Consumer Law
The Owner of Four Hydroelectric Dams Sues Maine Agencies Over Fish Passage Regulations
The owner of four hydroelectric dams on the Kennebec River sued two Maine agencies on Monday alleging they improperly cooperated on fish passage regulations that impact the future of the dams and fish populations.
The lawsuit filed in Kennebec Superior Court is the latest brought by Brookfield Renewable Power, a subsidiary of a large Canadian company that owns many of the dams in the state, the Portland Press Herald reported.
The lawsuit contends that the Department of Marine Resources improperly helped the Department of Environmental Protection draft fish passage policies, claiming that the cooperation between state agencies violates a 1993 settlement between the dams’ then-owners, environmental groups and state and federal bodies.
