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Showing posts with label Maine DEP. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Maine DEP. Show all posts

Mar 5, 2025

HOSS: GAC and predecessors

From Maine DEP's 
Hazardous and Oil Spill System

Date Range: 01/01/1970 - 03/04/2025, Muncipality: SEARSPORT, Keywords: kidder

Delta & Genral Alum's reported spills October 14, 1983 to March 18, 2020

NOTE: Links are to the the DEP pdf . Use back button to return to this page  

Spill NumberReport DateTown/MCDLocationSpill TypeTank Type
B-257-1983Oct 14, 1983SEARSPORTDELTA CHEMICALS INC KI...Hazardous Material IncidentUnknown/Unspecified
B-271-1983Nov 9, 1983SEARSPORTDELTA CHEMICAL KIDDER ...Hazardous Material IncidentUnknown/Unspecified
B-101-1984May 27, 1984SEARSPORTDELTA CHEMICALS INC KI...Hazardous Material IncidentUnknown/Unspecified
B-344-1993Jun 29, 1993SEARSPORTDELTA CHEMICAL KIDDER ...Oil IncidentUnknown/Unspecified
B-398-1993Jul 22, 1993SEARSPORTDELTA CHEMICAL KIDDER ...Hazardous Material IncidentUnknown/Unspecified
B-91-1994Feb 23, 1994SEARSPORTDELTA CHEMICAL KIDDER ...Non-Oil, Non-Hazardous Incident
B-567-1994Sep 22, 1994SEARSPORTDELTA CHEMICALS, INC. ...Non-Oil, Non-Hazardous Incident
B-64-1995Feb 7, 1995SEARSPORTGENERAL ALUM & CHE...Hazardous Material Incident
B-319-1996Jun 19, 1996SEARSPORTGENERAL ALUM & CHE...Hazardous Material Incident
B-383-1996Jul 19, 1996SEARSPORTGENERAL ALUM & CHE...Hazardous Material Incident
B-425-1997Aug 5, 1997SEARSPORTGENERAL ALUM & CHE...Hazardous Material Incident
B-573-1997Oct 7, 1997SEARSPORTGENERAL ALUM & CHE...Hazardous Material Incident
B-668-1997Nov 20, 1997SEARSPORTGENERAL ALUM & CHE...Non-Oil, Non-Hazardous IncidentUnderground Tank(s) Involved
B-220-1998Apr 3, 1998SEARSPORTGENERAL ALUM & CHE...Oil Incident
B-308-1998May 4, 1998SEARSPORTGENERAL ALUM & CHE...Non-Oil, Non-Hazardous Incident
B-375-1998Jun 9, 1998SEARSPORTGENERAL ALUM & CHE...Hazardous Material IncidentAbove Ground Tank(s) Involved
B-32-2000Jan 20, 2000SEARSPORTGENERAL ALUM & CHE...Hazardous Material Incident
B-695-2000Nov 14, 2000SEARSPORTGENERAL ALUM CHEMICAL ...Hazardous Material Incident
B-215-2001Apr 19, 2001SEARSPORTTRUCK LOADING AREA &am...Hazardous Material Incident
B-478-2001Aug 27, 2001SEARSPORTGENERAL ALUM & CHE...Oil Incident
B-496-2001Sep 7, 2001SEARSPORTGAC KIDDER POINT ROADHazardous Material Incident
B-62-2002Feb 5, 2002SEARSPORTGENERAL ALUM & CHE...Hazardous Material IncidentAbove Ground Tank(s) Involved
B-174-2002Mar 20, 2002SEARSPORTACID LOADING AREA - GA...Hazardous Material Incident
B-261-2002May 6, 2002SEARSPORTGAC CORP KIDDER POINT ...Hazardous Material IncidentAbove Ground Tank(s) Involved
B-297-2002May 28, 2002SEARSPORTGENERAL ALUM CORP KIDD...Hazardous Material Incident

