Maine’s 2nd District U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin has introduced legislation to exempt a hydro system in Washington County from Federal Energy Regulatory Commission licensing requirements.
In a press release, Poliquin says the purpose of the bill is to protect jobs and block what he calls “unfair overreach” by FERC. But others say the bill bypasses necessary oversight.
At issue is the management of three water storage facilities that form East and West Grand Lakes, Spednik Lake and Sysladobsis Lake. They’re part of the Woodland Pulp mill’s hydro system. They’re also part of the St. Croix River watershed, which includes an international waterway shared with Canada.
In his press release, Poliquin says a recent FERC order for the three storage dams would cost the Woodland mill more than $1 million a year to implement and would force the company to consider surrendering its FERC licenses.
“We would be appalled if they did that,” says Paul Bisulca, a member of the Penobscot Indian Nation who has been working with the Passamaquoddy Tribe on a historic project to restore alewives, Atlantic salmon, shad, eel and other native fish to their ancestral spawning habitat on the St. Croix River. Environmental groups and other federal agencies have also been involved in the effort.
“That would be very bad for what we are trying to do. It would make the Canadians uneasy about what’s going to happen because Maine hasn’t had a good record on the St. Croix River,” he says.
Neither Poliquin nor a spokesman for the mill responded to request for comment for this story by airtime Wednesday.
In March, FERC issued a new order to Woodland Pulp that requires new fishways for eels at two dams and Farm Cove Dike. The order is also designed to take into account water levels necessary for public access, maintenance of fish and wildlife habitat and water quality downstream.
In his statement, Poliquin says the projects could be regulated by the state of Maine in a safe and environmentally responsible way.
“FERC’s overreach,” Poliquin says, “could have seriously negative consequences for the region’s environment.”
“I wouldn’t call this unfair overreach at all. In fact, these are very appropriate and standard protections of water resources under federal law,” says Dwayne Shaw, executive director of the Downeast Salmon Federation.
Shaw says Poliquin’s bill would set an inappropriate precedent if were passed. Because it bypasses public protection for the benefit of a single company, Shaw says Poliquin’s bill is the real overreach.
The Woodland Pulp mill employs 400 workers. Poliquin says if the mill abandoned its storage dams, dam gates would have to be pulled, resulting in the “de-watering” of the impoundments, which would change the region’s ecology forever.
