INTRODUCING LD 1934, “AN ACT TO PROMOTE RESPONSIBLE OUTDOOR LIGHTING”
You can help to promote a new law that the State of Maine is considering to protect Maine’s dark skies. Maine’s astronomers support it, but more importantly, it is broadly good for Maine.
PUBLIC HEARING ON MONDAY, MAY 12
The Committee on State & Local Government will host a public hearing for the bill on Monday May 12, 2025, at 10:00am, in Room 214 of the Burton M. Cross Office Building. This is the large office building immediately behind the state capitol in Augusta. You can attend in person or by Zoom, or may submit written testimony in support of the law.
TECHNICALITIES, SIMPLIFIED
LD 1934, “An Act to Promote Responsible Outdoor Lighting,” is a proposed law for the State of Maine that:
Requires public improvements (whether state, municipal, or funded with public grants) to be dark-sky friendly going forward, including renovations. It absolutely does not require anyone to replace existing fixtures now.
Directs the Maine Office of Community Affairs to draft a model ordinance in 2026. That helps municipalities, so that they will not have to determine on their own how to select dark sky lighting.
Requires municipalities to adopt outdoor lighting ordinances by 2028. The aforementioned model ordinance simplifies this process, by delivering a menu of good ideas that can be applied as appropriate to each municipality’s needs.
WHAT TO SAY — BENEFITS TO MAINE
That you speak or write is at least as important as what you say. You do not need to be an expert. Legislators pay attention when many voters care about a bill.
Focus on how the bill would benefit Maine and what legislators would care about. By pointing light only where it is needed and reducing glare, the lighting that protects dark skies saves money, improves the safety of roads and walkways, increases tourism, improves wildlife habitat, and even makes us healthier by helping us to sleep! If your community already has an ordinance, describe how it has been easy to enact, saved money, and perhaps has spared you from having bright, outdoor lights glaring through your windows at night.
All light that ruins the sky wastes electricity and money. We want lighting on the ground, not in the sky. We want to light what we need to see, not to blind ourselves with glare. Dark sky lighting saves tons of money over time, even as it better lights our nighttime activities.
SPEAKING BY THE CLOCK
Our bill is the fifth scheduled for a meeting that begins at 10:00am. Because we can not know for how long the first four, unrelated bills will be discussed, it is impossible to predict exactly when ours will be heard. If you attend in person, look for the sheet to sign-up for a slot to speak.
Expect for your testimony to be strictly limited to three minutes by the clock. Plan what you will say and read it aloud to assure you will be able to finish speaking. If you can, print and bring twenty hard copies of your testimony for the committee.
If you are uncertain what to say, just introduce yourself, tell how much you love the night sky, and state your support for this bill and your desire for safer, better, less expensive lighting.
ATTENDING BY ZOOM
If you can not attend in person, you could testify via Zoom and/or upload written testimony. Follow these steps:
(1) Go to: https://www.mainelegislature.org/testimony/
(2) Select “Public Hearing”
(3) Select the committee, “State and Local Government”
(4) Select the time “10:01 AM” (Yes; not “10:00 AM.” “10:01 AM” is available and leads to the link for Zoom and uploading documents.)
(5) Select, “LD 1934 – An Act to Promote Responsible Outdoor Lighting”
(6) Select the box for Zoom and/or upload your testimony.
If you will attend by Zoom, make sure you receive the confirmation email with the link.
DRIVING DIRECTIONS
Use this link for driving directions. There are acres of free parking in parking lots and a garage:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/8658%2B2R,+Augusta,+ME+04330/@44.3075625,-69.7855124,698m/
