United States of America, U.S, Maine, Gulf of Maine, Coastal Maine, Canada, New Brunswick, The Ocean Institute of Canada, Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment, The Marine Law Institute 

"Executive Summary

This report assesses existing U.S. and Canadian laws and programs affecting the coastal and marine environment of the Gulf of Maine pursuant to objective 2.3 of the Gulf of Maine Action Plan. It was prepared by the Marine Law Institute (MLI) of Portland, Maine, and the Oceans Institute of Canada (OIC), of Halifax, Nova Scotia, under a contract with the Maine State Planning Office. Detailed descriptions were prepared of federal, state and provincial laws in the U.S. and Canada, summaries of which are contained in the Appendices to this Report. The following assessment of U.S. and Canadian laws and programs summarizes these descriptions and indicates where further in-depth examinations of specific programs are warranted by the Council and its members to more precisely define that nature of needed legislative and regulatory changes.

This Report was prepared to assist the Council in identifying gaps and inconsistencies among government regulatory approaches and programs bordering the Gulf of Maine. It reviews state, provincial and federal laws and programs in the U.S. and Canada regulating and managing the Gulf's marine and coastal environment. It identifies common and divergent federal regulatory approaches and policies, contrasts state and provincial policies, and describes new approaches and gaps in management regimes. It makes general recommendations on how regulatory and management regimes in the U.S. and Canada may be better coordinated and strengthened, and indicates where additional research and analysis is needed to more precisely define critical resource management issues." 

This document is a report prepared by the Marine Law Institute and the Oceans Institute of Canada, proposed by the Maine State Planning Office. The main concern is generating further understanding around what legislative and regulatory components may affect proper environment management of the Gulf of Maine area.

Topics Include:
- Common U.S. and Canadian Approaches for Managing the Marine and Coastal Environment (Environmental Impact Assessments, Ocean Dumping, Oil Spills, Hazardous Wastes, Offshore Oil and Gas, Open Space Programs, Endangered Species Laws, Aquaculture Laws, Marine Debris Programs)

- Divergent U.S. and Canadian Approaches for Managing the Marine and Coastal Environment
(Coastal Management Programs, Sewage Treatment, Water Quality, Nonpoint Source Pollution, Wetlands and Sand Dunes Regulation, Marine and Estuarine Protected Areas, Environmental Database Coordination)

- Contrasting State and Provincial Policies for Managing the Marine and Coastal Environment
(Shoreland Zoning, Comprehensive Planning, Land Use Commissions, Statutory Coastal Policies, Large-Scale Site Review, Environmental Impact Reviews, Marine Monitoring Programs, Vessel Discharges, Pump-Out Facilities, Domestic Sewage Discharges, Nonpoint Source Pollution Strategies, Toxic Use Reduction, Offshore Mining, Wetland Protection Standards, Coastal Hazards and Seal Level Rise, Tidal and Submerged Lands Leasing, Ocean Sanctuaries, Endangered Species Habitat Protection, Critical Area for Performance Standards, Underwater Archelogy Programs)

- New Approaches to Managing the Marine and Coastal Environment
(Centralized Coastal Zone Management, Ocean Resource Planning, Marine Zoning and Outstanding Resource Waters, Oil Spill Task Force)

- Appendix A-D: (The U.S. Federal Framework, The Canadian Federal Framework, Comparative Assessment of State Laws, Comparative Assessment of Provincial Laws)