• A comprehensive baseline health assessment for mining communities prior to initiation of mining operations. It also requires periodic reevaluation. There are no specific human health protections or evaluations in the current Metallic Mineral Mining law.
• Communities affected by mining should be granted a ‘Right to Know’ status in a transparent, contemporaneous and public manner. This will allow communities to understand the risks from potential exposure to toxic materials from mining operations.
• This bill would also require that there is adequate monitoring of toxic waste after closure. The monitoring will occur for as long as the danger of contamination persists and not terminate at an arbitrary date while the toxic waste may still be harmful. The monitoring must be active, and there must be financial assurance to cover the monitoring and any remediation. The health and economic burden should not be placed on communities long after the mining operations have been terminated.
• In the current mining laws you have to have a violation in order to have protection of human health. This bill provides an intervention step to help prevent mining violations.

Additionally, Senator Joseph Martin is sponsoring a bill LD 795 – An Act to Exempt Pegmatite Mining from the Maine Metallic Mineral Mining Act and Establish a Permit-by-rule Process. This erodes current protections on mining.

To submit online testimony in SUPPORT of LD 1073 “An Act to Amend Provisions of the Maine Metallic Mining Mineral Act to Advance Health Equity and Improve the Well Being of Vulnerable Populations”

And AGAINST LD 795 – An Act to Exempt Pegmatite Mining from the Maine Metallic Mineral Mining Act and Establish a Permit-by-rule Process

Go to this link:  https://www.mainelegislature.org/testimony/ 

1. Select ‘Public Hearing’

2. Scroll down the page and click on “Choose a Committee”
      Select ‘Environment and Natural Resources’ on the drop down menu

3. You will then see “Choose date”
      Select ‘March 24, 2025 11:00am’

4. You will then see “Choose a bill”
      Select LD 1073 “An Act to Amend Provisions of the Maine Metallic Mining Mineral Act to Advance Health Equity and Improve the Well Being of Vulnerable Populations”. You may upload a PDF of your testimony or copy and paste it into the text box provided and submit it. *Save a copy of your testimony for yourself in case of a technical error. On occasion testimony can fail to go through and must be re-sent.

Then select
Additional ways to testify:

*If you want to testify over Zoom, check the box that says “I would like to testify electronically over Zoom.” If you type your email address in the contact information box below that, you should receive a Zoom link from the committee clerk where you can listen in and testify. What you submit in writing can be as long as you need, but remember to limit your spoken (Zoom or in-person) testimony to 3 minutes maximum. Copy and paste or attach a file of your written testimony in the text box that says “and/or enter testimony below:” fill out the contact information, click “I’m not a robot” and boom! You’ve done it.

*If you want to testify in person (this is most impactful), show up to the hearing and speak when the committee chair calls for testimony in support of the bill. They will not call on you individually, so be sure to step up when the opportunity comes. What you submit in writing can be as long as you need, but remember to limit your spoken (Zoom or in-person) testimony to 3 minutes maximum. If you are able, print out 20 copies of your written testimony beforehand to give to the committee clerk for the members and public record. There is a printer in the legislative library if you need to print them on-site. It may take a while as it is in another building, but it is an option should you need it. Plan to submit your testimony through the online portal as well, so it will show up in the written record.

You can start your testimony with this:

Greetings Senator Tepler, Representative Doudera, and ENR Committee Members,

My name is __________, I live in  __________, ME and I am testifying in support of LD 1073 “An Act to Amend Provisions of the Maine Metallic Mining Mineral Act to Advance Health Equity and Improve the Well Being of Vulnerable Populations”.

My name is __________, I live in  __________, ME and I am testifying in against LD 795 – “An Act to Exempt Pegmatite Mining from the Maine Metallic Mineral Mining Act and Establish a Permit-by-rule Process:.

(Continue with your own words. Thank you!)