AUGUSTA, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- An environmental group is charging that the LePage administration is dragging its feet when it comes to implementing Maine's BPA phase-out rule.
The chemical is supposed to be removed from reusable food and beverage containers in Maine by January.
At a news conference this morning the Environmental Health Strategy Center charged the Department of Environmental Protection missed the July 5 deadline for manufacturers to submit plans on how they plan to rid their products of BPA. And the group claims the governor ordered a staff shake-up at the DEP that led to unqualified people working on the BPA rule.
Those working on the rule, meanwhile, say the reorganization is helping them push this issue to the federal level. And say that while the department is now giving manufacturers until October to submit their compliance plans, the phase out deadline of January 1 has not changed.
The Environmental Health Strategy Center has sent a letter to Attorney General William Schneider, asking him to compel Governor LePage to comply with the BPA rule. The attorney general says he will look into the charges.
NEWS CENTER