An Update on My Product Stewardship Bill

 

Here’s an update on Maine and product stewardship…LD 1631, An Act to Provide Leadership Regarding the Responsible Recycling of Consumer Products, made it successfully out of committee with a unanimous vote.  There were many changes made, and I am including the final language here at this link so you can see what we have crafted from the original framework http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/bills_124th/billtexts/HP115902.asp.  The bill was on Maine’s legislative consent calendar yesterday, and is on its’ way to enactment, probably within two weeks.  For those of you who anticipate opposition from the business community, I’m happy to tell you that we did finally bring the Maine Chamber along after the vote.  Here is their latest article on the bill, http://www.mainechamber.org/mx/hm.asp?id=currentnews.   We hope to present  a  joint press release with them after the bill’s signing by our Governor.  This work is the result of the continuing conversations and negotiations of Maine’s environmental and business communities, who worked together to craft this bill.  For any questions, please contact me at melissawalshinnes@gmail.com. 

 

 

Check out the link below to see how Maine is performing as reported by the Maine Development Foundation’s Performance Measures and Benchmarks to Achieve a Vibrant and Sustainable Economy for Maine.  Although we have receded on a few measures, it’s great to see progress on 12 of the indicators……

 

See Also: Maine Economic Growth Council presents Measures of Growth in Focus 2010

 

 

Compromise is a Beautiful Thing

 

 I am thrilled to let everyone know that my product stewardship bill, LD 1631, an environmental priority piece of legislation, and demonized by the business community, passed unanimously out of the Natural Resources Committee yesterday.   From the beginning of the process, I have reached out and worked with the business community to try to bring them on board, and through incremental changes, we did get close.  I never did get their support, but they did hold off on their opposition until the last week due to our continued negotiations.   When it was looking like a partisan vote in committee, I reached out to my more conservative committee members, over and over again, and we were able to make some changes to the bill yesterday that earned their vote.  Of course, if I had just my way, and the environmental community had their way, my original bill language would have been voted in, but I now know that it never would have happened.  Compromise, from both sides of the aisle, and by the environmental and business community, is what truly brings forth good public policy.  I am committed to continuing to seek ways to bring the conservative and progressive communities together in productive conversation, and have already started this conversation with the Maine State Chamber.  Let’s see what we can get accomplished together……