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Bill Would Regulate Land Use to Help Slow Climate Change

April 01, 2009 - AUGUSTA — Large subdivisions or commercial developments in Maine would have to reduce their contributions to global warming under legislation presented Tuesday.

If passed, the measure would put Maine, with Massachusetts and California, among the few states to regulate land use as a way to slow climate change.

"These projects represent an important part of how we contribute greenhouse gases and how we can reduce them," said Sen. Seth Goodall, D-Richmond, the bill's sponsor.

Goodall presented the proposal during a public hearing Tuesday afternoon in front of the Legislature's Natural Resources Committee.

Environmentalists praised the idea as a way to save energy and meet long-range goals for cutting emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

A Westbrook contractor and representatives of the business community criticized it as costly regulation at a particularly bad time.

If the bill is passed, projects large enough to need state site location permits will be assessed for their effects on climate change, such as the energy efficiency of buildings or the cutting down of forestlands, which reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Developers could meet the new standard by building energy-efficient buildings and minimizing the cutting of trees, among other things.

Projects that lead to unreasonable greenhouse gas emissions could be required to pay compensation fees, which would be used to promote energy efficiency elsewhere.

Cutting down an acre of forest, for example, might be the equivalent of releasing 115 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Under this bill, if the developer could not offset that by designing energy-efficient homes or other things, it could lead to a $400 fee based on the current carbon-trading market.

Ellen Hawes, policy analyst for Environment Northeast, an advocacy group, called the bill an essential step toward reducing Maine's greenhouse gas emissions.

Developers who cluster homes to preserve trees or build more energy-efficient buildings could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 40 percent, she said.

Steve Hinchman, an attorney for the Conservation Law Foundation, said the bill would help reduce Maine's dependence on oil, in addition to slowing climate change. "The climate crisis is the energy crisis," he said.

Supporters said the bill would save money in the long-term by encouraging more energy-efficient development.

Opponents, however, argued that the proposal is too broad and would add a costly burden for struggling builders.

Michael White, an owner of White Bros. Inc. in Westbrook, said there is no lack of forests in Maine and trees don't need protection.

On the other hand, he said, it is getting hard to keep people employed. White has already had to lay off 30 people from the construction business, he said.

"I consider myself a pretty good citizen because I'm keeping 50 people working," he said. "Nobody's got a gun to our heads to do this while our economy is going in the tank."

The Maine State Chamber of Commerce and the Maine Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors also opposed the proposal.

"I think it will make projects more expensive and in some cases cost-prohibitive," said Chris Jackson, the chamber's lobbyist.

Wednesday March 25th, 2009

by John Richardson, staff writer
Portland Press Herald news story


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