Gov. Janet Mills on Thursday signed a bill into law that will require the Legislature to approve any changes in the location where the Maine State Ferry Service docks its vessels overnight.
The legislation comes after a backlash to the service’s proposal to start berthing ferries overnight on the mainland, rather than on the islands of Hancock County and the midcoast that they serve.
In January, Maine Department of Transportation Commissioner Bruce Van Note argued that berthing ferries on the mainland, instead of the islands, would improve the work-life balance of ferry workers.
But pushback from island communities was immediate, with local officials claiming that the plan would remove the ability of the vessels to transport island residents suffering medical emergencies to the mainland.
The bill, which was introduced by Rep. Billy Bob Faulkingham, R-Winter Harbor, originally would have forced the state to keep docking ferries on the islands, but it was amended to give lawmakers more say over any such decisions.
The new law requires Maine DOT to get approval from the Legislature to “change the existing overnight docking practices of a state-owned ferry vessel that docks overnight on an island served by the Maine State Ferry Service.”
The law includes an exemption for emergency cases, such as when the ferry service needs to leave boats on the mainland for maintenance.
Lawmakers have also been considering a separate proposal to study the role that ferries play in providing emergency medical transport to island communities, which has been endorsed by lawmakers on the criminal justice and public safety committee.