Spill NumberReport DateTown/MCDLocationSpill TypeTank Type
B-434-2002Aug 20, 2002SEARSPORTGENERAL ALUM & CHE...Hazardous Material Incident
B-656-2002Dec 10, 2002SEARSPORTGENERAL ALUM CORP KIDD...Hazardous Material Incident
B-345-2003Jul 20, 2003SEARSPORTGENERAL ALUM CORP KIDD...Hazardous Material IncidentAbove Ground Tank(s) Involved
B-556-2004Oct 14, 2004SEARSPORTGENERAL ALUM & CHE...Hazardous Material IncidentAbove Ground Tank(s) Involved
B-627-2004Nov 17, 2004SEARSPORTGENERAL ALUM & CHE...Hazardous Material IncidentAbove Ground Tank(s) Involved
B-112-2005Mar 4, 2005SEARSPORTGAC CHEMICAL CORP KIDD...Hazardous Material IncidentAbove Ground Tank(s) Involved
B-389-2006Jul 11, 2006SEARSPORTMONTREAL, MAINE & ...Oil Incident
B-35-2008Jan 19, 2008SEARSPORTMONTREAL, MAINE & ...Hazardous Material Incident
B-291-2008May 25, 2008SEARSPORTGAC CHEMICAL 34 KIDDER...Hazardous Material IncidentAbove Ground Tank(s) Involved
B-356-2008Jun 22, 2008SEARSPORTGAC CHEMICAL FACILTITY...Hazardous Material IncidentAbove Ground Tank(s) Involved
B-183-2009Mar 13, 2009SEARSPORTGAC CHEMICAL CORP KIDD...Oil IncidentAbove Ground Tank(s) Involved
B-306-2009May 11, 2009SEARSPORTGAC CHEMICAL COMPANY K...Hazardous Material IncidentAbove Ground Tank(s) Involved
B-57-2010Feb 3, 2010SEARSPORTGAC KIDDER POINT RDHazardous Material IncidentAbove Ground Tank(s) Involved
B-85-2010Feb 20, 2010SEARSPORTGAC CHEMICAL CO KIDDER...Hazardous Material Incident
B-412-2010Aug 5, 2010SEARSPORTGAC CHEMICAL/MM&A ...Hazardous Material Incident
B-305-2011May 19, 2011SEARSPORTGAC CHEMICAL CORPORATI...Oil Incident
B-452-2014Aug 21, 2014SEARSPORTGAC CHEMICAL CORPORATI...Oil Incident
B-437-2016Jul 14, 2016SEARSPORTGENERAL ALUM CHEMICAL ...Hazardous Material IncidentAbove Ground Tank(s) Involved
B-112-2020Mar 18, 2020SEARSPORTGAC CHEMICAL CORP. 34 ...Oil Incident



Jul 21, 2024

Maine environmental and pollution data - bringing it back to Google Earth

 I complained to DEP data folk that the state has migrated many of our environmental and pollution data types away from Google Earth, where it can easily be combined with mapped aquifers, drainages, landfills and more. Now much seems only in ArcGIS Online, and far less on google earth. What gives? Scroll down to his explanation . Broken into into short paragraphs

Happily shortly thereafter came an interesting and informative response from John P. Lynam. GIS Manager for all of Maine DEP where I learned this shift is not by choice but due to DEP budgeteers understaffing this GIS office Scroll down to his explanation . Broken into into short paragraphs for ease of reading


He asks we check out the backstory below and follow his directions (described below that) This will let us download the kml files that google earth recognizes, from the ARCGIS mapping enviro data files that DEP is moving into by seeming necessity and load them into any google earth program to seem them on that virtual mapping platform. Or so it seems to me

RESPONSE John P. Lynam wrote:
>Unfortunately the removal of the Google Earth projects (layers) from the DEP web page was forced on us by changes in State of Maine IT security policies over the last 3 to 4 years.

>The Google Earth projects had been originally developed more than a decade ago using multiple pieces of older software that together, queried DEP datasets, combined the GIS features with separate DEP business data, built the KML/KMZ’s, and transferred the files to our web servers.

>This all ran automatically without the need for daily GIS staff support.

>The IT security changes and the associated restrictions over the last few years made the once automated process a mostly manual one.

>I was able to get around most of these restrictions and could manually update some the layers until this past spring, when the IT policies blocked my work arounds.

>Limited staff resources (I’m a unit of one) led me to transition the Google Earth projects over to the ArcGIS Online web environment (this is not the complicated ArcGIS Pro software), which is also highly regulated by the state IT division (not under DEP control), but is approved under the state IT policy.

>This technology is the approved enterprise solution under State of Maine IT Security policy for the foreseeable future.

>The process to update the data in this environment is totally automatic and does create Google Earth KML files that can be downloaded when the data is shared with Open Data and the Maine GeoLibrary Data Catalog.

>When you see the GIS link symbol on the DEP web page next to a layer, clicking on it will take you to the open data page for the layer where you’ll find the data download link for a KML.

After considering your comments regarding the language used on the DEP web page, I will modify it so that it’s less blunt and will also add text next to the GIS links to indicate that Google Earth KML’s can be downloaded by following these links.

