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Overwhelming Opposition to Mining Rules Demonstrated at Public Hearing

March 2, 2015

NRCM news release

On February 25, 2015, the Environment and Natural Resources Committee held a public hearing on mining rules (LD 146) which demonstrated that Maine people from all parts of the state oppose weak mining rules. Twenty-four people from Aroostook County testified in person or submitted comments in opposition to the rules. Not a single citizen from Aroostook County testified or submitted comments in support of the rules. Individuals from 64 Maine communities spoke at the hearing or submitted comments in opposition, with the highest number of opposition comments from any one town coming from Presque Isle. Only eight individuals total testified or submitted comments in support of the rules, and they were all lobbyists, represented Aroostook Timberlands, or represented consulting firms that would benefit from mining in Maine.

See updated figures from both public hearings here.

OPPOSITION TO LD 146 MINING RULES

  • Citizens Testifying in Opposition: 51
    • Citizens Testifying from Aroostook County: 8
  •  Citizen Written Comments in Opposition:* 63
    • Written Comments from Aroostook County:* 16
  •  Total Number of Towns for Citizen Testimony and Written Comments: 64
  •  Maine Legislators Testifying in Opposition:  5
  • Organizations Testifying in Opposition: 7 
  • Organization Written Comments in Opposition:   3 
  • Total Testimony/Comments in Opposition:   129

SUPPORT FOR LD 146 MINING RULES

  •  Citizen Testimony in Support:   NONE
    • Citizens Testifying from Aroostook County:   NONE
  •  Citizen Written Comments in Support: NONE
    • Written Comments from Aroostook County:   NONE
  •  Total Number of Towns for Citizen Testimony and Written Comments: NONE 
  • Maine Legislators Testifying in Support: NONE 
  • Consultant Testimony in Support: 3  
  • Organization Testimony in Support: 3 (including Aroostook Timberlands) 
  • Consultant Written Comments in Support: 2 
  • Total Testimony/Comments in Support: 8* The written and oral testimony comments are non-overlapping.                                                     
CITIZEN TESTIMONY IN OPPOSITION TO LD 146 (51)  
Fname Lname Town AROOSTOOK CO.
Don Abbott Camden
Harry Ackerman Harmony
Randel Agrella Fort Fairfield A
Betsy Bishop Terrell Carr Pond A
Alice Bolstridge Presque Isle A
Carol Boothrogd Dover-Foxcroft
Doug Bowen Porter
Liam Burnell Whitefield
Brownie Carson Harpswell
Dennis Chinois Bangor
Alan Clements Charleston
Peter Crockett Argyle Township
Christine Daglieri Greene
Roger David Dresden
Sam Day Hallowell
Jane Edwards Winslow
Charles Fitzgerald Dover-Foxcroft
Neil Gallagher Bunswick
Peter Garrett Winslow
Carl Gerecky Orneville
Jim Gerritson Township D Range 2 A
Ian Glass Portland
Nany Hathaway Surry
Steven Heinz Cumberland
Jim Hynson Pittston
Peter Kallin** Rome
Elery Keene Winslow
Lew Kingsbury Pittston
Bob Klotz South Portland
Sarah LaChance Cape Porpois
Hillary Lister Athens
Susan MacKenzie Waterville
Gale Maynard Woodland A
John McIntyre Easton A
Regine McIntyre Easton A
Diane Messer Liberty
David Miller Portland
Sidney Mitchell Dover-Foxcroft
Roger Morrison Charleston
Shelly Mountain Mapleton A
Tony Owens Cape Elizabeth
Sidney Quarrier Appleton
Lucy Quimby Bangor
Bill Richards Augusta
Peggy Schuller Edgecomb
Christoper Sewell Phippsburg
George Smith Mount Vernon
David Sokowitz Portland
Shri Verrill Portland
Michael Verville Brunswick
David Wood Hallowell
LEGISLATOR TESTIMONY IN OPPOSITION TO LD 146 (5)
Rep. Henry Bear
Rep. Ralph Chapman
Rep. Janice Cooper
Sen. Geoff Gratwick
Sen. Chris Johnson
CITIZEN WRITTEN COMMENTS IN OPPOSITION TO LD 146 (63)  
Darrell and Lorette Adams Mars Hill A
Krisanne Baker Woldoboro
Lawrence Bastian New Gloucester
Siri Beckman Stonington
Gary Boone Presque Isle A
Lindsey Newland Bowker Stonington
Anne Burt Edgecomb
Andy Cadot Portland
Janet Carpenter Penobscot
Brenda Commander Chief, Houlton Maliseet Indians A
Geraldine Cross Bangor
Larry Dansinger Monroe
Shirley Davis Orono
Mary Beth DiMarco Houlton A
Mary-Therese Duffy
Julianne Forbes North Bridgton
David Foster
Michelle Fournier North Yarmouth
Ward Gero Presque Isle A
Marcia Girouard Orono
Martha Goodale Westbrook
Carol Gorecki Orneville TWP
John Graves Presque Isle A
Leda Beth Gray Blue Hill
John Greenman Orland
Julie Hamilton Monroe
Daniel Harris Winthrop
Sarah Harvey
Sandra Hayes Maliseet Indians A
Brian Hirst Harpswell
Don Holmes Sedgewick
Nancy Hoop Kittery
Sigrid Houltette Westmanland (Aroostook) A
Pauline Hunneman Freeport
Fred Kircheis
Stephen Martin
Ulli Matheson Westmanland (Aroostook) A
Michael Maynard
Gary McGrane Jay
McPherson Beth Damariscotta
Jim Melloh South Portland
Stephen Miller Westmanland (Aroostook) A
Abi Morrison Charleston (Penobscot)
Jon Olsen Jefferson
Parker Beedy Camden
Arla Patch Bryant Pond
Darlene Perle
Sr. Patricia Pora
Bonnie Preston Blue Hill
Linda Raymond Maliseet Indian Tribal Council A
Howard Reben Portland
Kathy Scott Mercer
Alice Shephard Presque Isle A
Pauline Sheridan Northport
Tony Sousa Hallowell
Rebecca Stanley Monmouth
Matthew Streeter Ocean Park
Wayne Sweetser Presque Isle A
Richard Thomas Waterville
M.S. Tupper
Francine Wickes
Bonnie Wood Presque Isle A
Stephen Wood Presque Isle A
Sandra Wright Mt. Vernon
ORGANIZATION TESTIMONY IN OPPOSITION TO LD 146 (7)
Tom Abello The Nature Conservancy
Nick Bennett NRCM
Landis Hudson Maine Rivers
Kaitlyn Bernard Maine AMC
Jeff Reardon Trout Unlimited
Chris Buchanan Defending Water for Life
Beth Ahearn Environmental Priorities Coalition
ORGANIZATION WRITTEN COMMENTS IN OPPOSITION TO LD 146 (3)
Glen Brand Sierra Club
Chief Brenda Commander Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians A
Jym St. Pierre RESTORE: The North Woods

