However in legislation passed around 2005 - - The Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Economic and Community Development were merged into a single agency called "The Office Of Innovation" which is part of the unconstitutional expansion into state capitalism which has been radically advanced in Maine over the last fifteen years - with out any notice from Maine’s main stream media. - Or for that matter from any of our current candidates for the office of Governor.
Cutler speaks as though the Maine Department of Environmental Protection is still an independent agency-, which it is not - and LePage does not call him out on it. Are the candidates unaware of the legislation combining so many interests under the authority of one consolidated power? Imagine the further consolidation of power into the governing hands of state capitalism that this transfer would represent - And why does Cutler not say that it will be transferred to the Office of Innovation along side the Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Economic and Community Development as the following quote from the legislation describes?
Sec. 4. Transfer of duties. The Commissioner of Environmental Protection and the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development shall coordinate to ensure that the duties, functions and responsibilities of the Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Innovation and Assistance are transferred in a timely manner to the Department of Economic and Community Development, Office of Innovation. The Department of Economic and Community Development, Office of Innovation shall assume the duties, functions and responsibilities transferred to it in this Act within existing budgeted resources.
SUMMARY
This bill eliminates the Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Innovation and Assistance and transfers the duties of that office to the Department of Economic and Community Development, Office of Innovation. This bill also eliminates funding for a total of 7 positions within the Department of Environmental Protection, 5 of which are associated with the Office of Innovation and Assistance and 2 whose duties include serving as legislative liaisons for the department.
