AUGUSTA - The Legislature's Joint Standing Committee on Transportation advanced legislation sponsored by Rep. Grayson Lookner, D-Portland, that would require any vessel that meets the definition of megayacht to pay an impact fee of $10 per foot of length over 150 feet each day, up to 30 consecutive days, when docking in Maine. The funds generated will be invested into Maine's working waterfront and historic coastal communities.
"Yachts over 150 feet can cost tens of millions of dollars to build, and can consume hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of fuel in a single tank," said Lookner. "These vessels can emit an immense amount of carbon annually, contributing to the accelerating climate crisis. The Gulf of Maine is one of the fastest warming bodies of water on the planet, so this should be cause for concern for all Mainers."
As amended, LD 1177 defines a megayacht as a vessel over 150 feet in length. This does not include vessels built before 1950, vessels made primarily of wood or military and academic vessels. Further, the bill would allow the Maine Department of Environmental Protection to adopt rules to implement the impact fee and require that 50% of funds be used to support harbor infrastructure, sea level rise mitigation efforts and other initiatives led by municipalities or harbor commissions. Additionally, 50% of funds must be used on public transit infrastructure, including ferries and land-based public transportation.
"In the near future, there will be an unprecedented need to invest in sea-level-rise infrastructure to preserve our historic communities and working waterfronts," said Lookner. "With LD 1177, we have the opportunity to raise money for these public projects by assessing a modest fee on megayacht owners who can afford it."
The bill faces votes in the House and Senate in the coming days.
Lookner, who represents a portion of Portland, is serving his second term in the Maine House of Representatives and is a member of the Legislature's Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee and the Joint Select Committee on Housing.
Contact:
Brian Lee [Lookner], 305-965-2744