Title

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) faces conflict from all s

Source

Maine Times

Date

6-18-1998

Pages

4, 5, 6, 7

Abstract

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) faces conflict from all sides; government, business and the general public. Al Prysunka, a former DEP bureau director, left after 20 years of service because he was worn down by outside forces on all sides. But dissenting voices from within the DEP are now beginning to change the way the agency makes important decisions. Two cases in point are the Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline Company application for a national gas pipeline route in Maine, and the HoltraChem plant mercury leaks in Orrington. In the former case, the pipeline company and the DEP believe one route is environmentally superior to another, but an anti-pipeline group called No New Corridors and many public citizens, including several current and former DEP staff members, disagree. DEP Commissioner Ned Sullivan said his staff is now trying to stay neutral on the route while giving the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and Maine's Board of Environmental Protection as much information as possible. In the latter case, a DEP field worker influenced a decision to levy a $700,000 fine against HoltraChem.

Subjects

Maine Department of Environmental Protection

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