Lincoln pursuing Superfund designation for former mills $20 million cleanup

LINCOLN, Maine — The Town Council voted 6-0 Thursday to support investigating whether a local paper mill site qualifies for a Superfund designation due to its containing toxins that will cost at least $20 million to remove.

The council’s vote was meant to signal Gov. Paul LePage, no fan of the federal government, that the town would allow a Superfund tag placed on 262 acres of the 387-acre Lincoln Paper and Tissue LLC site, especially if the Environmental Protection Agency allows a 90-acre plot on the former mill property to be developed industrially, said the town’s attorney, Andy Hamilton.

“I think we have to look at it,” council Chairman George Edwards said Thursday. “Superfund is just about the only way to go.”

Hamilton also recommended that officials from East Millinocket, Lincoln and Millinocket work together to develop mutually-beneficial plans for their defunct mill sites. This would help them qualify for another $250,000 in grants to develop those properties, he said.

Read more: http://bangordailynews.com/2017/03/17/news/penobscot/lincoln-pursuing-superfund-designation-for-former-mills-20-million-cleanup/