Committee approves mining law changes

MAINE MONITOR • March 30, 2024

An initial group of lawmakers unanimously signed off on changes to the state’s mining act this week that could make it easier to mine for lithium, a highly sought metal used in everything from truck grease to touch screens. The rule changes, which staff at the Maine Department of Environmental Protection have worked on since late last year, will allow the extraction of certain metallic minerals to be exempt from the state’s stringent mining regulations so long as a mining operation can prove that getting them out won’t pollute the nearby environment.