PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • April 20, 2024
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which does the relicensing, released an Environmental Impact Statement in late March that recommends relicensing and amending the licenses to ensure upstream and downstream access for Atlantic salmon, alewife, blueback herring, American shad, American eel and sea lamprey, according to a filing by FERC. Brookfield White Pine Hydro LLC, which owns the dams along the Kennebec River, filed plans with FERC to protect Atlantic salmon, Atlantic sturgeon and shortnose sturgeon, which are threatened or endangered species. But the Natural Resources Council of Maine environmental group is criticizing the FERC for what it says are inadequate measures to protect wildlife.