By Anthony Brino, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story A decades-long debate over the prospect of a metal mine in the mountains of Aroostook County will be rekindled Thursday as another proposed overhaul of state mining regulations receives a public hearing. Opponents again are gearing up to voice their concerns about the potential for Read More
mining rules
Maine Looks Again at Overhauling Mining Regulations
By Kevin Miller, staff writer Portland Press Herald news story The Maine Department of Environmental Protection is once again proposing a major rewrite of the state’s metallic mining regulations, reviving a controversial issue that failed twice in the Legislature during the past two years. DEP officials said the proposed rules are needed to address inconsistencies Read More
The Irvings’ Invasion of Maine
by Bruce Livesey, National Observer news story Reprinted with permission in the Lewiston Sun Journal This is one part in a six-part series titled “The House of Irving” by investigative reporter Bruce Livesey of the Vancouver-based National Observer. The series examines the powerful role the Irving family plays in the business, politics and media of Read More
Protecting the Environment is Not a Partisan Issue, Natural Resources Council Leader Says
by Lisa Pohlmann Portland Press Herald opinion piece AUGUSTA — Summer is here, and Mainers and visitors are enjoying the splendor of our rivers, lakes, parks, coasts, mountains, forests and wildlife. Meanwhile, Gov. LePage is attacking Maine’s environment. The governor has publicly declared war on the Natural Resources Council of Maine, but there should be Read More
Colorado Mining Disaster Shows Maine was Right to Reject Mining Rules — Again
By Nick Bennett, Special to the BDN Bangor Daily News op-ed 2015 has been a year of seconds with respect to mining. For the second time, the Department of Environmental Protection submitted the same weak mining rules it submitted to the Legislature in 2014. For the second time, the Legislature wisely rejected them. Also for Read More
Bill to Loosen Maine’s Mining Rules Overwhelmingly Rejected in House
By A.J. Higgins MPBN news story AUGUSTA, Maine – A proposal to loosen mining regulations in Maine has suffered a setback in Augusta. The Maine House overwhelmingly rejected the measure, which first emerged three years ago, after a Canadian corporation expressed interest in developing mining operations on land it owns at Bald Mountain in Aroostook Read More
Maine House Delivers Major Blow to Rewritten Mining Rules
The long, heated debate over opening land to digging for metals is replayed again before the bill is rejected in a 109-36 vote. By Steve Mistler, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story AUGUSTA — A hotly debated bill that would rewrite Maine’s metal mining regulations was dealt a decisive setback Thursday in the House Read More
Loose Mining Rules Endanger the Proven Job Creators for which Maine is Known
By Jeff McCabe and Jen Brophy, Special to the BDN Bangor Daily News op-ed Metal mining is a boom and bust industry with a long record of polluting the water and leaving taxpayers to pay the cleanup costs in Maine and elsewhere around the country. More than 40 years after the Callahan mine in Brooksville Read More
Lots of Effort Went Into Writing Maine’s Mining Rules, But They’re Still Too Weak
By Hendrik Gideonse, Special to the BDN Bangor Daily News op-ed For three months I’ve been part of a tiny handful of citizens watching a drive to approve weakened metallic mining regulations that threaten Maine’s precious environment and that challenge the very character of Maine’s democracy. We have attended a dozen-plus mining hearings and work Read More
