AUGUSTA, Maine — An Aroostook County representative has submitted legislation that he said Monday would clarify the state’s mining laws while also revitalizing the area’s economy with scores of new jobs.
Rep. John Martin, D-Eagle Lake, submitted LD 1853, An Act To Improve Environmental Oversight and Streamline Permitting for Mining in Maine, late last week. It seeks to update Maine’s mining extraction laws and its co-sponsors include Sen. Roger Sherman, R-Houlton, and Sen. Troy Jackson, D-Allagash.
Martin said the move was prompted by the increasing price of minerals and focuses specifically on Bald Mountain, located in Township 12 Range 8 northwest of Ashland and Portage. Martin said that the potential exists for mining gold, silver, copper and zinc there.
“I focused specifically on Bald Mountain because there has been testing for minerals there,” he said Monday.
The representative said Monday that he helped enhance the state’s mining laws and rules in 1991 as a result of potential mineral deposits discovered at Bald Mountain. Those rules made sense at the time, Martin said, but a lot has changed since then.
“We have done a lot to strengthen our environmental protection laws,” he said. “Mining technology also has advanced a lot in 20 years. The laws we have in place now are outdated.”
Martin’s latest bill would create sensible, environmentally sound mining regulations that would encourage responsible mining activities, he said. The state Department of Environmental Protection would be responsible for permitting and regulating mining operations under LD 1853.
According to Martin, recent reports indicate that mining development at Bald Mountain could create up to 300 direct, well-paying jobs and hundreds of indirect jobs.
“There would be a ripple effect from those 300 jobs,” he said Monday. “There would be more business for truck drivers and gas stations and restaurants. Plus, there would be an excise tax on the minerals that come out of there.”
The result would be more than $600 million in employment income and more than $120 million in state and local taxes, according to Martin.
“That would have a huge impact on Aroostook County,” he said. “And that is what we need. We need to create jobs that pay well.”
Martin said he kept the environment in mind when drafting the bill so that streams, lakes, natural habitats and other resources around Bald Mountain would not be harmed.
He said that the legislation provides for strict protections of waterways as well as land near and around mining activities. The bill also allows for public comment on mining proposals and vigorous review by state agencies.
Martin said that he has not yet heard of any resistance to the bill.
The bill was referred by the Senate to the Environment and Natural Resources Committee on Monday. A hearing has not yet been scheduled.
How much you want to bet a Canadian family owns the land and mining rights?
Oh my god. Please. Enough. If you have impeachable evidence…otherwise, stop wasting my time!
Actually you should have said, “if you have unimpeachable evidence…”
The Canadians have invested tons in the County. Plus many who live here are dual citizens, or Canadian. Even more have Canadian relative over across.
The County has very, very little in common with the rest of Maine. More in common with NB and Quebec.
this still is the United States of America the last time i checked.
If they’d been better negotiators in the early 1840’s, and if Lord Ashburton (Alexander Baring) had not been married to William Bingham’s daughter, and had he not already invested heavily in lands he purchased from Bingham and Henry Knox, Canadian interests might have gotten it outright. Canadian claims extended to Mrs Hill and west of there. The whole deal negotiated with Daniel Webster was sort of like two kids swapping marbles, the main difference being that whole communities, forest lands and transportation options were the pieces. So for Canadians to have done the heavy investing in that region lately, it’s a matter of picking up where they left off. More power to ’em.
how do they know theres anything to mine or that it would create 300 jobs. sounds like its to good to be true
“I focused specifically on Bald Mountain because there has been testing for minerals there,” he said Monday. I guess you missed that line..
If the testing was positive why hasn’t there been any interest in minning it and as someone stated later on there was interest in the 70’s jor 80’s. i would be ware of this bill. Looks more like Martin is mining something for himself.
I wouldn’t doubt if he had his own mine up there and found something that he liked.. Now he wants to get it out without getting caught doing it illegally..
This was publicized in the late 1970s – and through the 1990s (including documentary studies & a book published)
http://maine.gov/doc/nrimc/mgs/explore/mining/minemaine.htm
8th paragraph of “The 1970s” section:
“In September, 1977, Northeast Joint Venture discovered a 36 million-ton massive copper-zinc sulfide deposit at Bald Mountain in T12 R8, Aroostook County, Maine. It was estimated by some to be the third most significant copper discovery on the North American continent since the 1950’s. Moreover, it was considered to be the only world-class discovery east of the Mississippi River during the period 1943-1983 (Cook, 1986).”
I remember this from the seventies. I recall a governor at the time saying something to the effect of… “We will allow you to keep as profit…..” Last I ever heard of the deal.
This was a marketing promotion and a scam. It was all about raising the price of the penny mining stocks. We went through a period where the Canadian stock and mining laws were lax and allowed these scams. And if you trust John “Ballotgate’ Martin, you are really in trouble.
Was this “Northeast Joint Venture” a front for the scammers? Any connections between this and the Blue Hill thing you mention in another comment?
Yes.
It’s certainly an attempt to create some jobs…….have YOU heard anything from across the Street at the Blaine House? I haven’t.
you can guarantee pollution matter of fact the site is already on a cleanup list the only way this phony Martin is pushing it now is the price of gold is high and hes probably in it for some return if gold dips below the threshold and this isnt viable for the moment guess whos stuck . Bald mountain has been in the per,it sights for decades ask yourself why now and what has changed especially when a proven dishonest /vote cheating disgraced politician is pushing it
“””especially when a proven dishonest /vote cheating disgraced politician is pushing it “””
Can you back up that statement? I happen to be from the county and there are a great many who like this man, Me on the other hand i don’t but i would sure like to show others the proof..
you are kidding right – Mr. Martin was part of a ballot stuffing scandal. he was ousted as speaker and the scandal brought in term limits .
