Maine

State legislators in Maine were among the first nationwide to enact regulations that require fully shielded outdoor lighting on state-funded projects: Energy Conservation in Buildings Act (enacted in 1991)

A new statewide initiative, designated HP6, LD11, tasks the State Planning Office with establishing uniform standards designed to limit light pollution. Governor John Baldacci signed it into law on May 4, 2009.

As a consequence of this legislation, Maine's State Planning Office has created a 14-page Technical Assistance Bulletin titled "Promoting Quality Outdoor Lighting In Your Community." You can download a PDF version here.

In January 2010, the State Planning Office also submitted a set of recommendations to the Joint Standing Committee on Business, Research and Economic Development. You can download a PDF version here.

Although the SPO's recommendations were not adopted, it seems the state's rule-making bodies do embrace the idea of outdoor-lighting regulation. The Department of Environmental Protection has included an entire section on light pollution in the draft Site Law it has recommended to the state's Board of Environmental Protection. (It is Section 16 in this document.)

• (Go to: Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont)

• Here's a list of cities and towns in Maine that have adopted outdoor-lighting regulations:
• Arundel
• Augusta
• Bangor

• Bar Harbor (link; Section 125-66-S, on page 5)

• Brunswick

• Freeport (link; Section 527-E)

• Kennebunkport (link)

• Kittery
• Mount Desert
• Portland

• Rockland (link; Section 19-316)

• Saco
• Scarborough
• Topsham
• Tremont

(if you know of any others, please let us know!)