Don’t pull plug on dams

Subject: No to dam removal on the Penobscot. At least that is my point of view on the proposed removal of the Veazie and Great Works dams on the Penobscot River.

The Veazie and Great Works hydro stations have been in operation for at least 100 years, both producing clean, safe and renewable electricity while co-existing with the Atlantic salmon on their upriver travels to spawn.

While it is true the number of upriver-bound salmon has decreased over the last several years, so has other species of ocean fish. Ground fishermen are paying for it in the form of reduced number of allowable days to fish. Dams have not been the big impediment of the migration of salmon some would lead us to believe.

The electricity production at the Veazie, Great Works and Howland dams equals approximately 17 megawatts of electricity per hour, with correct water conditions. Currently, with all hydro stations in full production, 29.5 megawatts per hour can be produced. With Veazie, Great Works and Howland dams taken out of the mix, as is being proposed, more than half the production will be gone and very difficult to replace. With oil in the $70-a-barrel range (and it could go higher) this in itself should give all parties a reason to rethink their position on this venture.

The funding for the project should not come from the taxpayers’ pocket. All of us pay enough for projects that very few citizens get any direct or indirect benefits from. We don’t need another one.

Most all recreation on the Penobscot River at Veazie and Milford will cease to exist as the dams are the main reason boating and canoeing are possible. Equate the dams to a bathtub; we all know what happens when the plug is pulled. Let us hope the parties involved don’t pull that plug.

David Kennett

Parkman