BANGOR, Maine — A federal court judge on Thursday denied a request by environmental groups to curtail operations at four dams on the Kennebec River operated by Brookfield Renewable Partners during the migration of Atlantic salmon.
The action is part of a lawsuit filed by The Atlantic Salmon Federation, Conservation Law Foundation, Maine Rivers, and Natural Resources Council of Maine in September 2021 that claims the four dams – two in Waterville and one each near Skowhegan and Fairfield – interfere with migration, resulting in unlawful "taking" of Atlantic salmon.
In October 2021, the groups asked a judge to shut down or limit dam operations during critical migration as they head to and from the Gulf of Maine.
But Chief U.S. District Judge Jon D. Levy ruled Thursday in Bangor that while the environmental groups did show they are likely to succeed on the merits of the unlawful take claim, they did not show that an injunction "would forestall irreparable harm" or that the public interest supports an injunction.
But Upstream Watch said in a release that it believes Murphy erred in interpreting the law and would appeal the ruling.
"The Court ignored Upstream Watch's detailed explanation of the federal permitting errors and omissions by Nordic Aquafarms in a short ruling that seems to support business as usual," Upstream Watch President Amy Grant said in a release. "The protection of our environment requires proof that a business won't pollute our water and air before they discharge into the Gulf of Maine."
