CARIBOU, Maine — Mark Draper of Caribou, the solid waste director for Tri-Community Landfill, has been appointed to a four-year term on the Maine Board of Environmental Protection (BEP). Draper was nominated by Gov. LePage and subsequently confirmed by the Maine Legislature.
According to its website, the BEP is a seven-member citizen board created by the Legislature to provide informed, independent and timely decisions on the interpretation, administration and enforcement of the laws relating to environmental protection and to provide for credible, fair and responsible public participation in department decisions.
The board’s duties include: major substantive rulemaking, review of certain license applications, decisions on appeals of the Commissioner’s licensing and enforcement actions, and recommending changes in the law to the Legislature. While the board is part of the Department of Environmental Protection, it has independent decision-making authority in the areas of its responsibility.
“I’ve spent most my career working to comply with environmental laws and regulations,” Draper noted. “Sitting on the other side of the table definitely provides a different perspective” he added. “It’s an honor and a privilege, and something that I never expected.”
The Tri-Community Recycling and Sanitary Landfill is a quasi-municipal corporation owned by the communities of Fort Fairfield, Limestone, and Caribou. Their mission is to provide solid waste management services to the Aroostook County region; in a way that is equitable, environmentally sound, and cost-effective; so that those services can be provided over the long-term.
For more information, the BEP maintains a website at maine.gov/dep/bep.
