Scenic Views Along Kennebec River Protected With Mitchell Bill

June 12, 2007

AUGUSTA—The Maine Senate today enacted a bill that will create a new buffer zone along the Kennebec River to protect its scenic views and shoreline from future excavations and quarries. The legislation will go into effect immediately if Governor John Baldacci signs the bill into law.

Commenting on the bill, Senate Majority Leader Libby Mitchell, D-Kennebec County, the bill’s sponsor, said, “I am proud of the fact we are enacting smarter more environmentally balanced policies to preserve the Kennebec River for future use.”

“From the Kennebec Arsenal in Augusta to the Hathaway Mill in Waterville, the people of Kennebec County are reinvesting their time and effort into their local waterfronts and the Kennebec River. This is a victory for all of us,” added Senator Mitchell.

The bill specifically requires that a 100-foot-wide natural buffer be maintained between the working edge of the working edge of a quarry excavation and the normal high water line along the Kennebec River in the Waterville area to the Father Curran Bridge in Augusta.