Regional Policy Pulse

May 2024

Across the region, state legislatures have been in a flurry of activity as they wind down. Activity on deadlines bills is moving fast. Click the arrow next to each state name for updates.

In line with the Center’s work to strengthen communities, advance rural economy, and deepen forest stewardship, we follow legislation across the Northern Forest states as it relates to topics of community and equity, housing and development, recreation and tourism, climate and energy, land use and conservation, and forest management and economy.

We track and share this information in the interest of providing a pulse on what’s going on in the region. The list is not exhaustive, nor does it represent any position by the Center related to the legislation or underlying issues.

Maine
- LD. 25 – On Appropriations Table – Would exempt members of a federally recognized Indian nation, tribe, or band from being required to pay a fee for admission to any state-owned park or historic site.
- LD. 142 – Carried Over – Would provide funding for Maine Climate Corps, bringing four leadership positions and 50 Maine Climate Corps positions on board to move climate action strategies forward.
- LD. 294 – Carried Over – Would appoint a Wabanaki citizen to the Baxter State Park Authority with full power in the control and management of Baxter State Park.
- LD. 993 – Carried Over – Would create a Forest Advisory Board to bring together stakeholder voices in sharing information, looking at the forest comprehensively, and advising the Maine Forest Service on policies that keep the state’s forests healthy, intact, and productive.
- LD. 1156 Maine Trails Bond – SIGNED BY GOV. MILLS – Would establish a $30 million bond distributed over four years through grants to nonprofits, municipalities, and other divisions of government for the design, development, and maintenance of non-motorized, motorized, and multi-use trails.
- LD. 1285 – Carried Over – Would extend funding for Land for Maine’s Future program. LMF provides funding for conserving land for its natural and recreational value.
- LD. 1349 – Carried Over – Would establish a commission to identify which state-owned lands or waterways have sacred, traditional, or other significance to the Wabanaki and develop a process for returning those that do to Native peoples.
- LD. 1642 – SIGNED BY GOV. MILLS – Would strengthen the Wabanaki Studies Law to teach K-12 students about Wabanaki history, culture, economic and government systems, and relationships with other governments. Also, would provide permanent funding for resources, materials, and continuing education for teachers.
- LD. 1667 – On Appropriations Table – Would create the State Names Authority within the Office of Geographic Information Systems to serve as a liaison to federal agencies. And would establish the Maine Board on Place Names.
- LD. 1685 – Did Not Pass – Would increase acreage eligibility for Maine’s Tree Growth Tax from 10 acres to 25 acres.
- LD. 1817 Outdoor School for All Maine – Carried Over – Would establish a three-year fund that provides $6.2 million annually for schools to each select a grade between fourth and eighth to participate in a three-day, two-night immersive outdoor school program regardless of income.
- LD. 1834 – Carried Over – Would establish an Office of Tribal Affairs within the Secretary of State’s office.
- LD. 1976 Growth Management Program Laws – On Appropriations Table – Would promote “smart growth” planning by rewriting Maine’s laws around the comprehensive planning process.
- LD. 2007 – SIGNED BY GOV. MILLS – Would restore the inherent right of the Wabanaki Nations to self-govern within their respective territories following the same federal laws that typically govern tribal lands elsewhere in the U.S.
New Hampshire
- HR 30 – Indefinitely Postponed (Died) – Would encourage robust climate education in schools including current environmental and economic information
- HB 1059 – Passed House and Senate – Would update building codes with one that will allow for cross-laminated timber in multi-story buildings.
- HB 1291 – Indefinitely Postponed (Died) – Would allow property owners in single-family zoning districts to build up to two accessory dwelling units. And would expand the definition of “accessory dwelling unit” to allow for detached units located on the same lot as a single-family dwelling.
- HB 1387 – Passed House and Senate – Would remove building code provisions for log structures and biomass boilers.
- HB 1400 – Passed House and Senate – Would limit the number of parking spaces a town or city planning or zoning board could require to one parking space per unit.
- HB 1423 – Indefinitely Postponed (Died) – Would require the NH Department of Natural and Cultural Resources to identify and map “old growth” on all public land for the objective of managing old-growth stands for carbon storage.
- HB 1484 – Died – Would remove lands included in a forest-carbon program from Current Use assessment.
- HB 1697 – Passed House and Senate – As introduced, would create a two-year moratorium on any forest carbon credit sales. Amended to 1) remove the moratorium and instead study the interaction of timber taxation with forest carbon credit management and sales, 2) address the concern of transparency for local communities regarding where the land is situated and its future landowners and 3) establish a registry of forest carbon projects at the NH Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
- HB 1709 – Died – As introduced, would establish a tax on carbon through the timber tax law. Amended to study the tax and transparency aspects of forest carbon contracts as well as Current Use.
- SB 387 – Passed Senate – Would create a three-year pilot program to provide state park passes to recovery and community mental health centers.
Vermont
- H. 105 – Would create the Community Resilience and Disaster Mitigation Grant Program and Community Resilience and Disaster Mitigation Fund. Would increase the assessment of certain insurance company premiums for the Community Resilience and Disaster Mitigation Fund.
