In a press release, later picked up by the Press Herald, the Maine Turnpike Authority announced it was extending the timeline for public input and permit applications for the project.
When it announced the project was ready in February, the MTA said it intended to hold public input sessions in the Spring and submit the permit application to the Army Corps of Engineers in June. After one extremely contentious public input session, there has not been another one, and June has come and gone.
It seems like the MTA is increasingly open to dropping this idea, injecting doubt right into this press release for the first time in public.
If the project goes forward, the permit application would occur after the completion of the public process and consideration of all available information.
Maine Turnpike Authority press release, July 18, 2024
The MTA also said it would release more of the reports it says support this proposal, which were completed in 2019 and 2023 but never released to the public.
We welcome this change in tone from the MTA, and we hope it signals a new commitment to open-mindedness and transparency in their dealings from the public. We remain opposed to this project, and we believe more transparency will only bring along more folks to our cause.