Penobscot Bay Dredging Called Off, for Now
The Army Corps of Engineers withdrew on Tuesday its state permitting application for a Penobscot Bay dredging project opposed by lobstermen, tourism business owners and environmentalists. The Portland Press Herald reports Corps project manager Barbara Blumeris sent a letter to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection on Tuesday saying that the federal agency was withdrawing its application for requisite state permits. Opponents of the controversial $12 million dredging project for the local harbor hailed news Wednesday that state and federal officials had withdrawn their permit application from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.
OSG to Pay $2m in Fines
Maine to Get $2m from ocean-pollution fine According to reports, a record $37m pollution fine against a fleet of tankers is expected to pump $2m into marine conservation efforts in the Gulf of Maine. The company paying the fine, meanwhile, says the employees responsible for the pollution violated its policies and were fired. Overseas Shipholding Group pleaded guilty earlier this month to charges that several of its tankers dumped oily wastes into the ocean during the past five years instead of going through the time and expense of proper disposal, and that crews tried to cover up the violations by falsifying logbooks. Part of the $37 million penalty is intended to be restitution for the environmental damage, and Maine's share of that is $2.06 million. Source: Portland Press Herald
