The Department of Environment proposed to adopt a new regulation and amend existing regulations governing drinking water quality. The adoption and amendments would clarify and formalize procedures regarding Tier 1 public notices for water systems, particularly addressing outages, flooded wells, and flooded springs, and clarify the procedures, such as boil water advisories and water quality sampling, required during such incidents. Comments are due April 22, 2024.
The Efficiency Maine Trust adopted amendments to rules governing the electric efficiency and conservation programs. The amendments, among other things, reflect updates to the Efficiency Maine Trust Act pertaining to activities to advance the policy of beneficial electrification and the inclusion of certain cost-effective beneficial electrification measures in the determination of maximum achievable cost-effective resources.
The Department of Environmental Protection proposed amendments to regulations governing air emission licenses. The amendments would align Chapter 140 with recent changes to Part 70 of the CAA. A hearing will be held April 18, 2024. Comments are due April 29, 2024. See https://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/rules/notices/2024/032724.html.
The Public Service Commission adopted amendments to regulations governing the Commission’s Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (RPS).
The Department of Public Health and Environment adopted amendments to water and wastewater facility operator certification requirements. The amendments, among other things, remove specific category types of graywater treatment facilities to align with a 2,000 gallon-per-day threshold for state review and ensure certified operator requirements for larger graywater systems.
The Department of Public Health and Environment adopted new emission reduction requirements for lawn and garden equipment. The requirements limit the use of certain gasoline-powered lawn and garden equipment statewide and specifically in the Denver Metro/North Front Range ozone nonattainment area during June through August.
The Department of Public Health and Environment adopted amendments to regulations governing open burning, prescribed fire, and permitting. The amendments clarify that open burning permits may be issued for materials outside of natural materials as needed on a case-by-case basis.
The Department of Public Health and Environment adopted revisions to stationary source permitting and air pollutant emission notice requirements. The revisions modify the fee requirements to include greenhouse gas emission fees.
The Department of Environmental Quality proposed amendments to regulations governing the Laboratory Accreditation Program. The amendments would, among other things, clarify program definitions, standardize language, simplify renewal and application processes, give additional flexibility to labs in selecting methods, simplify fee calculations, and reset the yearly accreditation period to run from January through December. A hearing will be held April 30, 2024. Comments are due April 15, 2024.
The Department of Environmental Quality proposed amendments to the Permit By Rule (PBR) for the oil and natural gas sector. The amendments would allow for the use of legally and practicably enforceable (LPE) limits when determining a facility's eligibility for the PBR, clarifying source eligibility criteria for the PBR and ensuring that current PBR allows facilities potentially subject to the new source performance standards at 40 C.F.R. Part 60, Subpart OOOOb to take LPE limits to avoid applicability of the federal requirements for certain equipment.