AUGUSTA - The Legislative Council recently approved a bill from Rep. Kathy Shaw, D-Auburn, that would make it easier for more Mainers to grow their own food by exempting buildings used for the cultivation of crops, like permanent greenhouses, from the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code (MUBEC).
The exemption included in the bill, An Act to Exempt Buildings Used to Cultivate Crops from the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code, would allow more individual property owners in municipalities with over 4,000 residents to grow their own food year-round. Under current law, buildings used to house livestock or store harvested crops are also exempt. Shaw's proposal would not include an exemption for the cultivation of cannabis.
"As a lifelong farmer living in rural communities, I have been able to grow my own food something that has come to be a privilege in today's world," said Shaw. "My bill is a simple step toward expanding the right to grow ones own food year-round to more Mainers. This legislation, inspired by local constituents, would increase the resilience of our food systems at a time when it is greatly needed and have enormously positive impacts."
Shaw's bill will be heard when the Legislature meets again in January.
Shaw is serving her first term in the Maine House representing part of Auburn. A lifelong farmer and president of the Cumberland and Falmouth farmers markets, Shaw serves on the Legislature's Joint Standing Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.
Contact:
Brian Lee [Shaw], c. 305-965-2744