Maine Introduces New Statewide Expansion of Online Burning Permits
24 April 2014 - 1:00PM
Business Wire
Purchase online from your computer or mobile
device and immediately print your permit
Citizens seeking to burn brush, wood debris or agricultural
fields now have the option to obtain their open burning permits
electronically. The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation
and Forestry’s Bureau of Forestry announced that it has expanded
the online burn permit system statewide. Traditional hand-written
burn permits are still available, but the online system allows
permits to be acquired 24 hours a day, seven days a week, providing
that the fire danger is not high.
“The ability of Maine citizens to conduct business online saves
time and money and helps make state government more responsive and
open,” said Governor Paul R. LePage. “This is another positive
change in the way we do business that will benefit the public. And
please remember, only burn during periods of low fire danger and
always be safe when making and tending to burn fires.”
Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
Commissioner Walt Whitcomb noted that with this expansion Maine
continues to be a leader in providing online burn permits. “Maine
is one of the first states to issue permits electronically,” said
Whitcomb. “The online burn permit system has proven to be a
convenient, safe and reliable alternative means to obtain burn
permits. We are pleased to be able to offer it to all Maine
citizens.”
To expand the online system to cover the entire state, Forest
Rangers, in cooperation with the Maine Fire Chiefs Association,
made several improvements to the online burn permit system. The
system has been available in certain southern Maine counties since
2005.
Unlike the previous system, revenues will now be shared with the
municipality where the burn will occur. When permits are issued,
the system can also notify up to twenty Town Fire Wardens and Fire
Department personnel with emails or text messages. According to
Chief Forest Ranger Bill Hamilton, “the online system is safe and
only allows permits to be issued on class one or two days when the
fire danger is low. By encouraging people to burn after 5 p.m.
during periods of low to moderate fire danger, the chance of the
burn escaping decreases significantly.”
Online burn permits can be obtained at any time and are valid
for 48 hours after payment has been submitted. The Fire Chief or
Town Warden for each municipality is able to impose further
restrictions on allowable burn times or needed personnel and
equipment.
For more information, please visit
http://www.maineburnpermit.com or contact Kent Nelson at
207-287-4989 or by email at Kent.Nelson@maine.gov.
The online service was developed at no cost to Maine taxpayers
and was created by the Maine Department of Agriculture,
Conservation and Forestry, in partnership with the state’s
e-government portal provider, InforME. The Burn Permit Service
enhances the popular suite of online outdoor and recreational
services currently available through Maine.gov. (www.Maine.gov)
About Maine.gov
Maine.gov (http://www.Maine.gov) is the official Web portal of
the state of Maine. Maine.gov is a service of InforME, a
collaborative effort between the state of Maine and Maine
Information Network, LLC. part of the NIC (NASDAQ: EGOV) family of
companies.
About NIC
NIC Inc. (NASDAQ: EGOV) is the nation’s leading provider of
official government websites, online services, and secure payment
processing solutions. The company’s innovative eGovernment services
help reduce costs and increase efficiencies for government
agencies, citizens, and businesses across the country. Our popular
self-funded solution allows government to put in-demand services
online without using taxpayer funds. The NIC family of companies
currently provides cost-effective eGovernment solutions for more
than 3,500 federal, state, and local agencies in the United States.
Additional information is available at http://www.egov.com.
InforME/Maine.govPaul VandenBussche, 207-621-2600General
Managerpaul@informe.org
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