Political Reality

Past, Present & Future

Legislative Quiz

Write down your answers– Who is your local representative?– Who is your local senator?– Who is your US Representative?– Who is your US Senator?

Maine Pesticide Board Experience

Returnable container law & drift regulation

Inspectors as educators first (not enforcers first)

Petitions to ban aerial spraying and Velpar

A short lull

The drums are sounding again– More petitions to ban (aerial, OPs, etc.)

– The drift committees

– Hive collapse, GMOs, notification rules

Collaborative Endeavors

Successes– FERC Permitting– Municipal pressures– Maine School IPM rules

Failures– Androscoggin river legislation– Maine indoor notification rules

How to improve the future

Keep your friends close

Bring your enemies closer

Share or give ownership of issues away– Look at successes and

failures in the previous slide.

Political reality

Know your local legislators

Know your congressional delegation

Become a resource for them

The final decision

It is always political, but

Think of all the new allies you can call on in the future