Gov. Paul LePage’s move to withhold funds for conservation projects until the Legislature approves his plan to increase timber harvests on public land might otherwise have our support, except for one detail.
How can the conservationists and lawmakers he hopes to persuade believe the governor will keep his word?
Back in 2013, the governor said he would release these funds when the Legislature approved his plan to pay off $484 million in debt to the state’s hospitals. Two years later, $11.47 million in voter-approved bonds continue to await his signature.
Now, the governor is attempting to use the same funds as leverage to accomplish another goal.
We do not object to his timber harvest plan, as long as the state continues to employ responsible forestry practices. The governor says he will use the increase in income to pay for energy-efficient home heating systems. We applaud this goal.
The governor also makes fair points about conservation spending in general. Every time land goes into public or nonprofit hands for conservation, the land becomes tax-exempt and a community loses property tax revenue.
How much conservation land is enough? Should there be a limit on conservation land by town? A local review process for conservation projects? These are fair questions to ask.
The governor’s tactics, however, do not advance this debate.
LePage should release the funds he has already agreed to release. Then – and only then – the Legislature should consider his timber harvest plan on its own merits.
