MAINE PUBLIC • January 20, 2023
A Canadian mining company has returned to state regulators with a new application to rezone nearly 400 acres in northern Penobscot County for a metallic mineral mining operation. It's not the first time that Wolfden Resources Corp. has approached state officials with a proposal to rezone land near Patten, and mine Pickett Mountain for zinc, copper and other metals. The company submitted a rezoning petition to the Land Use Planning Commission two years ago but withdrew it rather than risk rejection due to errors in the application. The previous attempt sparked concern from environmental groups, Maine's tribes and others. Now Wolfden is proposing a similar project. But this time the company suggests that its tailing storage facilities, which separate metals and store waste rock, would be located elsewhere — likely at another site outside of the LUPC's jurisdiction.