ME LD1696

Establishes a 17-member Commission to Study Maine's Absolute Dominion and Beneficial Use Laws Relating to Water Rights, with members appointed by the Senate President (8) and House Speaker (7), plus representatives from DEP and Maine Geological Survey

Commission membership includes legislators from both major parties, tribal representatives, water policy experts, agricultural interests, commercial water bottlers, municipal utilities, environmental organizations, and legal experts in water rights and property law

Requires review of groundwater rights approaches used in other states, including absolute dominion doctrine, reasonable use standard, prior appropriation doctrine, and correlative rights doctrine, evaluating environmental, economic, and social impacts

Must examine the 2021 report from the Commission to Study the Role of Water as a Resource, the Maddocks v. Giles court decision, and existing beneficial domestic use laws under Title 38, section 404

Report with findings, recommendations, and suggested legislation due to the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources by December 3, 2025