Governor LePage releases a Department of Environmental proposal

"This proposal will increase air emissions and result in worse air quality in the state of Maine".

Governor LePage has released a proposal that may affect Maine's air.

A public hearing was held in Augusta to discuss that proposal which would remove ninety-eight percent of Maine from the smog protection region.

"We really are concerned about the effects of ozone. It's a toxic chemical effect we call it. It is almost like having a toxic sunburn on the lungs. So the Lung Association strongly opposes our withdrawal from this partnership that is really helping protect patients, all of my patients from the effects of ozone."

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection criticized the plan saying it could greatly affect the air quality in Maine.

The proposal would allow new and modified sources of air pollution in much of Maine to produce higher levels of smog-forming pollutants.

People from all over the state came to speak for and against the proposal.

"Maine has to attract jobs and investments and keep the ones that we now have, but we can't do this if we have strict environmental laws and other parts of this country and Canada we have to compete with."

"As a physician I can only do a few things. I have a few partly effective inhalers and medications, and so this legislation, protecting this partnership, is so much more important for my patients than anything I can single handily do."

We're told Maine has already seen over a dozen bad air days this year.