Tons of mercury-contaminated soil remain at Orrington site Bangor Daily News news story BANGOR – Hazardous materials crews recently removed more than 1,400 pounds of mercury from the former HoltraChem site in Orrington and soon will dismantle more than a dozen buildings and storage tanks during the next phase of the cleanup, Maine officials said Read More
Clean & Free-flowing Waters
State’s Rivers Focus of New Respect
MAINE VOICES: Michael Herz Portland Press Herald op-ed The recent pair of stories by Seth Harkness (“Wild sides of cityscapes,” July 2) are a joyous celebration of the wonders of water experiences to be had throughout urban Maine. In fact, Maine’s rivers offer unparalleled opportunities throughout the state for inexpensive exposure to the best that Read More
Three Dams to Get Power Upgrades Along Penobscot
Bangor Daily News news story A Pennsylvania power company plans to increase generation soon at three dams on the Penobscot River as part of a two-year-old deal to help restore historic runs of Atlantic salmon and other fish in the famed waterway, officials said Tuesday. In June 2004, PPL Corp. signed an unprecedented agreement with Read More
Supreme Court Ruling Impacts Androscoggin
By David Farmer, Staff Writer Lewiston Sun Journal news story LEWISTON – A decision by the U.S. Supreme Court is rippling along the Androscoggin River and into efforts to improve the quality of its water. The court ruled Monday that hydroelectric dams are subject to the federal Clean Water Act and must meet water quality Read More
New DEP Permits a Clear Win for the Androscoggin River
Portland Press Herald editorial When Gov. Baldacci appointed David Littell to take the helm of an environmental agency tarnished by allegations of horse-trading with polluters, Littell promised things would be done differently. Last week, the Department of Environmental Protection released revised discharge permits for two paper mills on the sadly abused Androscoggin River. The draft Read More
Allagash Suffers Under a New Law
Lewiston Sun Journal editorial Perhaps, it seems, the Allagash Wilderness Waterway is destined to become just a long, skinny state park, complete with parking lots and bathhouses. We hope not, and we think most Mainers would be aghast at the idea. Yet, while attention was focused on adding the Katahdin Lake area to Baxter State Read More
Passages for Fish Opened in 1998
By Doug Harlow, Staff Writer Kennebec Journal news story Passage for sea-run species of fish, including alewives, shad, blueback herring and Atlantic salmon up the Kennebec and Sebasticook rivers is required by a 1998 agreement with the state of Maine, federal energy regulators, members of the Kennebec Coalition and hydroelectric dam owners. The Kennebec Coalition, Read More
‘River Drivers Agreement’ Endangered
Dr. Paul Liebow Bangor Daily News A sneaky move is afoot in Augusta to undo the famed “River Drivers Agreement” – an artful compromise worked out and signed by multiple stakeholders to balance both remoteness and access to the Wild and Scenic River known around the world as the Allagash. Citizens should contact their legislators Read More
Judge Dismisses Clean Water Lawsuit
by the Associated Press Portland Press Herald news story BANGOR — An environmental group expressed disappointment Wednesday at a federal judge’s dismissal of its clean water lawsuit against International Paper. The Natural Resources Council of Maine and the Natural Resources Defense Council had alleged that IP’s wastewater polluted the Androscoggin River below its Jay mill Read More
