LUPC should listen to staff and reject mine rezoning proposal

To the Editor;

Last week, staff at the Land Use Planning Commission (LUPC) released their draft decision recommendation that Wolfden Resources’ application to rezone land in the Katahdin Region to allow metallic mining be denied.

I hope the LUPC commissioners will follow this recommendation and vote “no” on Wolfden’s proposal at their meeting on Feb. 14. Scheduled for 10 a.m. at Jeff’s Catering, 15 Littlefield

Road in Brewer, the meeting is open to the public.

The environmental damage of a mine in this watershed could be permanent, polluting water and threatening wildlife, including endangered Atlantic salmon. As a result, a mine could also jeopardize the region’s outdoor recreation economy and the local businesses it supports.

In 2021, Wolfden withdrew its first rezoning proposal after the LUPC found deficiencies. Wolfden has never operated a mine before and failed to demonstrate its claim that the wastewater discharged from the operation would be as clean as the groundwater.

Maine is one of few places in the nation with the quality of water found in the Katahdin Region.

Rezoning could be the first step toward threatening this resource forever.

By rejecting this proposal, I believe the Land Use Planning Commission would fulfill its responsibility to protect Maine’s fragile natural resources for future generations.

Kathryn Olmstead

Caribou