. 6.  30-A MRSA §4326, sub-§3-A, ¶K is enacted to read: 
K.  For a coastal municipality or multimunicipal region that includes a coastal 
municipality, develop a coordinated plan for addressing the impacts of changes in sea 
level on buildings, transportation infrastructure, sewage treatment facilities and other 
relevant municipal, multimunicipal or privately held infrastructure or property. 
Sec. 7.  38 MRSA §1801, sub-§4-A is enacted to read: 
4-A.  Sea level rise.  Address and plan for the impacts of changes in sea level on 
buildings, transportation infrastructure, sewage treatment facilities and other relevant 
state, regional, municipal or privately held infrastructure, property or resources; 
SUMMARY 
This bill requires that if a coastal municipality or multimunicipal region that includes 
a coastal municipality adopts a growth management program under the State's growth 
planning and land use laws, its comprehensive plan must include information on and a 
plan to address the impacts of changes in sea level on buildings, transportation 
infrastructure, sewage treatment facilities and other relevant municipal, multimunicipal or 
privately held infrastructure or property.  This bill also amends the State's growth 
planning and land use laws to reflect that addressing the impacts of sea level rise is a state 
planning and regulatory goal.  This bill amends the laws regarding the State's coastal 
management policies to reflect a new state policy of addressing and planning for the 
impacts of sea level rise.