06-096-2 Me. Code R. § 8
At the Commissioner's or Board's discretion, the Commissioner or Board may schedule and hold public meetings in accordance with 38 M.R.S. §345-A(5) for the purpose of collecting comments that become part of the record. Any such meeting must be held during the period when written public comments may be submitted to the Department. Such meetings are not subject to the procedural requirements of the Maine Administrative Procedure Act or the Department's hearing rules. Persons commenting on the application are not under oath and there is no opportunity for cross-examination. The holding of a public meeting does not change any other obligation the Department has to hold hearings that are mandatory under statute or required after a timely request is filed. The Department must notify the applicant, interested persons, and the municipal office(s) of the municipality(ies) where the project would be located of public meetings scheduled by the Department. If the project is located in the unorganized or deorganized areas of the State, the Department will also notify the corresponding county commissioners.
06-096 C.M.R. ch. 2, § 8