I am appalled at the U.S. government for filing notice on the bankruptcy case against Eastern Pulp and Paper Co.’s Lincoln division for compensation to the Indians concerning their “loss of sustenance” due to the virtually undetectable levels of dioxin in the Penobscot River and the surrounding lowlands. Are we, the working native Maine taxpayers, going to foot the bill for this litigation?

We’re always hearing about Indians who can’t catch fish in the river below the mills. It’s a well-known fact that it’s some of the best bass fishing in New England. If the river and lowlands are so contaminated, why are Indians allowed to pick and sell fiddleheads?

I have to agree with Brooke Barnes, deputy commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection, who said “water quality improved dramatically during the last 20 years, working cooperatively with tribes.”

Robert Thibodeau

East Millinocket