Debate resurfaces on whether to allow Sunday hunting in Maine centralmaine.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from centralmaine.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Luke Eastman First-time purchasers of beverages in Vermont could be forgiven their puzzlement over the state s bottle deposit law: Wine cooler containers require a 5-cent deposit; wine bottles don t. Cans from local Zero Gravity Craft Brewery carry a nickel deposit; cans from local Citizen Cider don t. And that plastic bottle of Poland Springs sparkling water gets returned, while the one without the bubbles goes in the blue recycling bin. For years environmental advocates have worked to widen the scope of the state s bottle deposit law to cover the expanding universe of beverage brands and containers, especially the proliferation of single-use plastic water bottles.
AP file
In this Friday, Sept. 19, 2014 photo, bear hunter James Cote of Farmington, Maine, keeps an eye on a bait site while sitting in a blind near Wilton, Maine.
Lawmakers are considering allowing some form of Sunday hunting, a question that has come before nearly every recent legislature.
Most states allow some form of hunting on Sunday, from deer to waterfowl. Maine allows no hunting at all. The legislature s Fisheries and Wildlife Committee is considering a bill that would allow private landowners to hunt on their own land. They could also give written permission to others.
“The basic premise of this bill is recognizing that individuals should have the right hunt on their own property on Sunday and the right to grant permission to others,” said Republican state Sen. Jeff Timberlake of Turner, who is sponsoring one of the bills.
Governor proposes $90 million for state capital investment
Department of Economic Development Commissioner Joan Goldstein presented Governor Scott s Capital Investment Grant Proposal to the Senate Economic Development Committee this week. The proposal would allocate $90 million over three years for capital investment grants to businesses and non-profits. Regional Development Corporations and Regional Planning Commissions would identify eligible projects. Twenty-five million dollars would be dedicated to outdoor recreation projects.
Senators expressed concerns about how the Agency of Commerce and Community Development would select projects. Commissioner Goldstein said they would consider ready or near-ready proposals that will leverage other financing, with projects funded in every region. The RDC/RPC inventory of projects is a work in progress, and Commissioner Goldstein said she would provide a list to the committee when it is ready.
House votes to expand bottle law
Modified: 4/18/2021 5:11:33 PM
MONTPELIER The Vermont House has passed a sweeping expansion of the state’s “bottle law” despite opposition to the legislative proposal from the state’s business and waste sectors.
By adding bottled water, juices, sports drinks, wine and certain craft alcohols to the list of redeemable beverage containers included in the bottle law, lawmakers say H.175 would double the number of beverage containers eligible for redemption, and then recycling, in the state.
The bill would impose a 5-cent redeemable deposit on the slate of new beverage containers.
“We live in a throwaway society, and the volume of waste discarded by each one of us is embarrassing,” Rep. Scott Campbell, D-St. Johnsbury, said on the virtual House floor Thursday afternoon. “This is a step a small step toward taking responsibility for reducing our waste stream.”