BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 23, 2026
The Juniper Ridge Landfill can expand, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection decided for a second time — but a judge must sign off first. A new public benefit determination allows the Old Town landfill to expand, the Conservation Law Foundation said Monday. The foundation and Penobscot Nation sued the Maine DEP in November 2024 over the proposed expansion. The department had to reconsider allowing the expansion after a judge ruled in January that the Maine DEP did not complete “critical” fact finding during the public benefit determination. The Maine DEP decided Oct. 2, 2024, there is a public benefit to the expansion and expanding the landfill is not inconsistent with environmental justice.