LePage administration opposes industry-sponsored paint recycling plan

Just a short post today, for those in Maine who missed Friday's story on a paint recycling bill before the legislature.

The household paint industry wants to set up a program to recycle Mainer's unused or unwanted paint, which currently gets burned in incinerators (in the case of latex), disposed of at considerable expense to towns (in the case of oil-based paints), or illegally dumped in ditches, forests, and fields (both). Their plan -- already enacted in Oregon, California, Connecticut, and Rhode Island -- has the backing of Maine's environmental community, municipalities, and paint retailers. It's sponsored by the ranking Republican on the relevant committee and has strong Democractic backing.

Sounds like a slam dunk, right?

But as the story reports, Gov. Paul LePage's administration -- which has consistently opposed product stewardship efforts in the past -- is opposing it.

Noticed the print edition cut some material for space, including quotes from Curtis Picard, who heads the Maine Retailers' Association, which also opposes the bill.