You also referenced several layers in your email not being available in Google Earth format any longer. The Closed Landfills is available via the link on the DEP web site. The Sand & Gravel Aquifers is a Maine Geologic Survey dataset and can be accessed via the Maine GeoLibrary Data Catalog web site.

Here are the links:
Closed Landfills - https://maine.hub.arcgis.com/datasets/00da4c7c200a42deaf20695f843efc3e/explore

Aquifers - https://maine.hub.arcgis.com/datasets/b973847bdf0f4522914598c8677a5ec2/explore

Maine GeoLibrary Data Catalog - https://www.maine.gov/geolib/catalog.html

The HOSS layer will be added to Open Data in the next few weeks. I’ll follow-up when it’s available.

John P. Lynam
GIS Manager
Maine Department of Environmental Protection
www.maine.gov\dep

==========================

Thanks, John!

Jul 17, 2024

Whole Oceans LLC, salmon tankfarm plan. 2024 and the 2018 - 2019 backstory

2018 and 2019 Penobscot BayBlog entries  on Whole Oceans LLC

Recent


2018 

3/20/18  Whole Oceans Presentation Audio  3 mp3s  36 min total


---------------------------------------------

2019





9/25/19  Sentinel tests of Bucksport sediments for mercury (5pg pdf)    Testing by Maine Environmental Laboratory   https://penbay.org/aq/whole_oceans/mel_rpt_092519_mercury_tests.pdf



 Documents


Bucksport  January 3 - January 28

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2020
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2022
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2023
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2024

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Appeals and Letters

Mar 31, 2022

FOAA! DEP emails regarding the proposed granite mine, granite crusher and export dock on Bowden Point in Prospect

On 3/21/22  Penobscot Bay Watch sent a   FOAA letter  to Maine DEP asking for "All emails and their attachments, sent or received by Jessica Damon of DEP's Eastern Maine Regional Office, directly or cc'd, pertaining to the Salmons Quarry Operations Project in Prospect, Maine, from March 7, 2022 through March 21, 2022"

On 3/29/22/   Kevin Martin, DEP FOAA coordinator, responded to the above request, and provided the below emails from February 20, 2022 to  March 21,2022. Attachments provided at another link.

EMAILS (PDF)

2022-02-20 Todd_Hanson_oppo_to_Susanne_Miller DEP EMRO

2022-03-07_Jessica Damon_to Chip Haskell.

2022-03-07_Jessical Damon_to Chip Haskell   *

2022-03-07_Madore to Damon, &Lavoie. Madore_to Caruso

2022-03-08_Damon to Todd Burrowes /Burrowes_Damon..2/14/22 & 1/8/22_Burrowes_Damon *

2022-03-08_Jessica Damon_Chip Haskell_HW (2 emails)

2022-03-08_Burroughs_to Haskell_Damon

2022-03-09_Damon to Kathleen Jenkins_oppo.

2022-03-09_Damon,Lavoie and Madore.pdf

2022-03-09_Jenkins to Damon

2022-03-09_Madore_Damon, and Damon_Madore, and Madore to Damon
2022-03-10_Beyer. to Lavoie and Damon Peter Shoults to Lavoie,

2022-03-11_Chelsea Getchell_atty

2022-03-11 Jessica Damon .to Haskell and Getchell.

2022-03-12-Brandy Bridge_oppo to Jessica Damon.

2022-03-14_Kathleen Jenkins_oppo to Damon.

2022-03-15_Chip Halkell_atty to DEP Jessica Damon

2022-03-15_Karin Sprague oppo_toDEP_Jim Beyer and Damon.

2022-03-17 Chip Haskell HW_Jessica_Damon

2022-03-17_Jessica Damon Letter Haskell on Deficiencies in BPP application

2022-03-17_Jessica Damon_to_Chip_Haskell Haley Ward

2022-03-17_Damon_to_DEP_nick_Livesay_dave_madore

2022-03-17_Peter Shoults oppo_Damon

2022-03-17_Michell_Jadis_oppo_ to Jessica Damon.

2022-03-18_Peter Shoults again

2022-03-21_Jenkins_oppo_Damon_re_brook

2022-03-21_Kim Kokernak_oppo to Damon.

2022-03-21_Damon to Shoults_Shoults to Damon.

2022-03-21_Damon_to William Billado_ Billado to Damon.

