Recent Testimony and Public Comments
Recent Testimony
Here are recent testimony and public comments we have provided on issues facing the Bay:
2024
Comments regarding the draft “2024 Integrated Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Report”, July 2024. Our comments focus on three main issues: listing Casco Bay as impaired due to loss of eelgrass habitat, changing how shellfish propagation is assessed, and listing Willard Beach as impaired due to nutrient pollution. We emphasize the urgent need to address the significant loss of eelgrass, which has decreased by over 68% since 1993, impacting marine life and overall water quality. Appendix A, Eelgrass Layers Map.
Comments on Preliminary Draft Appendix F, Low Impact Development (LID) Measures of Municipal MS4 Permit, July 2024. This letter outlines our comments on Maine Department of Environmental Protection’s draft regarding LID measures. We request that the Department consult with EPA to formulate performance standards for Appendix F and set the other requirements needed to complete municipal LID ordinances. Low Impact Development (LID) measures are strategies to manage stormwater runoff and minimize environmental impacts by incorporating natural systems and processes. These measures include minimizing site clearing, protecting natural drainage systems, and using vegetation to enhance water infiltration and reduce impervious surfaces. Attachment 1, Attachment 2, Attachment 3, Attachment 4, 2022 Comments MS4 Municipal Model LID Ordinance
Petition to Refine the Class A and B Dissolved Oxygen Criteria and Add Narrative Nitrogen Criteria to Class SB and SC WatersPetition, June 2024. Our proposed changes aim to make Maine’s water quality rules better by using updated monitoring methods and tackling important pollution problems like nitrogen in coastal waters.
Comments on Gulf of Maine Lease Sale for Off-Shore Wind, June 2024. Friends of Casco Bay supports offshore wind development to fight climate change but is worried about the potential risks of large-scale floating wind projects in deep waters, emphasizing that such technology hasn’t been tested on the scale proposed. They urge BOEM to consider these uncertainties before finalizing the lease areas, suggesting spacing them further apart or reducing their number to lessen possible negative impacts on marine life and habitats.
Testimony in Support of LD 2225, An Act to Provide Funding to Rebuild Infrastructure Affected by Extreme Inland and Coastal Weather Events, May 2024. We support funding needed to fix and upgrade infrastructure damaged by extreme weather, in particular the wastewater systems that result in combined sewer overflows, resulting in the release of untreated sewage and stormwater pollution directly into waterways.
Testimony in Support of Falmouth’s proposed Pesticide and Fertilizer Ordinance with one amendment, April 2024. Friends of Casco Bay has observed nuisance algal blooms in Falmouth, successfully mitigating them through improved lawn care practices, and supports Falmouth’s ordinance against phosphorus in synthetic fertilizers while urging additional regulations on synthetic nitrogen to protect marine environments.
Testimony in Opposition to LD 1960, An Act to Support Farming in Maine by Extending the Deadline for Manufacturers of Products Containing Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances to Report on Those Products, March 2024. This bill aimed to give manufacturers more time to report the use of harmful PFAS chemicals, which we opposed because PFAS persist in the environment and contaminate waterways, including the lower Presumpscot River, where high levels have led to fish consumption warnings. Knowing which products contain PFAS is crucial to prevent further pollution and protect our water.
Testimony in Opposition to LD 2065, An Act to Amend Maine’s Aquaculture Leasing Laws, February 2024. As it was first drafted, this bill would have required 25 people to request a hearing for certain aquaculture leases, rather than five, the current requirement. We agreed that the state needed to raise the number, but we thought 25 was too high and restrictive. We suggested they lower it to 10 instead.
2022Proposed MS4 municipal Low Impact Development ordinance(s), September 2022 comments
(Attachment 1, Attachment 2, Attachment 3, Attachment 4)
Let us know your concerns. . .
While we attempt to follow state bills that relate to the environmental health of the Bay or to climate change, it is hard to keep up with the nearly 2,000 bills that may be introduced in a legislative session—not to mention the ordinances being considered by the 41 towns in the Casco Bay watershed. We welcome it when our members notify us about an issue we should be monitoring. Contact us at keeper [at] cascobay [dot] org.