For our friends in the Unorganized Territoy

Date: Thu, 16 Apr 2009
ATTENTION RESIDENTS AND PROPERTY OWNERSOF THE UNORGANIZED TERRITORY!
Mark your calendar. Important land use legislation to be heard on April 22!Speak out and don't let LURC decrease the value of your land.
Finally, the time has come to make your voice heard in Augusta.
With your help, we can change the direction of the Comprehensive Land Use Plan so that it recognizes the people who live, work, and own land in the jurisdiction. Maine's Comprehensive Land Use Plan should benefit Maine's rural economy, the forest products industry, and sportsmen alike.
There is a movement afoot to take away the rights of rural landowners. As you know, there has been an ongoing conflict between rural landowners and the Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC) over language in the draft Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP), which is now in the redrafting stage and expected to be presented for approval in coming months. More recently, legislators heard testimony on LD 1333, a piece of climate change legislation that would strip rural property owners of their ability to manage private forestland and maintain financial value. Under the guise of preventing climate change, this bill even proposed to change the definition of subdivision in the LURC jurisdiction, or 2 in 5, a measure that would significantly decrease the value of land in the Unorganized Territory.
The Legislature's Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry Committee has scheduled public hearings for April 22 to hear testimony regarding the Land Use Regulation Commission's Comprehensive Land Use Plan. On the Committee's agenda are several pieces of legislation, including:
"¢Â      LD 413-An Act To Clarify Land Use Regulation in Unorganized and Deorganized Townships. This bill establishes that residents and property owners have rights that must be recognized.
"¢ LD 474-An Act To Clarify Land Planning in the Unorganized and Deorganized Townships. This bill places approval of the Comprehensive Land Use Plan in the hands of elected officials.
"¢ LD 516- An Act to Require that a Majority of the Maine Land Use Regulation Commission reside in the Commission's Jurisdiction. This bill would require that LURC Commissioners must have a closer association with the LURC jurisdiction.
"¢ LD 558- An Act to Amend the Notification Procedures of the Maine Land Use Regulation Commission. This bill would require that LURC notify all property owners prior to changing the Comprehensive Land Use Plan.
"¢ LD 1370- An Act to Reform the Land Use and Planning Authority within the Unorganized Territories of the State. This bill would eliminate LURC and place more land use planning and control in the hands of county government.
We need you to take action and help us put an end to proposals that seek to take away the rights and opportunities of rural landowners. You may recall the draft CLUP set the basis for eliminating the exemption that allows a lot to be created, (2 in 5) without going through the expensive and time consuming subdivision process. You may also recall that landowners and residents of the LURC jurisdiction have no direct say in land use planning for their communities, the way municipalities do. It is time to make our voices heard through our state senators and representatives.
Recently, several members of the Maine Legislature requested  that people who are affected by LURC's Comprehensive Land Use Plan attend the public hearings on April 22 and explain to the Legislature why the current draft CLUP is such a bad deal for rural Maine and the Unorganized Territory.The Maine Forest Products Council will be testifying strongly in support of LD 413 and LD 474 mentioned above.
LD 413 would insert specific language into LURC's Scope & Purpose requiring them to balance the rights of residents and property owners in jurisdiction, as well as environmental considerations, which seem to take precedent in the current draft CLUP.
Currently, the only elected official with the power to approve the Comprehensive Land Use Plan is the governor. LD 474 would require approval by the legislative committee of jurisdiction (the Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry Committee), and the full legislature before final adoption of the plan by the Governor and LURC Commissioners.
Please join us on April 22 at 9:30 a.m. in room 206 of the Cross Building (just across from the State House) and tell the Legislature that you would like a voice in the future of your area and that it is time to bring democracy back to Maine's Unorganized Territory!
For more information, visit our website at www.maineforest.org or contact James Cote at the Maine Forest Products Council by calling 207-622-9288 or by emailing jcote@maineforest.org.
For contact information of the Legislature's Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry Committee, please visit here, or call 207-287-1312. For more information on the Comprehensive Land Use Plan, you can call LURC at 207 287-2631.
MORE INFORMATION AVAILABLE AT WWW.MAINEFOREST.ORG!
James CoteDirector of CommunicationsMaine Forest Products Council535 Civic Center DriveAugusta, Maine 04330