This bill amends the penalties section of the shoreland protection act. The amendment changes the language to specify that persons who violate the provisions of the chapter and fail to restore the site to meet the applicable standards within one year of receiving notification of a violation by the department will be subject to penalties. The bill removes the previous requirement that the violator must have damaged the public waterway and failed to make a good faith effort at remediation and restoration after notification by the department.

The bill includes the insertion of a comma and additional language to clarify the conditions under which penalties will apply. The deleted language pertained to the requirement of damaging the public waterway and the need for a good faith effort at remediation and restoration. The act is set to take effect on January 1, 2025, as stated in the effective date section of the bill.