Any time the Department seeks to adopt a new regulation or amend an existing regulation the rulemaking action is subject to the Maine Administrative Procedures Act (5 MRSA Chapter 375) and the proposed regulation must be approved by the Board of Environmental Protection. At the request of the Bureau, the Board schedules a public hearing, if appropriate, on the proposed new regulation or amendment and establishes an end date by which the Board will accept written comments. The Bureau responds to comments received at the hearing and during the public comment period and returns to the Board at a regularly scheduled Board meeting with a recommendation for adoption of the proposed regulation based on the comments received. The Board may accept, amend or deny the Bureau's recommendation on the proposed regulation. If the Board approves the regulation, the Bureau files the approved regulation with the Secretary of State.
Rules Under Consideration This site provides a list of regulations that the Bureau anticipates taking rulemaking action on in the near future. The site includes the regulation being considered, a summary of the regulation change being considered, Bureau contact, priority (high, medium, low), anticipated schedule, and status.
Proposed Rules This site provides a list of all proposed, new or revised, regulations that are currently being heard by the Board of Environmental Protection. The site includes a copy of the proposed regulation, summary of the regulation, staff contact person, the public notice and hearing information, the ending date of the comment period, and status of the regulation.
Recently Adopted Rules This site provides a list of all regulations (new or amended) that were adopted by the Board of Environmental Protection within the last 12 months. The site includes the final regulation, response to comments, the Board memo with staff recommendation, and the final public notice of adoption.
State Implementation Plan This site provides a link to the Maine State Implementation Plan or SIP. The SIP is the federally enforceable plan for Maine which identifies how it will attain and/or maintain the primary and secondary National Ambient Air Quality Standards.
The contents of a SIP fall into three categories- 1) rules and regulations; 2) non-regulatory components such as rate of progress plans, emission inventories and monitoring plans; and 3) additional requirements promulgated by EPA to satisfy mandatory Clean Air Act requirements.
SIP revisions are submitted to EPA, which then reviews and incorporates the revisions into Federal regulation, making SIP elements federally enforceable. The SIP is a living document that is revised whenever it is necessary to address Maine's unique air quality problems. As a result, please note that the attached link may not represent all current elements of the Maine SIP.
Special Notices This site provides special notices of rulemaking activity such as workshops, administrative notes, etc. If there are special notices, the specific rule being affected will be listed below.
All Adopted Rules (Air) This site provides a copy of all current Air Bureau rules.
