An Act To Tax the Extraction of Water for Ce1iain Commercial Purposes and Fund Water Quality Programs
Maine Legislature, Session 128, LD 0493
Committee Amendment CA_A_H239 (House)

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A " to H.P. 356, L.D. 493, Bill, "An Act To Tax 
the Extraction of Water for Ce1iain Commercial Purposes and Fund Water Quality 
Programs" 
Amend the bill in section 1 in §2832 by striking out all of subsection 3 (page 1, lines 
to 22 in L.D.) and inserting the following: 
'3. Payment. Each bottled water operator shall prepare and submit to the bureau by 
the 15th of each month a return according to procedures and schedules specified by the 
bureau rep01iing the total gallons of water extracted for bottling during the preceding 
month and other information required by the bureau and shall pay excise tax imposed 
under this section each month to the bureau at the time the return is submitted.' 
Amend the bill in section 1 in §2832 in subsection 4 in the first line (page 1, line 23 
in L.D.) by striking out the following: "keep" and inserting the following: 'preserve for a 
period of at least 3 years' 
Amend the bill in section 4 in §424-E in subsection 3 in paragraph A in the last line 
(page 3, line 30 in L.D.) by striking out the following: "and" 
Amend the bill in section 4 in §424-E in subsection 3 by striking out all of paragraph 
B (page 3, lines 31 to 33 in L.D.) and insetting the following: 
'B. Ten percent of the money distributed by the fund in any calendar year must 
support activities under the lake water quality monitoring and support program under 
section 424-D; and 
C. Five percent of the money distributed by the fund in any calendar year must 
support well water remediation efforts.' 
Amend the bill by inserting after section 4 the following: 
'Sec. 5. 
Application. 
This Act first applies to bottled water operators that 
extracted more than 1,000,000 gallons of water in this State in calendar year 2016. 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
•,. Cf·~Q 
(~\ 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" A" to H.P. 356, L.D. 493 
Sec. 6. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and 
allocations are made. 
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, DEPARTMENT OF 
Maine Water Quality Testing and Monitoring Fund N246 
Initiative: Provides allocations for one part-time Environmental Specialist III position to 
administer the Maine Water Quality Testing and Monitoring Fund, the Maine Well Water 
Testing Grant Program and the lake water quality monitoring and support program and 
for disbursement of fund revenue for related activities. 
OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS 
Personal Services 
All Other 
OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS TOTAL 
Water .Quality 0248 
2017-18 
$14,291 
$201,709 
$216,000 
2018-19 
$19,588 
$340,412 
$360,000 
Initiative: Provides funding for one pmt-time Environmental Specialist III position to 
administer the Maine Water Quality Testing and Monitoring Fund, the Maine Well Water 
Testing Grant Program and the lake water quality monitoring and support program. 
GENERAL FUND 
POSITIONS - LEGISLATIVE COUNT 
Personal Services 
All Other 
GENERAL FUND TOTAL 
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, 
DEPARTMENT OF 
DEPARTMENT TOTALS 
GENERAL FUND 
OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS 
DEPARTMENT TOTAL-ALL FUNDS 
2017-18 
0.500 
$14,291 
$2,500 
$16,791 
2017-18 
$16,791 
$216,000 
$232,791 
2018-19 
0.500 
$19,588 
$0 
$19,588 
2018-19 
$19,588 
$360,000 
$379,588 
SUMMARY 
This amendment clarifies the administrative provisions for collection of the water 
5 
excise tax and changes the distribution ofrevenues to provide that 10% must suppo1t lake 
water quality monitoring activities and that 5% must be used for well water remediation. 
7 
The amendment provides that the tax first applies to bottled water operators that extracted 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" A 
"to H.P. 356, L.D. 493 
more than 1,000,000 gallons of water in this State in calendar year 2016. The amendment 
also provides funding for a position in the Department of Environmental Protection. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 05/05/ 17 .t&'ac.. 
LD493 
LR 293(02) 
An Act To Tax the Extraction of Water for Certain Com'mercial Purposes and Fund Water Quality 
Programs 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment ,A,{ H-.ll:) 
Committee: Taxation 
Net Cost (Savings) 
General Fund 
Appropriations/ Allocations 
General Fund 
Other Special Revenue Funds 
Revenue 
General Fund 
Transfers 
General Fund 
Other Special Revenue Funds 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
FY 2017-18 
$16,791 
$16,791 
$216,000 
$216,000 
($216,000) 
$216,000 
FY 2018-19 
$19,588 
$19,588 
$360,000 
$360,000 
($360,000) 
$360,000 
Projections 
FY 2019-20 
$20, 136 
$20, 136 
$360,000 
$360,000 
($360,000) 
$360,000 
Projections 
FY 2020-21 
$20,700 
$20,700 
$360,000 
$360,000 
($360,000) 
$360,000 
The bill establishes an excise tax of 1 ¢ per 25 gallons of groundwater extracted from springs or other underground 
sources by operators that extracted more than 1 million gallons in the previous calendar year, beginning on October 1, 
2017. The revenue from this excise tax is transferred to the Maine Water Quality Testing and Monitoring Fund 
(MWQTMF) within the Depattment of Environmental Protection (DEP). The newly established fund will be used to 
provide grants to public and private entities for testing wells and other drinking water sources for heavy metals, 
bacteria and other contaminants, for a lake water quality monitoring and support program and for well water 
remediation services. It is estimated that the excise tax will generate $216,000 in General Fund revenue for transfer to 
the MWQTMF in fiscal year 2017-18 and $360,000 annually thereafter. Up to 10% of the revenue transferred into the 
fund may be used by the DEP for development and administration of the program. 
This bill includes General Fund appropriations to the DEP of $16, 791 in fiscal year 2017-18 and $19,588 in fiscal 
year 2018-19 and allocations to the MWQTMF of $14,291 in fiscal year 2017-18 and $19,5 88 in fiscal year 2018-9 
for one patt-time Environmental Specialist Ill position to administer the grant program, the lake water quality 
monitoring and support program and the well water remediation program. The bill also includes allocations to the 
MWQTMF of $201, 709 in fiscal year 2017-18 and $340,412 in fiscal year 2018-19 for administrative costs of the 
department, grants to public or private entities involved in well water testing programs, a contract with a private 
organization to monitor and supp01t lake water quality and well water remediation services. 
LR0293(02) - Fiscal Note - Page I of l