Board of Environmental Protection
#17 State House Station, Augusta, Maine 04333-0017
(207) 287-2811 fax (207) 287-2814
My name is Susan Lessard and I am the Chair of the Board of Environmental Protection. I want to welcome you to the BEP's web page - your link to information about the Board, including its history, statutory responsibilities, guidance documents, present and past meeting agendas, and current membership.
The Board of Environmental Protection is charged by statute with providing "informed, independent and timely decisions on the interpretation, administration and enforcement of the laws relating to environmental protection and to provide for credible, fair and responsible public participation in department decisions." [38 M.R.S.A. section 341-B]. The Board accomplishes it's statutory charge through: rulemaking, licensing decisions on selected permit applications, reviewing appeals of the Commissioner's licensing and enforcement actions, and recommending changes in the law to the Legislature. While the Board is part of the Department of Environmental Protection, the Board has decision-making authority independent of the Commissioner. The Board is staffed by an Executive Analyst and an Administrative Assistant for technical, logistic, and procedural support, and utilizes the resources of the entire staff of the Department of Environmental Protection for professional technical support.
The Board is composed of ten volunteer citizen members who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Legislature for staggered 4-year terms. Each member brings their experiences and perspectives to the Board which provides diversity and a healthy exchange of ideas and viewpoints. Members are dedicated to the Board's purpose, spending numerous hours each month reviewing draft rules and reading appeal documents and various technical documents to ensure thorough consideration of all the issues that come before them.
To our knowledge, Maine's Board is unique in the nation in providing the citizen's of the state with a forum which so fully opens up the licensing, rulemaking and appeals process to full public participation. We are all committed to ensuring the public maintains this voice in our decision-making process. While members are often professionals themselves- lawyers, engineers, teachers, scientists, and all have varied personal backgrounds, they are all lay persons in their service on the Board. We are all committed to ensuring that the public has a voice in our decision-making process. For more detailed information on the current membership of the Board, please visit the biographical page.
I hope that this web page is a useful tool, whether you have matters pending before the Board or are simply interested in following the work of the Board. If you have comments on this web page or questions about the Board you may contact Terry Hanson, the Board's Administrative Assistant, at terry.hanson@maine.gov, or Cindy Bertocci, Executive Analyst at cynthia.s.bertocci@maine.gov
