BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 8, 2024
Pickett Mountain contains more than a billion dollars worth zinc, copper, silver and gold, according to an Ontario-based mining company. Wolfden Resources Corporation wants to mine for 10-15 years, which it claims would generate $1.4 billion in cash flow. An offshoot would be, according to Wolfden, from 270 to 300 high-paying jobs. The mining firm is petitioning Maine’s Land Use Planning Commission for a rezoning. On Feb 24, LUPC will vote on the rezoning. If Wolfden clears that hurdle, it will face the second regulatory gauntlet, a mining permit from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. Various environmental organizations and two Wabanaki Nation tribes have launched a preemptive strike. There are compelling reasons to at least keep an open mind. If they can operate a mine within Maine’s mining law, they should not be denied simply on the bad environmental record of mining operations in other states. ~ V. Paul Reynolds