- H. 128 – Would eliminate Act 250 oversight for accessory on-farm businesses and grant Act 250 exemptions to wood products manufacturers of a certain size.
- H. 289 – VETOED BY GOV. SCOTT, lawmakers will return to vote mid-June – Would make every utility in Vermont purchase 100% of its power from renewable resources by 2035.
- H. 624 – Would direct the Department of Forest, Parks and Recreation to establish and administer the Forest Management and Climate Resilience Grant Program to provide financial assistance to logging contractors to ensure water quality protection and climate adaptation practices on harvest sites. Would require the Commissioner to oversee the creation of an economic impact and workforce availability study of professional logging and trucking in VT and establish a program to provide free safety training to logging contractors and timber truckers.
- H. 673 – Would fund an economic impact study, a full-time position in the Vermont Trails and Greenway Council, and best management practices developed by the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation for recreational trail development.
- H. 687 – Passed House and Senate, Merged with S.311 – Would divide Vermont into a series of “Tiers” governing development and land protection, relaxing some requirements for Tier 1A and 1B and making it easier for municipalities to secure these top-tier benefits (over previous versions of the bill). Would extend some narrow, interim exemptions to Act 250. Would replace the existing Natural Resource Board that oversees the administration of Act 250 with a professionalized Land Use Review Board which would take up appeals to Act 250 decisions. Would provide tax breaks to encourage the redevelopment of blighted properties and appropriations for affordable housing programs.
- H. 723 – Would provide an avenue for businesses that lost revenue due to storm damage but not actual physical damage to recoup losses. It also would allow towns to recoup lost property tax income from properties that were considered a total loss by FEMA.
- S. 213 Flood Safety Act – Passed Senate and House – Would require a state permit to build in river corridors starting in 2028. Would require the state to manage for a net gain of wetland acreage and install measures to improve dam safety.
- S. 259/H. 809 Climate Superfund Act – Passed Senate and House – Would create a similar program to the U.S. EPA Superfund program, but for climate damages. Companies that produced more than 1 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent between 2000 and 2019 would have to pay a share of what climate change has cost Vermont, based on how much that company contributed to global emissions during the same period.
New York
- Roll-out of the Environmental Bond Act
- Roll-out of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act
  - A8469 Cap-and-Invest Program – Would establish an economy-wide cap-and-invest program to support greenhouse gas emissions reductions in the state by setting a maximum allowable amount of greenhouse gas emissions by covered entities and regulating the sale or auction of greenhouse gas emissions allowances to covered entities.
  - A9743 Rural Energy Freedom Act – Would exempt the burning of wood, used for cooking or heating buildings, from restrictions under the state’s 2019 climate law.
  - S2016 New York Heat Act – Passed Senate – Would stop utility companies from building out more natural gas infrastructure under the premise that they are legally obligated to serve gas in New York. Would remove the 100-foot rule, a legal requirement of utilities to provide gas service at no charge to customers living within 100 feet of an existing line. Would cap utility bills at 6% of the household income of low and middle-income New Yorkers.
  - S2129 Climate Change Superfund Act – Passed Senate – Would make the most prolific oil and gas producers that have business ties to New York pay $3 billion a year for the next 25 years for the total share of greenhouse gasses they emitted between 2000 and 2018.
- S278 Climate Education Bill – Would establish a course of instruction and learning expectations on climate education in all public pre-kindergarten, elementary, and secondary schools which shall include various principles and concepts including environmental justice.
Federal
- H.R. 5216/S. 2660 Connecticut River Watershed Partnership Act – Would formalize partnerships between state, local, and private entities to promote conservation, restoration, education, and recreation efforts in the watershed and establish a voluntary grant program to facilitate these activities.
- H.R. 5315/S. 3399 Rural Forest Markets Act of 2023 – Would guarantee loans, bonds, or other investment vehicles of up to $150 million for state agencies, nonprofits, and companies to help private forest owners participate in the voluntary carbon market.
- H.R. 6492 Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act – Passed House – Would enhance management of and access to public lands.
- H.R. 6929/S.3565 Affordable Connectivity Program Extension Program – Would provide $7 billion for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which provides affordable high-speed internet options to qualifying households across the U.S.
- S. 4149 Mass Timber Federal Buildings Act – Would promote the use of mass timber in federal building projects and military construction.
- H.R. 8305 Loggers Economic Assistance and Relief Act – Would establish a payment program for unexpected loss of markets and revenues to timber harvesting and timber hauling businesses due to major disasters, and for other purposes.
- Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument Access Act – Would add 2,500 acres to the existing monument to allow for creation of a southern access point from Millinocket to the monument.
- Land and Water Conservation Fund – Conserves lands and improves recreational opportunities. Senate has proposed a rescission of $100 million in next year’s budget.