Commissioner's Message

David P. Littell, Commissioner

Department of Environmental Protection is charged with protecting and improving the quality of Maine's natural resources.

DEP's focus is the sustainable quality of Maine's air, land and water. Established in 1972, the agency partners with the federal (Washington DC) government to implement national environmental initiatives at the local level. DEP also answers to state elected officials concerned that we meet current resource needs in a way that does not jeopardize the ability of future generations to meet their own.

DEP was founded as a regulatory entity to administer programs and enforce laws. Our job is to clean up, control and ultimately to prevent pollution. Approximately 400 individuals, most of whom are trained scientists and engineers, work from four regional offices located across the state.

Over the years, DEP has developed and employed a variety of tools to achieve clean air, clean water and sustainable land use goals. We use rules, standards, licenses and permits to define acceptable environmental performance. We use education, technical assistance and enforcement mechanisms to promote and ensure compliance. We partner with industry sectors and interest groups to encourage and reward environmental performance over and above the established norm.

Most of Maine DEP's programs were created to address discrete environmental issues in the specific context of either land use, or water quality, or air quality, or hazardous materials and waste handling. It was a singular focus approach that worked well in the earliest years of environmental protection. Problems were that distinct, and effective solutions could be narrowly and precisely applied.

Since the mid-1980s, it has become increasingly clear that environmental issues are much more complex. They cannot be characterized in terms of their impact on a single type of resource.for example, mercury contamination is a water quality and an air quality issue that is related to hazardous materials and waste handling. We have learned that we must look at environmental challenges with the broadest possible perspective in order to achieve the best possible results.

DEP initially moved in this direction through a pollution prevention initiative that melded programs and activities. We are now moving ahead, promoting the notion of sustainability through smart production derived and directed collaboratively with business, community and citizen involvement.

And involvement is key. Environmental protection is part of an intricate social web, often represented by volunteer activities or citizen oversight. Through the explosion of information technology, we see the continually expanding opportunity for increased participation from all sectors. An image for a healthy, vibrant Maine is, in fact, that of a three-legged stool, supported and sustained by the combined strengths of our economy, our people and our environment.

Our mission has not changed as our challenges and responses have evolved. As Maine's natural resources continue to shape our history, our economy, our way of life, Maine's Department of Environmental Protection's goal is to ensure that dynamic.