FERC recently confirmed the date for the release of the Initial Study Report (ISR) and related milestone events for the Ripogenus-Penobscot Mills Relicensing. The ISR is now due by April 22, 2023.

While the report will be extensive, I do not expect that the ISR will contain all the information needed to make informed decisions on minimum flows or impoundment levels and that new study requests will need to be submitted. I will post a link to the report when it is published.

I gave a presentation mainly to West Branch fishing guides in Brewer in January. I’ll be giving essentially the same presentation to the meeting of Merrymeeting Bay Chapter of Trout Unlimited on Tuesday, March 21 at 7:00 P.M. at Joshua’s Tavern in Brunswick with social hour starting at 6:00. I’ll cover the current license terms and conditions including flows, and where things stand with the five-year FERC relicensing process including shocking photos taken by TU volunteers during a stranding study conducted by Brookfield last fall. Please join us!

Thanks to the efforts of Maine Guide Todd Merces, we will be guests on the Maine Outdoors radio program on WVOM Sunday night, April 30 at 7:00pm – 101.3 Augusta, 103.9 Bangor, 95.1 Rockland.

Additional information is posted on the Maine TU Council website at https://tumaine.org/dam-relicensing.

Thank you for your continuing support of this special fishing resource.

Sincerely,

Steve Heinz

Maine TU Council FERC Coordinator