Augusta, MAINE - Governor Janet Mills announced today that she has nominated former Maine state Representative Robert Duchesne to serve on the Board of Environmental Protection.
“Bob Duchesne is a dedicated sportsman with more than a decade of experience leading the Legislature’s efforts to protect Maine’s environment,” said Governor Mills. “Bob’s love for the great Maine outdoors, his knowledge and his experience will be an important contribution to the Board’s efforts to enforce Maine’s environmental protection laws and defend our natural resources.”
“I am honored for the opportunity Governor Mills has given me to return to public service and to continue the work of protecting Maine’s environment and natural resources which have played such an important part in my life and in the lives of every Mainer,” said Bob Duchesne. “The Board has the critical responsibility of being an independent voice to enforce our state’s environmental protection laws and I look forward to joining the other members in that effort.”
Maine’s Board of Environmental Protection (BEP) is an independent seven-member board established by the Legislature. The Board is tasked with providing informed, timely and independent decisions on the interpretation, administration, and enforcement of environmental protection laws. The Board also works to ensure opportunities for credible, fair, and responsible public participation in the Department of Environmental Protection’s decisions.
The Board’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to, substantive rule-making, 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.
Board members are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Legislature.
Governor Mills has nominated Duchesne to fill the board’s sole vacancy. Duchesne’s nomination was officially posted Friday, February 1, 2019. Duchesne’s nomination will be considered by the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources and the state Senate.
Duchesne, 65, spent more than three decades as the host of a popular radio show broadcast across eastern and central Maine. During his radio career, Duchesne was also an active leader in charity and public service organizations in the Bangor area, including serving as President of Downeast Big Brothers Big Sisters, Maine Audubon, and the Maine Association of Broadcasters. Duchesne also served on several economic and business development boards. In 2005, Duchesne was elected to the Maine House of Representatives and served six non-consecutive terms. During his time in the Legislature, Duchesne also chaired both the Environment and Natural Resources Committee and the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee and started his own guiding business. After his service in the Legislature, Duchesne began writing columns focused on the Maine outdoors for several news outlets. He currently lives on Pushaw Lake in Hudson with his wife, Sandi.