Senator Collins convinces House-Senate negotiators to approve plan to allow heavier trucks to use Maine’s federal interstates for at least 20 years

Senator Susan Collins (R-ME)

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senator Susan Collins, the top Republican on the Senate Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, has successfully negotiated an agreement that would allow the heaviest trucks to travel on federal interstates in Maine for at least 20 years instead of forcing them off the highways and onto Maine’s secondary roads and downtown streets.

While the Senate originally approved Senator Collins’ provision to make this change permanent, the House never approved a similar provision.  As a member of the committee charged with working out the differences between the two bills, Senator Collins successfully negotiated this 20-year compromise agreement. Final votes in the House and Senate are expected next week.  The bill would then be sent to the President for his signature.

Senator Collins has led the effort to allow trucks weighing up to 100,000 pounds to travel on Maine’s federal interstates –including I-95, 195, 295, and 395.  Senator Collins has worked closely with Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), also a member of the Transportation Subcommittee, and this agreement for Maine is paired with a similar change for Vermont.

“We faced significant opposition to our plan to permanently allow the heaviest trucks to drive on our federal interstates in Maine and Vermont,” said Senator Collins.  “But moving these trucks from our downtown streets and onto the federal interstates where they belong has always been one of my top transportation priorities.  The agreement that I negotiated to allow the heaviest trucks on the highway for at least the next 20 years is a major accomplishment that will help shippers, truckers, and Maine’s job creators.  More important, it will improve safety for Mainers who live, work, and go to school along the secondary roads, and busy downtowns where these trucks are currently forced to travel.”

Senator Collins’ effort is supported by the Association of Police, the Maine State Police, the State Troopers Association, the Maine Department of Public Safety, the Chiefs of Police, the Maine Motor Transport Association, the Parent Teacher Association, and the Bangor School Department, who have all expressed the importance of safety in getting these heaviest trucks off our local roadways and onto the interstates where they belong.

Currently, the heaviest trucks in Maine are diverted onto secondary roadways that cut through our downtowns on narrow streets, creating a major safety concern.  In most of the surrounding New England states and nearby Canadian provinces, the heaviest trucks are free to use the interstates, but not in Maine and Vermont.  This puts Maine businesses at a distinct competitive disadvantage.  Heavy trucks already operate on some 22,500 miles of non-interstate roads in Maine, in addition to the approximately 167 miles of the Maine Turnpike.  But the nearly 260 miles of non-Turnpike interstates that are major economic corridors are off limits.

In 2009, a pilot project that Senator Collins wrote, was included in the 2010 Omnibus Appropriations bill.  This one-year pilot project allowed trucks weighing up to 100,000 pounds to travel on Maine’s federal interstates.  According to the Maine Department of Transportation, during the one-year period covered by the pilot, the number of crashes involving trucks on Maine’s local roads was reduced by 72 compared to a five-year average.

Full Senate Appropriations Committee agrees to include provision in funding bill that would allow heavier trucks to use Maine’s federal interstates.

Senator Susan Collins (R-ME)

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The full Senate Appropriations Committee today approved a provision, authored by Senator Susan Collins, Ranking Member of the Senate Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, that would permanently allow the heaviest trucks to travel on federal interstates instead of forcing them off the highway and onto Maine’s secondary roads and downtown streets.

Senator Collins’ provision, which received bipartisan support, is included in the Fiscal Year 2012 Transportation funding bill that must now be approved by the full Senate.  Similar language is not, however, included in the House version of this bill.

Senator Collins has led the effort to allow trucks weighing up to 100,000 pounds to travel on Maine’s federal interstates –including I-95, 195, 295, and 395.  Her provision for Maine is paired with a similar change for Vermont, authored by Senator Patrick Leahy, also a member of the Transportation Subcommittee, who has worked closely with Senator Collins on this issue.

“Wherever I go in Maine, from the supermarket in Bangor, to the post office in Lincoln, to the China Dinah—people tell me that they want the heaviest trucks allowed to drive our federal interstates rather than being forced to use secondary roads and travel through crowded downtowns, like Bangor,” said Senator Collins.  “Safety is my top concern.  My provision would not increase the size or weight of trucks.  Maine law already allows trucks weighing up to 100,000 pounds to operate on state and municipal roads.  But these same trucks are not allowed on the interstates, where it is safer for them to travel.”

Senator Collins’ effort is supported by the Association of Police, the Maine State Police, the State Troopers Association, the Maine Department of Public Safety, the Chiefs of Police, the Maine Motor Transport Association, the Parent Teacher Association, and the Bangor School Department, who have all expressed the importance of safety in getting these heaviest trucks off our local roadways once and for all and onto the interstate where they belong.

Currently, the heaviest trucks in Maine are diverted onto secondary roadways that cut through our downtowns on narrow streets, creating a major safety concern.  In most of the surrounding New England states and nearby Canadian provinces, trucks weighing 100,000 pounds are free to use the interstates, but not in Maine and Vermont.  Maine law already allows trucks up to 100,000 pounds to operate on state and municipal roads.  Heavy trucks already operate on some 22,500 miles of non-interstate roads in Maine, in addition to the approximately 167 miles of the Maine Turnpike.  But the nearly 260 miles of non-Turnpike interstates that are major economic corridors are off limits.

