Maine Pollution Abatement Facilities, Referendum Question (1964)

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The Maine Pollution Abatement Facilities, also known as Referendum Question, was on the November 3, 1964 ballot in Maine as a legislatively referred bond question, where it was approved. The measure issued $25 million in bonds for the construction and equipment of pollution abatement facilities.

Aftermath

In 1969, a measure was approved to increase in the interest rate for state bonds from five to six percent. That measure was placed on the ballot because the contemporary bond market was not favorable to low interest bonds. It was unlikely that bonds authorized but unissued in the amount of $16 million for this water pollution abatement payments measure and $250 thousand for the development of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway could be sold at an interest rate of 5 percent. Without raising the interest rate, it was likely the bonds would have gone unsold and these projects could not have been continued.

In the same year, another measure was passed to issue another $50 million in bonds for the planning, construction and equipment of pollution abatement facilities.

The interest rate limit on these bonds was completely repealed in 1970 by another legislatively referred bond question. According to the Attorney General's explanatory statement on the measure, there was an unissued balance of $16,000,000 in bonds authorized by the voters on November 3, 1964. It was unlikely that the bonds could be sold at their limited interest rate of six percent. This measure removed that interest limitation making the bonds more marketable.

A further $30 million in bonds was issued in 1977 for pollution abatement facilities though voter approval of a legislatively referred bond question. In 1980, $15,735,000 in bonds were issued to plan, construct and equip pollution abatement facilities and to clean up and mitigate public health and environmental threats from uncontrolled hazardous substance sites.

Election results

Maine Referendum Question (1964)
Result		Votes	Percentage
a Yes		222,242	73.18%
No		81,464	26.82%

Election results via: Maine State Law and Legislative Reference Library, Votes on Maine Bond Issues, 1951-

Text of measure

The language appeared on the ballot as:

“

REFERENDUM QUESTION "Shall a bond issue be ratified for the purposes set forth in 'An act to Authorize General Fund Bond Issue in Amount of Twenty-five Million Dollars and to Appropriate Moneys for Construction and Equipment of Pollution Abatement Facilities,' passed by the 101st Legislature?"

”

Similar measures

• Maine Bond Issue Interest Limitation, Referendum Question No. 13 (1969) a
• Maine Pollution Abatement Facilities, Referendum Question No. 8 (1969) a
• Maine Water Pollution Abatement Interest Repeal, Referendum Question No. 4 (1970) a
• Maine Pollution Abatement Facilities, Referendum Question No. 1 (1977) a
• Maine Pollution Abatement and Hazardous Waste Clean Up, Bond Issue (1984) a

See also

Suggest a link

• Maine 1964 ballot measures
• 1964 ballot measures
• List of Maine ballot measures
• History of Initiative & Referendum in Maine

External links

• The Lewiston Daily Sun, "Specimen Ballot," October 26, 2014
• Maine State Law and Legislative Reference Library, Votes on Maine Bond Issues, 1951-
• National Conference of State Legislatures, State Ballot Measures Database