Senator Saviello, Representative Welsh, and members of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee: My name is Nick Bennett, and I am the staff scientist for the Natural Resources Council of Maine. I reside in Hallowell. I am testifying in opposition to LD 146. NRCM believes these proposed rules will not protect Maine’s environment or Maine Read More
JD Irving
Maine Lawmakers Take New Look at Mining Rules Their Predecessors Rejected
By Christopher Cousins, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story AUGUSTA, Maine — Rules for large-scale mining in Maine that failed last year are coming back to the Legislature this week despite familiar objections from the environmental community. The Legislature’s Environment and Natural Resources Committee is expecting a heavy turnout Wednesday when it hears public Read More
Irving Submits Plan to Develop, Preserve 51,000 Acres Around Northern Maine Lakes
By Julia Bayly, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story FORT KENT, Maine — State officials and the public got their first look at what Canadian-based J.D. Irving has in store for its 51,000 acres around the Fish River chain of lakes in northern Maine after the company filed its concept plan late last month. Read More
Irving Unveils Plan for 51K Acres of Maine Forest Land
By Ed Morin Maine Public news story Canada-based J.D. Irving has submitted a concept plan to state regulators with ideas about how the company wants to use 51,000 acres of forest land and lakes it owns in northern Aroostook County. Anthony Hourihan, Irving’s director of land development, says the goal of the plan is to Read More
Irving Files Plan with Land Use Commission to Rezone 51,000 Acres Around Fish River Chain
by Don Eno, Reporter St. John Valley Times news story ST. JOHN VALLEY, Maine – More than 51,000 acres of land around the Fish River Chain of Lakes in the St. John Valley could be rezoned if the Maine Land Use Planning Commission approves a plan submitted Wednesday, Dec. 24, by J.D. Irving subsidiaries – Read More
Canadian Mine Disaster Offers Maine a Lesson: Strong Regulations, Enforcement are Critical
By Nick Bennett, Special to the BDN Bangor Daily News op-ed This year, the Maine Legislature rejected weak regulations that would have allowed mining companies to pollute our waters and shift massive cleanup costs to Maine taxpayers. A recent mine disaster in Canada shows that lawmakers made the right decision. The disaster occurred when the Read More
Maine House Votes to Toss Out Proposed Mining Rules
The bill calls for a new set of regulations, which are likely to be less friendly to open-pit mining of minerals at Bald Mountain. By Eric Russell, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story The Maine House of Representatives passed a bill Monday that would throw out proposed mining rules drafted after a legislative vote Read More
Legislative Committee Endorses Do-over of Large-scale Mining Rules in Maine
By Christopher Cousins, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story AUGUSTA, Maine — The Legislature’s Environment and Natural Resources committee on Thursday rejected metallic mineral mining rules that have been under development for more than a year. The committee endorsed a resolve, LD 1772, that essentially sends the rules back to the Department of Environmental Read More
Legislative Committee Rejects New Maine Mining Rules
Democrats, environmental groups applaud vote, citing pollution concerns. By Steve Mistler, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story AUGUSTA – Democrats on the Legislature’s Natural Resources and Environmental Committee on Thursday rejected rules designed to revitalize metal and mineral mining in Maine, but fiercely opposed by environmental groups that feared its ecological impacts. In a vote of Read More