More on Maine Rivers

After reading the letter, “Maine Rivers reality” (BDN, Jan. 21), from Rep. Ken Fletcher, R-Winslow, readers should realize there is much more to this issue than Maine Rivers selecting the Winslow section of the Sebasticook River for the Worst Rivers list.

Fletcher has chosen to call Maine Rivers and other environmental organizations derogatory names, rather than explain the issue. That is, he and his neighbors neglected to pay attention to what was going on in their back yard in the first place, and then cried foul and tried to undo a reasonable agreement to restore the Sebasticook River.

I have been involved with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission re-licensing of hydro projects on the Kennebec River for more than 10 years. This has been a very public process. On June 20, 2002, dam owner FPL Energy chose to surrender the operating license at this facility for financial reasons. The bottom line is that hydro project cannot generate enough electricity (money) in the current unregulated energy market to justify spending millions of dollars for the fish lift.

During 1998 when the KHDG was negotiated the owner of the Fort Halifax dam was Central Maine Power. The language of dam removal was put in by CMP officials and not the employees of federal or state agencies, environmental or conservation organizations.

To say that wholesale dam removal across the state is the agenda of groups like Maine Rivers and Trout Unlimited is to ignore the facts. Just imagine if the elected officials of Winslow had been so determined to “Save the Sebasticook” when the river was severely polluted for nearly the entire 20th century. On Jan. 23 the FERC commissioners voted to approve the surrender application for a partial removal of Fort Halifax dam.

Greg Ponte

Kennebec Valley

director of

Hydro Affairs

West Gardiner