END










FOAA of DEP on 3/21/22 Part 2. Bowden Pt applicant's documents on its proposed rock crushing and barge export facility

March 29, 2022   DEP Responds to  FOAA  re  Bowden Pt Mine Port

On 3/21/22  Penobscot Bay Watch sent a  FOAA letter  to Maine DEP asking for "All emails and their attachments, sent or received by Jessica Damon of DEP's Eastern Maine Regional Office, directly or cc'd, pertaining to the Salmons Quarry Operations Project in Prospect, Maine, from March 7, 2022 through March 21, 2022" .  On 3/29/22/   Kevin Martin, DEP FOAA coordinator, responded with both emais and the  below documents Includes the company's March 2022 version of   NRPA application,  federal and state agency responses and letters to tribes..

 Pg 1 NRPA Cover & Index

Pg 3 Agent, TRI, Certificate Good Standing, Public Notice

Pg 17 Secretary of State filing

Pg 19 Attachment 1Project Description 4pgs

Pg 23 Attachment2 Alternatives Analysis 4pgs

Pg 28 Attachment 3 Functional Assessment

Pg 29 Attachment 4 Compensation

Pg 31 Attachment 5 Site Location Map

Pg 33 Attachment 6 Site Photographs. 8pgs

Pg 41 Attachment 7 Drawings 4pgs

Pg 45 Attachment 8 Natural Resources Map

Pg 47 Attachment 9 Construction Plan 7pgs

Pg 54 Attachment 10 Erosion Control 8pgs

Pg 62 Attachment 11 Site Conditions

Pg 70 Site Conditions 3pgs

Pg 73 US Fish and Wildlife Service letter 6 pgs

Pg 79 Functional Assessment 4pgs

Pg 83 Photo log 5 pages

Pg 88. NOI, Abutters, cert mail list 4pgs

9pg 95 Attachment 14. Notice of Intent. Abutters List

9pg 99 Haley Ward_letters_to_Tribes_11pgs

1Pg 110 Appendix A. DEP Visual Evaluation Survey 2pgs

Pg 112 MDEP Coastal Wetlands Intertidal and Shallow Subtidal Checklist 2pgs

Pg 114 Appendix C  DEP Dock Description Worksheet. 2pages

Pg 117 Piers, Maps and Blueprints 20pgs















May 5, 2020

Opposition to Nordic Aquafarms' Belfast Maine proposal: Summary of Upstream Watch Argument

Below are two bits of the  legal brief submitted 5/4/20 to Maine DEP's Board of Environmental Protection opposing the Nordic Aquafarms  by grassroots ecodefenders Upstream Watch:  First a brief  introduction to what agencies  are involved and what laws they must follow. Second: a three part summary of their argument

INTERVENOR UPSTREAM WATCH’S 5/4/20 POST-HEARING BRIEF Re NAF
Read full 96 page brief here


INTRODUCTION"Intervenor Upstream Watch (“Upstream”) submits this Post-Hearing Brief to assist the Maine Board of Environmental Protection (“BEP”), the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (“DEP”), The Commissioner of Environmental Protection (the “Commissioner”) and the DEP Staff (“Staff”) to evaluate the applications of Nordic Aquafarms, Inc. submitted under the Maine Site Location of Development Act, (“SLODA”), the Maine Natural Resources Protection Act (“NRPA”), the Maine Pollution Discharge Elimination System (“MPDES”), and a Chapter 115 Air Emission License."

SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT.
The environmental effects of this huge, industrial fish processing facility are not benign as suggested by initial press releases. As the project developed, Upstream was alarmed by a consistent pattern of insufficient and misleading information issued by Nordic.

Three troubling themes consistently emerged:
(1) the selected site is unsuitable for the project;
(2) the application is fatally incomplete, and
(3) Nordic Aquafarm’s information, when provided, fails to meet the statutory and regulatory criteria.

(1) THE SELECTED SITE IS UNSUITABLE FOR THE PROJECT.
Nordic is trying to fit a large, square peg into a small, round hole by selecting an unsuitable site and trying to change the site’s basic character instead of seeking a suitable site. There is no better example of this than the Nordic’s soil replacement plan. Nordic selected a site that contains almost exclusively spongy clay soils (a situation that caused subsidence problems for the Nordic Aquafarms AS back in Norway). To address this problem, Nordic proposes to remove the natural soils over a 35-acre portion of the site to a depth of, to depths over 50-feet (SLODA Apl., Sect. 20, Text, p. 1-2) and after removing those soils, replace the clay with gravelly soils which would be more capable of supporting the proposed tanks. Upstream estimates this soil replacement project will require roughly 45,000 dump truck loads, necessitating extensive travel over state and local highways.

Moreover, the proposed site includes nineteen (19) wetlands, swamps, marshes, and nine (9) streams. Nordic proposes to reconstruct artificially one stream and destroy the remainder. In lieu of preservation or replication of the remaining natural resources set to be destroyed, the Nordic proposes to “compensate” for the environmental damage with cash.

