Maine Title 35-A, § 4302: nuclear construction referendum
Maine's current statute requires a statewide voter referendum before construction of any nuclear power plant. The section was enacted in 1987 and amended in 1999; the days are not on the opened page. A favorable vote is proclaimed by the Governor. The requirement is not limited to small modular reactors and does not approve a reactor.
- Category
- Laws, rules and executive directives
- Status
- In effect
- Instrument
- statute · Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 35-A, § 4302
- Issued by
- Maine Legislature
- Jurisdiction
- Maine
- Affects
- Siting
- In effect from
- 1987 · actual · year
- Expiry or completion
- None recorded
- Operative text
- Maine Revised Statutes, Title 35-A, section 4302 (Maine Legislature current section, opened 4 October 2026)
- Last checked · next review
- 2026-10-04 · 2027-04-15
Legal and geographic scope
Current Maine statute. Before construction of any nuclear power plant in the state, the question of approving that construction must be submitted to voters at the next statewide election. If a majority favor construction, the Governor proclaims that fact. The opened section does not define nuclear power plant and does not limit the requirement to small modular reactors. It is not an NRC licensing bar.
Not approved or still pending
The opened section does not record that a referendum has been held or that the Governor has proclaimed a result. It does not approve a plant. No Maine site is tracked in this dataset.
Dated lifecycle
- 1987 · actual · year · Enacted — The official history line says PL 1987, c. 141, §A6 enacted this section. The day is not on the page. The requirement is a statewide voter question before construction, not an approval of a plant. (Maine Revised Statutes, Title 35-A, section 4302)
- 1999 · actual · year · Amended — The official history line says PL 1999, c. 398, §A95 amended the section. The day and the changed words were not opened in the 1999 act. (Maine Revised Statutes, Title 35-A, section 4302)
Projects or designs named by the source
- None. Location in this jurisdiction does not make a project eligible for, or approved under, this measure.
Sources
- Maine Revised Statutes, Title 35-A, section 4302 (government_primary, accessed 2026-10-04)