I commend Rep. Michael Beaulieu of Auburn for voting in support of a bipartisan compromise amendment on the complicated issue of “regulatory takings.”

Last month, I traveled to Augusta to sit in on the hearing for that bill. As I sat there listening, it became clear to me that although there is a problem of diminished land use/value for some landowners, the “takings” bill was certainly not the answer for Maine.

The original legislation (LD 1810) would have allowed property owners to sue the state if they thought land use regulations had reduced the value of their property by 50 percent or more. Maine taxpayers would be required to pay the landowner for the claimed loss of property value, or else the state would waive the law as it applies to that person’s property.

Other states that have tried similar bills have faced huge settlements or simply exempted some landowners from following the laws protecting the environment.

Takings bills have been defeated across the nation, and here in Maine at least five times before, because they impose huge costs and can result in a patchwork of laws across the landscape.

On March 8, Rep. Beaulieu voted for an alternative bill offered by Reps. Brad Moulton, R-York, and Charlie Priest, D-Brunswick, that will put in place a sensible solution.

I hope the full Legislature supports the Moulton-Priest amendment as it is considered by the House and Senate.

Wendy Schlotterbeck, Auburn