LD 1363: Maine Metallic Mineral Mining Act is moving at the speed of business, not the speed of caution
On May 16, 2023 the Environment and Natural Resource Committee approved an amendment to LD 1363, a potentially dangerous exemption in mining rules, so that lithium (spodumene with potential for other metallic minerals) can be extracted similarly to a gravel quarry. The land owners of the noteworthy Plumbago Mountain deposit and their lawyers (who pressure the DEP with a lawsuit), believe that the lithium deposit at Plumbago is high quality and won't pollute. If we make this exemption in the rules, it means that there will be no legal restriction on its size and allow for sediment and turbidity to enter water sources through strip mining. Additionally, a mining company will potentially be able to evade any excise tax on…