Furthermore, trucks up to 100,000 pounds already are permitted on many interstates in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, and the neighboring Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec.  This puts Maine businesses at a distinct competitive disadvantage.

In 2009, a pilot project that Senator Collins wrote, was included in the 2010 Omnibus Appropriations bill.  This one-year pilot project allowed trucks weighing up to 100,000 pounds to travel on Maine’s federal interstates.  According to the Maine Department of Transportation, during the one-year period covered by the pilot, the number of crashes involving trucks on Maine’s local roads was reduced by 72 compared to a five-year average.

The EPA has released its timeline for the MACT reconsideration period.

Although the U.S. EPA had already announced in February that it would allow a reconsideration period for certain aspects of the Maximum Achievable Control Technology rules, on June 24 the agency released a deadline for that reconsideration of October. Subsequently, final standards must be issued by April.

Read full article on Biomassmagazine.com

Reinforces Commitment to No New Regulations for America’s Agricultural Community

Guidance Will Ensure States Continue to Use Common Sense in Applying Existing Safety Rules

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced today that it has no intention to propose new regulations governing the transport of agricultural products. The agency also released guidance designed to make sure states clearly understand the common sense exemptions that allow farmers, their employees, and their families to accomplish their day-to-day work and transport their products to market.

After hearing from concerned farmers earlier this year, FMCSA initiated this review to make sure states don’t go overboard in enforcing regulations on agricultural operators, and to ensure consistent access to exemptions for farmers. No regulations will be proposed for any new safety requirements or changes to the rules governing the transport of agricultural products, farm machinery, or farm supplies to or from a farm.

“We have no intention of instituting onerous regulations on the hardworking farmers who feed our country and fuel our economy,” said Secretary Ray LaHood. “Farmers deserve to know that reasonable, common sense exemptions will continue to be consistently available to agricultural operations across the country, and that’s why we released this guidance.”

This guidance – which does not impose any new rules on farmers – follows the Federal Register public notice which FMCSA issued on May 31, 2011, asking farmers, farm organizations and the public to give input on the agency’s longstanding safety rules.

“We want to make it absolutely clear that farmers will not be subjected to new and impractical safety regulations,” said U.S. Transportation Deputy Secretary John Porcari. “The farm community can be confident that states will continue to follow the regulatory exemptions for farmers that have always worked so well.”

“FMCSA is pleased with the input we’ve received from the agricultural community and members of Congress.  We received about 1700 comments and the vast majority called for us to preserve the guidance that leaves states to carry out the farm exceptions as they have for many years.” said FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro.  “We want to make crystal clear that we are not imposing any new regulations.”

Earlier this year, farm groups came to FMCSA with concerns that some states might not allow exemptions to Commercial Drivers License (CDL) requirements for certain farm operations using “crop-share” leasing.

When FMCSA investigated, there appeared to be wide differences among states in how the “for-hire” and related agricultural exceptions were being applied. In order to ensure consistency, FMCSA asked state officials to cease all new entrant safety audits on farmers engaged in “crop-share” leasing and issued the public notice soliciting input that would provide insight on the complex use of farm equipment on public roads.  The guidance released today, which is based on that input, clarifies three critical issues:

• Interstate vs. intrastate commerce. Since the difference between the two has been determined by the U.S. Supreme Court and other Federal courts, FMCSA has limited flexibility to provide additional guidelines.  The Agency has concluded that new regulatory guidance concerning the distinction between interstate and intrastate commerce is not necessary.  Generally, the states and the industry have a common understanding on this point.  To the extent that fact-specific questions arise, the Agency will work with the States and the industry to provide a clarification for the specific scenario.

• Commercial Driver’s License. Federal regulations allow states to make exceptions to Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) regulations for certain farm vehicle drivers such as farm employees and family members, as long as their vehicles are not used by “for-hire” motor carriers. Some states have questioned whether this exemption applies to drivers who work for “crop share” or similar arrangements. FMCSA’s notice includes guidance to ensure consistent application of the exemption. After considering the public comments, the Agency has determined that farmers who rent their land for a share of the crops and haul their own and the landlord’s crops to market should have access to the agricultural CDL exemptions given by the states.

• Implements of Husbandry. In a perfect world, farm vehicles would only operate on farms, while commercial trucks would operate on public roads. The reality is that farm equipment that is not designed or intended for everyday use on public roads is often used for short trips at limited speeds. This creates a gray area for classification. After considering the public comments, FMCSA has determined that most States have already adopted common sense enforcement practices that allow farmers to safely move equipment to and from their fields.  In areas where farm implements are common, the enforcement community and the agricultural community have achieved a mutual understanding of which safety regulations should apply to farm equipment on their public roads.

FMCSA is committed to the safety of our highways and the long-term success of America’s agricultural industry. To learn more about federal safety regulations that impact the transportation of agricultural products and equipment, please visit the FMCSA website at www.fmcsa.dot.gov.