I also have personally seen him shake the hands of constituents and ensure them he was voting on an issue in thier favor and then a few minutes later behind closed doors tell others he would not unless he got a favor on an unrelated issue – that to me was dishonest
Well you need to know who you are dealing with. John Martin doesn’t do “ANYTHING” that doesn’t return a profit or gains for him in favors. Why do you think John Martin is so in favor of Bald Mtn. project, well could it be that he is part owner and operator of Moose Point Camps which is just down the Fish Lake Road from Bald Mtn. A place where workers could stay with room and board and recreation close by…… John Martin will do what ever it takes to make his pockets jingle in front of you and behind closed doors. Aroostook County knows John Martin very well. We tolerate him, but when he gets caught like the Allagash deal, we bring it to his attention and than throw him out of town….but greed keeps bringing him back. Good Day!
Cool I had no dirt on him but i want to share some with others that absolutely love the Bas$#@d.. Like i said i don’t like him i just wanted dirt on him..
This just clinches it.
The usually pro business, blame it all on the environmentalists, no one ever does anything for The County sorts are against a gold mine in Maine, only because it is not a Republican enough gold mine.
ROTFLOL
Can you be specific, John, as to how these jobs will be created? Sounds like more smokescreen that we have been seeing from the national level.
oh it will create jobs…..mostly for out of State folks!
Considering the partisanship on display in Disgusta, and that a well-known D is putting forth this bill, I believe it will have a very difficult time of passing if it were to pass.
Got to make it look like LePage had something to do with it to allow it to move forward. We all know he couldn’t even manage a store. All his stores look like junk yards. If the people of this state don’t put the muzzle on this phony, the whole state will look like a Mardens store.
In the interest of “full disclosure”, my mother and John Marden (look him up–he buys the furniture for the chain) are first cousins via marriage. In other words, he’s married to mother’s first cousin. But we’re not that close, else, I’d ask why they ever employed the gov.
I’ve noticed at least in Waterville, how much the store seems to have been cleaned up/improved in the past 18 months. (chuckle)
you have something against a bargain????? True Mainers love mardens for we all love bargains!!!!
The gov doesn’t worry about pollution or things that are potentially bad in our products.Afterall, beards on women aren’t that bad!He’ll crow like a rooster if this actually produces any jobs at all.
In my honest opinion, this is all wishful thinking. Having had a brief career in mineral exploration in Northern Maine and being familiar with the Bald Mountain sulfide deposit, I doubt very much if it will ever be mined. It is a low grade deposit, and not all that big and the mined ore would have to be trucked or trained to Bathurst, New Brusnwick for smelting – thereby taking away any profit. The mine at Blue Hill is a good example of a failed mining adventure in Maine. It was all about stock promotion and nothing else. And look at the mess it left.
Jobs for Canadians. Just what LePage promised.
J.D. Irving owns the Bald Mt. land and the good folks of Maine bought him a rail line, so it only makes “cents” the owners will be stripping what ever resources they can rape from the County and take it to our good neighbors to the north to create jobs there.. Just like all the trees / wood fiber heading north on Route 11 that was rebuilt by the again good tax payers of Maine to help J. D. Irving … The environment means nothing to this company, just take a look how their Wallagrass holdings and other adjacent holdings have been treated in the last couple years or so..
Your comment does not surprise me. Most corporate entities have no conscience and they would destroy the earth and the moon IF they thought they could make more money. Bigger, bigger, bigger is their motto.
Mining pollution can be some of the most persistent and ugly forms.
Check out Ontario, for example.
Strip mining here we come!
This is a new millenium.
We should be able to recover minerals AND be able to keep our environment.clean, but this won’t be about any of that.
The environazis will come out of the woodwork (or from under their rocks) again and campaign against it in order to continue to drive away the local people and continue with the depopulation of rural Maine.
Fewer people = fewer votes, and fewer voices to silence when they come to take away our privately owned land for their primitave preserve.
Everyone knows that Canadians will get most of these jobs if this strip mine happens. Wonder if they will use the Mountain Top Removal Method like they do in the South. Destroy the whole Mountain and fill in the valleys and streams with the debris. They may save a few jobs for Mainers cleaning out the toilets.
I don’t see why folks are being so negative. Jobs are jobs, especially here in the County.
You are exactly right. Try to put in any industry and it’s too tall, all a hoax, coming out of taxpayers pockets, all lies, all stupid people who don’t know what they are doing, doesn’t really create jobs, only temporary jobs, only employs out of state people. Come on people – Wake up!
From what I remember of Portage and Ashland, it would have to be an extremely well paying job to get me to move back to the area.
wow. $600 million in new employment income for 300 new jobs. I want me a 2 million dollar a year job.
Regardless of whether or not a decision is made to mine anywhere in the state I don’t see where updating the current mining law would be a bad thing.
Over 100 years ago Charles Eliot, a founder of Acadia, wanted to buy Calf Island, off of Sorrento. At the time, it was believed that gold was to be found in the area, so when the owner of Calf Island heard that Eliot had a background in Chemistry he concluded his Calf Island must have gold in it and cancelled the sale. Maybe the gold in Aroostook County is the same gold on Calf Island.
Good lord did John Martin change political parties?
When Maine became a state, Canada wanted all of what is now Aroostook County for itself. There was a chance we could have been a part of New Brunswick!!!! Be nice to our neighblors.
Might as well mine it before the old bitty buys it up for a national park