Public will get to weigh in on controversial mining challenge
The Maine Land Use Planning Fee will maintain a three-day public listening to on a Canadian junior mining firm’s rezoning software for the Pickett Mountain Mining Undertaking, regardless of objections from intervening events.
The LUPC scheduled public hearings on the Wolfden mining challenge for Oct. 16, 17 and 18, at Stearns Jr./Sr. Excessive College,199 State St., Millinocket.
In the course of the pre-public listening to convention in July, the intervenors — together with the Penobscot Nation, Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, the Pure Sources Council of Maine, the Conservation Legislation Basis and Earthjustice — requested the general public hearings be postponed as a result of Wolfden’s software doesn’t establish the place ore processing and storage amenities shall be situated.
The intervenors need the LUPC to reject the mining firm’s rezoning software for the Pickett Mining Undertaking, situated about 9 miles from Patten and 5 miles into the forest off Route 11. The realm is zoned for small cabins. With out rezoning approval, the mining challenge can not transfer ahead.
The proposed mining challenge is the primary actual take a look at of Maine’s strict mining regulation handed in 2017 meant to guard the state’s atmosphere.
The mining challenge would require an ore processing plant to rework uncooked materials into usable industrial merchandise, in accordance with the Pure Sources Council of Maine. It additionally would wish a tailings administration facility to completely retailer the waste produced by processing the ore.
Wolfden representatives opposed the intervenors’ request to postpone the listening to, citing its plan to accommodate the ore processing and tailings amenities off-site and outdoors of the Land Use Regulation Fee’s jurisdiction.
“The processing facility is essentially the most harmful a part of the mining operation and it have to be situated close to the mine,” mentioned Nick Bennett, employees scientist on the Pure Sources Council. “That is actually a smoke and mirrors recreation saying ‘don’t look behind the scenes.’”
LUPC’s presiding officer, Commissioner Everett Worcester, denied the intervening events’ request to postpone. The October public listening to course of is essentially the most applicable venue to lift issues relating to inadequate proof, Worcester mentioned. The mine threatens Wabanaki Nation lands and waters, in accordance with Earthjustice senior legal professional Aaron Bloom, who filed the petition to intervene on behalf of all of the events.
“It’s proper within the headwaters of the West Department Mattawamkeag River, and all of it’s in important habitat for endangered Atlantic salmon,” Bennett mentioned. “It’s an actual menace to the standard outside economic system on this area.”
That is Wolfden’s second software for Maine Land Use Planning Fee rezoning approval for a 374-acre parcel of the 7,135-acre Pickett Mountain challenge. The exploratory mining firm withdrew its preliminary software after the LUPC cited a number of missed deadlines, errors and inconsistencies.
The general public hearings give LUPC investigators proof related to Wolfden’s software, though it’s just one supply of data associated to the assessment course of, in accordance with the LUPC.
Different issues embody the Wolfden software, written company feedback, pre-filed testimony, post-hearing briefs, rebuttal briefs and written public feedback.
The general public listening to consists of daytime technical classes and night public remark time.
The intervenors have a proper function throughout the technical classes and might herald knowledgeable witnesses to weigh in on Wolfden arguments and cross study firm witnesses, Bloom mentioned.
Commissioner Worcester condensed the technical listening to dialogue subjects to incorporate monetary practicability, water and fish assets and aquatic habitats, wildlife assets and habitats, pure character, historic and cultural assets and related tribal impacts and socioeconomics, in accordance with the LUPC.
Wolfden officers have been reaching out to surrounding cities. Final yr, they opened an workplace within the previous drug retailer in Patten, internet hosting public occasions and pizza nights for the neighborhood. They held a watermelon and panning for gold occasion for youths throughout Pioneer Days this summer season.
Wolfden Vice President of Growth Jeremy Ouellette mentioned on Wednesday that clear communication with the general public is essential to the corporate they usually need these affected by the challenge to have questions answered.
“To that finish, Wolfden has been speaking through numerous avenues together with attending city conferences, organizing open discussion board data classes, attending public discussions alongside numerous organizations corresponding to Pure Sources Council and Division of Environmental Safety, in addition to opening an workplace for folks to cease by and chat at any time,” he mentioned.
Wolfden organized a neighborhood advisory committee for open public dialogue; present board members symbolize Hersey, Island Falls, Sherman, Patten, Moro Plantation and Mount Chase, mentioned Ouellette, including that they’re open to others.
The Advisory Committee public boards are usually each two months, scheduled upfront and introduced on the Wolfden Fb web page. There have already been three conferences on the Patten workplace, he mentioned.
Subjects included an summary of Wolfden and the Pickett Undertaking, the challenge geology, the mining methodology and the LUPC rezoning course of, Ouellette mentioned.
Nonetheless, Pure Sources Council’s Bennett mentioned that there are discrepancies between what Wolfden has mentioned and actuality. He pointed to the junior mining firm’s lack of expertise, small employees and a $40 million loss, as mirrored in an August 2023 monetary submitting with the Toronto Inventory Change.
“They’ve a really small employees and but they’ve informed the LUPC they’re going to be the cleanest mine on the planet,” Bennett mentioned throughout a webinar final week. “They mentioned they’re going to use reverse osmosis course of know-how and be capable of discharge waste water at ranges cleaner than the pure floor and floor water. There is no such thing as a exhausting rock mining firm that we all know of that may try this.”
