April 1, 2014
House ditches new open-pit mining rules
The Maine House of Representatives on Monday directed environmental regulators to draw up a new set of proposed mining rules, delaying the advance of new laws that would allow open-pit mining in areas like Aroostook County’s Bald Mountain. The bill now heads to the Senate.
The Portland Press Herald reported the bill would delay a process set in motion two years ago, when the Legislature directed the Maine Department of Environmental Protection to draft new rules, largely at the request of J.D. Irving Ltd. The company sought to mine minerals and precious metals from its Bald Mountain site.
The bill that cleared the House Monday in a 98-39 vote would require the DEP to draft new, and likely stricter, regulations by February 2016.
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