On behalf of the Maine Forest Products Council, we appreciate the opportunity to provide comments on the Maine Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP’s) October 9, 2025 draft Water Quality Certification (WQC) for the Shawmut, Lockwood, Hydro Kennebec, and Weston Hydroelectric Projects on the lower Kennebec River.
Earlier this year, nearly 100 employees of Sappi North America submitted comments encouraging DEP to issue a WQC that would support the continued operation of the Shawmut Hydroelectric Project (Shawmut). We share their concern that any decision requiring substantial modification of the Shawmut Dam and impoundment, or that renders its continued operation economically unfeasible, could have serious implications for the future of Sappi’s Somerset Mill and the broader Central Maine economy.
The conditions imposed in the draft WQC appear to go well beyond those required by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) following its comprehensive environmental assessment and Environmental Impact Statement. Some of these conditions may be technically impracticable or economically prohibitive, and in certain cases, could have limited benefit to aquatic habitat or unintended consequences for endangered Atlantic salmon. As currently written, the draft WQC sets a standard that may be unrealistic and could effectively prevent the relicensing of the Shawmut Dam.
View full comments here.