AUGUSTA (AP) – Without fanfare, Gov. John Baldacci issued a proclamation Wednesday finding that cold and wind constituted a civil emergency in Maine.
Baldacci, saying he meant to facilitate a waiver of federal transportation rules, formally declared a state of emergency.
According to the proclamation, declaring a state of emergency could have the effect of allowing fuel oil delivery drivers to operate for additional hours.
That, in turn, could help safeguard public health, safety and property, as spelled out in the proclamation.
Previously, state officials said, when trucks moved across state lines to respond to requests for aid, they faced a possibility of being stopped in connection with federal Department of Transportation rules governing driver times or weight and other regulations.
Maine officials said a protocol was developed with the federal DOT under which such regulations could be suspended if a state of emergency were in place.
Baldacci’s new proclamation warned that “many (fuel delivery) drivers in the state are approaching their federal limit on hours of operation, and may have to cease deliveries.”
AP-ES-01-15-04 0215EST
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