MAINE MONITOR • November 10, 2026
Skowhegan Town Manager Aaron Miller has joined the Municipal Revenue Working Group to evaluate how decommissioning of four hydroelectric dams on the lower Kennebec River will impact local finances. The Kennebec River Restoration Trust created the group as one of six committees studying the effects of removing the dams. The Nature Conservancy formed the trust last year after agreeing to purchase the facilities from Brookfield Renewable Partners. A review of tax records showed that removing the four dams would strip more than $500,000 in annual property tax revenue from Fairfield, Skowhegan, Waterville and Winslow. That estimate excludes taxes paid to Skowhegan by Sappi Ltd. for its 2,500-acre Somerset paper mill. The mill draws water from a river impoundment created by the Shawmut Dam.