Maine regulators to vote on Wolfden mine Wednesday

By Kathleen Phalen Tomaseli, Houlton Pioneer Times Staff

After a year of extensive analysis, the Maine Land Use Planning Commission is scheduled to make a final decision on the Wolfden Pickett Mountain Mining project on Wednesday morning.

During its regular meeting at Jeff’s Catering, 15 Littlefield Road in Brewer, the LUPC has the Wolfden decision scheduled as the last item on the agenda. The public can view the livestreamed meeting, beginning at 10 a.m.

Canadian junior mining company Wolfden filed its rezoning application with the LUPC last January. It was their second attempt at getting 374 acres at Pickett Mountain in northern Penobscot County rezoned to allow for a proposed underground metallic mineral mine. 

In 2021, Wolfden withdrew its initial rezoning application after LUPC staff pointed to multiple inconsistencies and inaccuracies in the application. 

An approval of the zoning change, from limited use to industrial use, would allow Wolfden to seek a state mining permit with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. Without the commission’s rezoning approval, Wolfden can’t proceed with its plans to mine minerals like zinc, copper and lead at Pickett Mountain near Mt. Chase.

After 11 months of extensive document review and four days of often contentious public hearings, the eight-member commission deliberated on the issue in December. During that meeting, several commissioners expressed concerns about Wolfden’s ability to responsibly move forward with the project, citing financial instability and the project’s effect on the region, the wildlife resources and habitats, the Wabanaki people and the state’s pristine water, fish resources and aquatic habitat. 

Following December deliberations, the LUPC staff, in a 100-page draft final decision, recommended that the commissioners deny the Wolfden application.

In the draft document, commission staff concluded that the proposed mining operation would not result in responsible mining of the metallic mineral resource at Pickett Mountain, and that Wolfden has not demonstrated that the project could represent environmentally responsible exploration and mining.

“Considering all the evidence in the record and its weighing of that evidence, the commission finds that Wolfden has not demonstrated that the project would be financially practicable and technically feasible. Therefore, the commission finds the project is not well-planned and of high value,” the draft decision said.