Code of Maine Rules › 06 - DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION › 096 - DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION - GENERAL › Chapter 2 - RULE CONCERNING THE PROCESSING OF APPLICATIONS AND OTHER ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS › Section 096-2-13 - Public Informational Meeting

Current through 2024-29, July 17, 2024
A.
Public
				Informational Meeting Required.
An applicant intending to file an
				application that requires a pre-application meeting pursuant to section
				10(B)  of this rule
				must hold a public informational meeting prior to filing that application. The
				purpose of the meeting is for the applicant to inform the public of the project
				and its anticipated environmental impacts, and to educate the public about the
				opportunities for public comment to the Department during the application
				process. At least 10 days prior to the public informational meeting, notice of
				the informational meeting must be sent by certified mail or certificate of
				mailing to abutters and to the municipal office of the municipality(ies) where
				the project is located and, if the project is located in the unorganized or
				deorganized areas of the state, to the appropriate county commissioners. At
				least 7 days prior to the informational meeting, notice must also be published
				once in a newspaper of general circulation in the area where the project is
				located. The notice must contain at least the following information:
(1) Name, address and telephone number of the
				applicant;
(2) Citation of the
				statutes or rules under which the application will be processed;
(3) Location and summary description of the
				activity;
(4) The date, time and
				place of the public informational meeting; and
(5) That a purpose of the meeting is for the
				applicant to inform the public of the project and its anticipated environmental
				impacts and to educate the public about the opportunities for public comment on
				the project.
At the meeting, the applicant or its designee shall present
				  a summary of the project; provide clear and concise written information that
				  details the expected environmental impacts of the project and lists the state,
				  local and federal licenses necessary for the project; and provide adequate
				  opportunity for public questions and responses from the applicant. In addition,
				  a fact sheet obtained from the Department explaining public participation in
				  the licensing process must be made available at the meeting by the
				  applicant.
The applicant must submit a signed certification attesting
				  that a public informational meeting was noticed and held in accordance with
				  this section. The submission must include an estimate of the number of
				  attendees and a narrative responsive to any significant issues relevant to the
				  licensing criteria that are raised at the meeting. The certification must be
				  submitted with any application that requires a pre-application meeting pursuant
				  to section
				  10(B) of this rule.
				  Certification of a public meeting before a local permitting authority (e.g.,
				  planning board or city council) that complied with the notice and substantive
				  requirements of this section is acceptable provided that neither the project
				  nor its anticipated environmental impacts have changed substantially since the
				  date of the public meeting.