By John Richardson, Portland Press Herald Writer Portland Press Herald news story Maine’s former environmental commissioner put a hold on a violation notice against a Jay paper mill to try to win support from a legislator who also works as the mill’s environmental manager, according to internal state records. Documents released this week, including memos Read More
Cleaning Up the Androscoggin River
Much of NRCM’s work to clean up the Androscoggin focused on the former paper mill in Jay because it was a bigger polluter than the mill in Rumford. We worked for many years to get this mill to adopt modern pulping and bleaching technologies that reduce pollution, save energy, and lower operating costs. In 2005, NRCM sued International Paper (the owner of the mill at that time). That same year, we appealed a waste discharge license for the Jay mill to the Board of Environmental Protection.
The Androscoggin runs through the heart of Maine. Its waters in Gilead support a world-class trout fishery that attracts tourists to Bethel and nearby towns. Here, the river is a source of recreation-based jobs, activities, and pride for the people who live in the region.
Further downstream, the river is much cleaner than it used to be, and people can now use it for recreation. But the Androscoggin River is still the dirtiest of Maine’s major rivers.
DEP Found in Violation of State Law
AG: Documents withheld in Androscoggin cleanup Bangor Daily News news story An investigation by Maine Attorney General Steven Rowe’s office has found that Department of Environmental Protection staffers violated the state’s public records law by not making available documents from private meetings with paper company officials. In response, Gov. John Baldacci announced Friday that workers Read More
What is Right for the River is Right for Maine
By Neil Ward, founding member of the Androscoggin River Alliance Lewiston Sun Journal DEP’s course correction holds hope for unleashing the true potential of the Androscoggin River. I applaud the recent move by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection to revisit the International Paper discharge license issued last September. New pollution monitoring data from IP Read More
NRCM, NRDC Sue International Paper for Polluting Androscoggin River
AUGUSTA Maine – This morning, the Natural Resources Council of Maine and the Natural Resources Defense Council filed suit against International Paper (IP) in US District Court in Bangor. “We are suing International Paper because the Androscoggin River below their papermill in Jay is so polluted that it has never met the bare minimum standards Read More
