Augusta - An environmental group is accusing the LePage administration of dragging it's feet regarding the Kids Safe Product Act, including the phase out of the chemical BPA. Now they're urging Maine's Attorney General to get involved and force the governor to act.

This afternoon Mike Belliveau of the Environmental Health Strategy Center delivered a letter to Maine Attorney General William Schneider.

In the letter Bellivau accuses the LePage administration od disregarding two legal deadlines to enforce laws that are contained in the Kids Safe Product Act.

Manufacturers of plastic products like sippy cups and water bottles that contain BPA were supposed to submit plans by July 5th detailing how they'll phase out those products by the January 1st deadline.

That's just one of the laws Belliveau says the LePage administration has failed to enforce. "Earlier this year the Governor proposed a dramatic rollback in health and environmental protections, including repeal of the BPA phase-out rule and gutting the consumer product laws," the letter state. "When these proposals were rejected by near unanimous votes of the legislature, the Governor eliminated or had reassigned all DEP professional staffing dedicated too implementation of the Kids Safe Product Act."

Bellivau says if the Attorney General doesn't compel the Governor to act he will take the matter to the courts. "Here we have a case where the Governor has shown repeated hostility to the Kids Safe Products Act and other laws necessary to protect public health," Belivau told reporters after his meeting with a member of the Attorney General's staff. "It does require an action like the Attorney General getting involved to compel the governor to comply."

LePage made headlines earlier this year by saying he's not seen enough science to support a ban on BPA saying "worst case some women might have little beards."

A written response to the letter has been requested from the Attorney General's office wihin 10 business days.
A spokesperson for the governor's office says the deadline to submit a plan to phase out BPA has actually been extended to October 1st. She directed all other questions to the Department of Environmental Protection.

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