 

 

 

Opposition Comment Towns     (65) Number of Comments from Town
Appleton 1
Argyle Township 1
Athens 1
Augusta 1
Bangor 3
Blue Hill 2
Brunswick 2
Bryant Pond 1
Camden 2
Cape Elizabeth 1
Cape Porpois 1
Carr Pond (Aroostook) 1
Charleston 3
Cumberland 1
Damariscotta 1
Dover-Foxcroft 3
Dresden 1
Easton (Aroostook) 2
Edgecomb 2
Fort Fairfield (Aroostook) 1
Freeport 1
Greene 1
Hallowell 3
Harmony 1
Harpswell 2
Houlton (Aroostook) 2
Jay 1
Jefferson 1
Kittery 1
Liberty 1
Mapleton (Aroostook) 1
Mars Hill (Aroostook) 2
Mercer 1
Monmouth 1
Monroe 2
Mt. Vernon 2
New Gloucester 1
North Bridgton 1
North Yarmouth 1
Northport 1
Ocean Park 1
Orland 1
Orneville TWP 2
Orono 2
Penobscot 1
Phippsburg 1
Pittston 2
Porter 1
Portland 6
Presque Isle (Aroostook) 8
Rome 1
Sedgewick 1
South Portland 2
Stonington 2
Surry 1
Township D Range 2 (Aroostook) 1
Waldoboro 1
Waterville 2
Westbrook 1
Westmanland (Aroostook) 3
Whitefield 1
Winslow 3
Winthrop 1
Woodland (Aroostook) 1

 

 

CITIZEN TESTIMONY IN SUPPORT OF LD 146
NONE
LEGISLATOR TESTIMONY IN SUPPORT OF LD 146
NONE
CITIZEN WRITTEN COMMENTS IN SUPPORT OF LD 146
NONE
CONSULTANT TESTIMONY IN SUPPORT OF LD 146 (3)
Larry Fitzgerald Stantec
Steve Pinette Pinetterra Consulting LLC
Matt Muzzy Sevee & Mahar Engineers, Inc.
CONSULTANT WRITTEN COMMENTS IN SUPPORT OF LD 146 (2)
Jim Butler Aroostook Resources
Jake Mitchell Mitchell Tardy (Aroostook Resources)
ORGANIZATION TESTIMONY IN SUPPORT OF LD 146 (4)
Ben Gilman Maine State Chamber of Commerce
Anthony Hourihan Aroostook Resources
Jim Mitchell Mitchell Tardy (Aroostook Resources)
Patrick Strauch Maine Forest Products Council