MORNING SENTINEL • September 19, 2022
The Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce on Monday released an economic analysis that determined the four regional dams on the Kennebec River, and the two paper mills that rely on them, contribute to more than 1,200 jobs that provide employee earnings of $158.5 million. The dams that were the focus of the analysis — the Lockwood, Hydro Kennebec, Weston and Shawmut — have been the subject of ongoing debate as the owner, Brookfield Renewable, a subsidiary of $600 billion Ontario-based global asset company Brookfield Asset Management, navigates a complicated federal relicensing process. Environmental and conservation groups argue more must be done to allow the endangered Atlantic salmon and other river-run fish to swim past the dams to reach spawning grounds.