Maine § 480-KK. - Coastal Sand Dune Restoration and Protection Fund

§ 480-KK.. Coastal Sand Dune Restoration and Protection Fund

1.  Fund established; purposes and administration.  The Coastal Sand Dune Restoration and Protection Fund, referred to in this section as "the fund," is established as a nonlapsing fund within the department from which the department may pay up to 50% of the eligible costs incurred in a project to restore, protect, conserve, nourish or revegetate a coastal sand dune system, except that eligible costs for projects relating to coastal sand dune systems and addressing technical assistance and public education may be paid up to 100%. The department may prioritize funding of projects that use nature-based or ecologically enhanced techniques for restoring, protecting, conserving, nourishing or revegetating a coastal sand dune system. Any balance remaining in the fund must continue without lapse from year to year and remain available only for the purposes for which the fund is established.

2.  Prohibited expenditures.  The department may not use money in the fund to fund projects in a coastal sand dune system where public access is not provided to the beach or waterfront area adjacent to the coastal sand dune system.

3.  Staffing support.  The department may use money in the fund for staffing to support administration and implementation of activities authorized under this section.

4.  Public education program.  The department may use money in the fund to develop a coordinated public education program related to coastal sand dune systems.

5.  Funding sources.  The fund may receive money from any source, public or private.