The following information appears in a box on page 21 of the printed report.
Involving Stakeholders in Maine
Unsuccessful: An Automobile
Inspection and Maintenance Program
A sophisticated emissions testing program for automobiles is considered by many to be one of the most cost-effective strategies for reducing emissions of ozone precursors. In early 1993, Maine was the first state in the Northeast to propose adopting this control strategy. This was Maine’s first air pollution control plan that would require compliance by citizens. Maine had not required emissions testing previously, focusing instead on stationary sources as the means by which it met its ozone control requirements.
Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection conducted all the necessary administrative procedures to implement the program, but never adequately addressed many of the questions and concerns the public raised about the program. In the end, public opposition became so strong that the department was forced to abandon the program in 1994 after only a few months of implementation.
Involving stakeholders would not have guaranteed success, but certainly would have increased its chances. By involving stakeholders early, state regulatory officials could have helped the public understand the legal requirements of the Clean Air Act and the public health need for the control strategy, and officials could have better understood what issues the state needed to resolve to gain public support.
Successful: A Transportation Policy That Considered Alternatives to Highway Expansion
Several years ago, the state of Maine proposed to add lanes to the southern portion of the Maine Turnpike because of significant increases in traffic volume. Citizen opposition was so strong that a referendum was passed, placing a moratorium on turnpike expansion and mandating that the state develop rules requiring the consideration of alternatives to any proposed highway expansion project. Key stakeholders were identified, mobilized, and invited to participate in a negotiated rulemaking, which set up regional, stakeholder-based decision-making committees and criteria for considering alternatives. All agreed that projected traffic volumes did not warrant highway expansion at that time, although such proposals could be considered in the future.