CENTRAL MAINE • October 18, 2025
Brookfield White Pine Hydro, the owner of four dams on the lower Kennebec River, withdrew state-level applications for new water quality permits Thursday, saying new restrictions imposed by Maine regulators were too burdensome and complicated their pending sale to The Nature Conservancy. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection issued a draft approval of the permits earlier this month, but required extensive fish passage and water quality improvements to Brookfield Renewable Energy’s plans to upgrade the four dams between Skowhegan and Waterville. Brookfield said in a letter to the department Thursday those conditions were too restrictive. Environmental groups, meanwhile, said they found the restrictions didn’t go far enough and encouraged the state to deny the permits, instead of approving with extensive conditions.