Opinion: Old Town landfill expansion violates environmental justice rule, lawsuit says

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 13, 2024

A landfill in Old Town should not be allowed to expand because a Maine agency did not properly consider environmental justice during the approval, a lawsuit says. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, alleges the landfill expansion puts people’s health at risk and threatens the cultural practices of the Penobscot Nation. It is the first test of a 2021 state law that says all people have the right to be protected from pollution and “to live in and enjoy a clean and healthful environment.” Penobscot Nation and the Conservation Law Foundation are also concerned there is nothing in the plan to address the PFAS in water that exceeds the levels the state deems safe.