As a resident of Norway and a constituent of State Rep. Tom Windsor, R-Norway, I appreciate his support of Maine’s North Woods and the Land Use Regulation Commission. A bill being considered by the Legislature, LD 1798, could significantly undermine LURC.

LURC has served as an important guardian of the extraordinary qualities of Maine’s unorganized territories. Without LURC, the future of Maine’s North Woods is in jeopardy. We need LURC to continue to protect the interests of the people of Maine in the unorganized territories. LD 1798 represents a major threat to LURC.

The majority report on LD 1798 would allow a county to opt out of LURC after five years and would allow county commissioners to appoint themselves to LURC.

Handing LURC over to county government would be more expensive and less efficient, and would lead to more red tape. If a county opted out of LURC, the taxpayers of that county would have to pay for the services that LURC provides on the cheap. Allowing counties to opt out of LURC would abolish LURC one county at a time.

The minority report on LD 1798 reflects the desire of the majority of Maine people and would make reasonable changes to concerns about the Land Use Regulation Commission. It would increase the responsiveness of the agency, lead to more regional planning and ensure greater local involvement in LURC decision-making.

Kudos to Rep. Windsor for his support of the minority report on LD 1798 and protecting Maine’s North Woods and LURC.

Dorothy Raymond, Norway

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