By Cheryl H. Russell, Special to the BDN

The noose is getting tighter. I attended the recent meeting in Millinocket where I listened to Roxanne Quimby extol the virtues of a Maine Woods or North Woods National Park. Mayors from Estes Park and Grand Lake, Colo., were part of a three-hour show like no other I have attended.

The wolf is at the door, speaking economic growth to an audience that wants desperately to have some hope. It’s time for people of good sense to not get lulled into thinking that a federal park is going to provide jobs. It’s time for us to oppose federal zoning in the Maine woods.

Quimby said by the year 2016, the centennial anniversary of the National Park Service, it is her goal to have another national park in Maine, a park that would be nearly twice the size of Acadia National Park. She said she has put aside $20 million and plans to raise another $20 million as an endowment for park maintenance, which she estimates at a 5 percent rate of return could provide $2 million annually to fund park maintenance. Even bad schemes have great talking points.

Read full column on BangorDailyNews.com

By Nick Sambides Jr., BDN Staff

MILLINOCKET, Maine — The Katahdin Area Chamber of Commerce supports a study of the feasibility of creating a national park near Baxter State Park, its president said Wednesday.

With members Deb Roundtree and Thomas Malcolm absent, the Chamber’s board of directors voted 9-0 on Tuesday to support the study, which board members recommended concentrate on three basic areas, President Chip Lamson said.

The vote came less than 24 hours after noted environmentalist and Burt’s Bees founder Roxanne Quimby spoke of her plan for a national park to about 200 residents during a meeting at Stearns High School.

Read full story on BangorDailyNews.com

WASHINGTON — Citing the worries of a Maine business, Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon introduced a bill Wednesday that would delay new federal regulations limiting emissions from industrial boilers.

The bill would give the Environmental Protection Agency 15 months to re-examine the issue and come up with final rules. It would also extend compliance deadlines from three years to five.

Read entire story in the Portland Press Herald

Forest owners say it will conserve jobs and the environment

WASHINGTON (July 14, 2011) – The National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO) voiced support for legislation introduced in the U.S. Congress to affirm the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) regulation of forestry as a nonpoint source under the Clean Water Act (CWA).

The legislation corrects a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision that struck down EPA’s Clean Water Act regulation for forest roads. The decision reversed an Oregon court’s ruling that stormwater control systems for forest roads do not need point source permits in addition to meeting existing CWA requirements. The EPA’s regulation defines forestry activities and roads as nonpoint sources that are regulated by states through Best Management Practices (BMPs) rather than through permits required for confined industrial sites.

David P. Tenny, President and CEO of NAFO, “For 35 years the EPA has contended that the most effective way to regulate forestry activities under the Clean Water Act is to treat them as nonpoint sources of water pollution. We agree –three decades of experience demonstrates that forestry is a minor contributor to water quality decline and is best covered by state regulations and guidelines. Today, Congress took the first steps to affirm EPA’s correct interpretation of the Clean Water Act.

“If the legislation isn’t enacted, the Ninth Circuit decision will add job-killing costs and invite litigation to rural areas hardest hit by the economic downturn without corresponding environmental benefit. Overlaying a CWA permit requirement onto forestry activities will push more private forests into non-forest uses with greater impacts on water quality. The resulting loss of jobs and forests undermines the goal of preserving working landscapes that support rural families, wildlife habitat, clean water and recreation opportunities across the country.

“We urge Congress and the Administration to work together to enact this legislation as soon as possible to restore regulatory stability preserve the jobs that keep private forests working for America.”

The legislation is being led by Senators Wyden (D-OR), Crapo (R-ID), Risch (R-ID), and Begich (D-AK) and Reps. Herrera Beutler (R-WA-3), Schrader (D-OR-5), Walden (R-OR-2), McMorris Rodgers (R-WA-5), Pingree (D-ME-1), and Michaud (D-ME-2).  More information on this issue is available at www.nafoalliance.org/water.

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NAFO is an organization of private forest owners committed to advancing federal policies that promote the economic and environmental values of privately-owned forests at the national level. NAFO membership encompasses more than 80 million acres of private forestland in 47 states. Private, working forests in the U.S. support 2.5 million jobs. View NAFO’s interactive map to see the economic impact of America’s working forests.

DOVER-FOXCROFT, Maine — It’s tough enough for American sawmills to compete when the lumber industry is depressed by the economy; it’s still tougher when foreign competition has the competitive edge because of government subsidies.

The United States and Canada signed a Softwood Lumber Agreement in 2006 that would level the playing field for sawmills in both countries, but that playing field is hardly level because the Canadian government continues to subsidize its forest industry.

Read entire story on BangorDailyNews.com

The Washington Post

WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency announced today that it finalized rules that compel 28 states and the District of Columbia to curb air pollution that travels across states by wind and weather, the first in a series of federal restrictions aimed at improving the air Americans breathe.

The Cross State Air Pollution Rule, which replaces a Bush-era regulation thrown out by federal courts in 2008, targets coal-fired power plants mainly in the eastern United States. The measure, along with a proposal aimed at cutting summertime smog in the Midwest, will cost the utility industry roughly $2.4 billion in pollution control upgrades over several years.

Read entire story on PortlandPressHerald.com