This “pay to pollute” scheme is wholly unnecessary when there are other available and more suitable sites which would not require such a serious destruction of natural resources.

Given the extreme measures proposed to overcome unsuitable soils and the total destruction of wetlands, combined with the fact that virtually the entire site is mature forest that would be destroyed, and that the portion of Penobscot Bay that would receive Nordic’s wastewater is slow moving and shallow, it is clear the site is unsuitable for the project.

(2) THE APPLICATION IS FATALLY INCOMPLETE .
Upstream has tracked the Applicant’s submissions against the statutory and regulatory requirements and this review has demonstrated that Nordic’s application is woefully incomplete.

See Feb. 18, 2020 Comment Submitted by Mike Lannan regarding Nordic Aquafarms Technical Ability (tracking each statutory and regulatory requirement for the pending applications and whether Nordic has complied). A true copy of the Lannan matrix showing the incompleteness of Nordic’s filings is attached hereto as Exhibit A.

The burden is on Nordic to demonstrate compliance in its applications for permits. Even so, the DEP has patiently attempted to lead Nordic through the process, with letters and memos itemizing application submissions that required clarification and modeling performed with the Department’s expertise and expense. Despite this guidance, the Nordic application remains fatally incomplete.

Throughout the hearing, it was evident that Nordic had failed to provide certain required information for its permit applications, including but not limited to, financial capacity, the actual effects of wastewater discharge including far-field dilution, and onsite wildlife surveys.

(3) NORDIC FAILS TO MEET THE STAUTORY AND REGULATORY CRITERIA.
Nordic only partially addressed other regulatory requirements, perhaps in the hope that those requirements would be overlooked during the permitting process or that Nordic would be allowed to figure out how to comply with those sections of the regulations after the fact, as permit conditions. Nordic should not be allowed to evade meeting all filing requirements for its permit requests at this time.

The proposed project size is huge. Within the project footprint, one could fit Gillette Stadium, Fenway Park and two TD Gardens. A mistake on this application can have catastrophic environmental impacts.

Nordic has failed to address critical material requirements of the statutes and regulations, and as such, its application cannot be granted as a matter of law. All regulations and statutory requirements must be met as a precondition to the award of a permit. After-the-fact attempts at compliance is not only unlawful but constitutes an unreasonable and unacceptable risk.

This application “sets the bar” for all future aquaculture applications in the state of Maine. If the Board of Environmental Protection insists on complete compliance with applicable statutes and regulations and if the Applicant meets all statutory requirements, aquaculture entrepreneurs worldwide will note that Maine welcomes aquaculture but only aquaculture that is compliant with all legal requirements.


 END OF SUMMARY

Sep 11, 2019

Bucksport's Indian Point pollution legacy - by the numbers

Among many others, two of Bucksport Maine's former top employers, Verso and Champion, left their chemical "signatures" in the land and tidal flats of Indian Point

VERSO  45 spills investigated by Maine DEP

CHAMPION  94 spills investigated by Maine DEP


Mar 31, 2019

Smolt survival risks in Maine salmon rivers

Maine's salmon rivers are subject to polluted effluents  and dumped and spilled wastes 
The images below  how Maine's salmon rivers with icons  representing the following pollution issues nearby: Auto graveyards,  brownfields  commercial and special waste  landfills, leaking underground fuel tanks, leaking above grouned fueltanks, marine spills, "mystery spills", non point sources, federal RCRA sites,  sanitary and industrial wastewater,  septage disposal sites, uncontrolled sites, underground injection sites, unsewered subdivisions, VRAP remediation sites and  hazardous and oil spill sites . See identity of icons at end of page
Dennys River area

Machias and East Machias Rivers

Machias River

Millinocket/East Millinockett

Narraguagus River

Lower Penobscot River/ Upper Penobscot Bay

Ducktrap River

Pleasant River



Feb 1, 2019

Jan 6, 2017

Maine draft metallic mining rules OK'd by BEP, despite widespread community oppo. Sent to Legislature for approval.


Listen to audios of the Maine Board of Environmental Protection at its January 5, 2017 meeting, where it approved its latest draft of controversial new metallic mining rules, with the support of Maine DEP's mining division; despite nearly complete community opposition for the last two years.   25 second  justification of mining under coastal wetlands (bays)  read by BEP staffer

Media coverage of meeting. BDN   PPH   Mainebiz  MTC   See ME Metallic Mining Act . 
AUDIO
PART 1