Maine Department of Environmental Protection succumbs to pressure from the Blaine House and approves ravaging of upper Penobscot Bay coastal forest and related scenic businesses, to benefit Liquified Gas speculators. (Read related MDEP documents here)
It wasn't too hard for Conoco-Philips' subsidiary DCP Midstream to get
its license to pollute from Maine Department of "Environmental Protection", given that:
(1) DEP is led at present by once & future oil/ gas industry lobbyist Patty Aho, doing a revolving door stint as Environmental Commissioner; and
(2) Maine Governor Paul Lepage is strongly in support of expanding the gas sector of Maine's energy mix.
DEP's decision will be appealed by a host of citizens and organizations before the Maine Board of Environmental Protection, (and if needed) through the state courts.
The Maine Board of Environmental Protection will examine the
inputs of the other state agencies like Dept of Conservation and DMR, that chimed in on the DCP proposal with timid and pathetic see-no-evil responses, when DEP requested input.
For, as the saying goes, garbage-in/garbage-out . Maine DEP's decision is built upon those other agencies questionable bits of the puzzle, as well as data supplied by the company's consultants. Whether challenged before the Board of Environmental Protection, or in Superior Court and/or District court. the state's OK is only going to be as good as those "experts" from private industry and other agencies.
Simultaneously t
own of Searsport citizens are contemplating ordinance changes, planning board appeals and other town initiatives, while
Federal Court, and federal agencies will also be venues for action in opposition to Army Corps of Engineers and US Coast Guard decisions about the DCP giant gas tank and the traverse of its giant tanker ships up and down Penobcot Bay.
These include the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); the EPA, USFWS and NMFS.
How? administrative appeals, and federal court litigation
About the Council on Environmental Quality. The CEQ
"balances competing positions, and encourages government-wide coordination, bringing federal agencies, state and local governments, and other stakeholders together on matters relating to the environment, natural resources and energy."
This means if one agency or "stakeholder" (like TBNT) complains that some agency or consultant is full of baloney in the stuff they submitted to Robin Clukey and to the Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers or other fed agencies, the CEQ will sort it out on the federal side of things.
Court of Public Opinion.Let us always remember, we the people Because this is the most serious view fouling event by the carbon industry ever proposed in New England, the TV, radio, social media and text media need to be taken on visits to the different scenic vantage points into which DCP-Midstream's view-fouling supertank would be thrust if built. What can the public do?
Giant puppets! Twitter swarmings at each of the major scenic locations to be degraded! The causeway! The Jellison shores. Moose Point state park! Camden Hills state park, The Penobscot River bridge scenic tower. Islesboro land trust Sears Island! (
Hello FOSI, are you out there?)
Steady on... Deep within MDEP's final permit document, the agency may have left subtle triggers for us to find and exploit, assertions that will actually make our defense of nature easier, if we are clever enough to see them. Please read
the Maine DEP decision
