BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 16, 2021
Government agencies work for us, the taxpayers, as we pay their salaries. Elected officials are supposed to represent those who elect them, and that means the majority not the minority. But that is not always how it works. LD 883: An Act to Protect Endangered Species Whose Life Cycles include Maine Land or Waters, had little opposition. The testimony was even more overwhelmingly in support. Immediately after the hearing, the Legislative Committees on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and Marine Resources voted “Ought Not to Pass.” On Monday, both the Maine house and senate accepted the recommendation, which rendered the bill dead. The agencies put administration before science and the health of the resource, while defying the will of the unconflicted masses who simply want to protect at-risk species. The current administration of endangered species at the state level is arbitrary, inconsistent and indefensible. ~ Bob Mallard