On August 25, 2026, Maine TU and a coalition of 17 conservation organizations and businesses filed comprehensive comments with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on Brookfield's Final License Application for the Ripogenus Project and the Penobscot Mills Project — calling for an end to 30-year-old water management practices that have caused excessive lake drawdowns, the dewatering of the largest river gorge in the Northeast, and recurring fish kills below McKay Station.
If you are a signatory a signatory to those Comments, thank you — your voice is already part of the record. This message is for those of you who were not signatories to the filing: your individual voice still matters, and FERC needs to hear it directly from you, not just from the signatory organizations.
That filing carries more weight with FERC when the public record shows real people, not just organizations, care about this river. Here's what I'm asking: file a comment with FERC, in your words, supporting the Coalition's position. It costs nothing and takes about five minutes.
How to File an eComment (FERC's process, two steps)
Step 1 — Submit the eComment request form:
Go to https://ferconline.ferc.gov/QuickComment.aspx
Fill in your name, address, and email (no account or registration required), and click Authorize.
Step 2 — Check your email and finish the comment:
Within a few minutes, you'll get an email from FERC with a link to the comment system. (Check your spam folder if you don't see it — some email systems block FERC's mail.) Click the link, search for and select the docket number(s) below, paste in your comment, and click Send Comment.
Docket numbers to select:
P-2572 (Ripogenus Hydroelectric Project)
P-2458 (Penobscot Mills Hydroelectric Project)
You can comment on either or both.
Tip: Write your comment in a Word document first, then copy and paste it into the comment box — the system times out after 60 minutes, and the box has a 10,000-character limit (your comment should be much shorter than that).
What to Say
There's no wrong way to write this, and it doesn't need to be long. The most effective comments are personal and specific. Consider including:
- State your support for the Coalition FLA Comments — e.g., "I support the Coalition FLA Comments filed on August 25, 2026 (Docket Nos. P-2572-141 and P-2458-273)." This is the sentence that ties your comment to our filing — don't skip it.
- Who you are and your connection to the river — e.g., "I fish the West Branch," "I've paddled the Ripogenus Gorge for 20 years," etc. This establishes your standing — why you have a stake in this.
- Why this place matters — the West Branch corridor is one of Maine's most special resources, and it's worth saying so in your words.
- What you want fixed — pick what you care most about:
- The recurring fish kills below McKay Station
- Excessive lake drawdowns on Ripogenus, Chesuncook, and Caribou Lakes
- The dewatered river sections — the Ripogenus Gorge and the reach below Stone Dam in Millinocket — that run dry for months at a time under current operations
You don't need to be a technical expert or read the whole filing to write an effective comment. FERC wants to hear from the people who actually use and care about this river.
On August 25, 2026, Maine TU and a coalition of 17 conservation organizations and businesses filed comprehensive comments with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on Brookfield's Final License Application for the Ripogenus Project and the Penobscot Mills Project — calling for an end to 30-year-old water management practices that have caused excessive lake drawdowns, the dewatering of the largest river gorge in the Northeast, and recurring fish kills below McKay Station.
If you are a signatory a signatory to those Comments, thank you — your voice is already part of the record. This message is for those of you who were not signatories to the filing: your individual voice still matters, and FERC needs to hear it directly from you, not just from the signatory organizations.
That filing carries more weight with FERC when the public record shows real people, not just organizations, care about this river. Here's what I'm asking: file a comment with FERC, in your words, supporting the Coalition's position. It costs nothing and takes about five minutes.
How to File an eComment (FERC's process, two steps)
Step 1 — Submit the eComment request form:
Go to https://ferconline.ferc.gov/QuickComment.aspx
Fill in your name, address, and email (no account or registration required), and click Authorize.
Step 2 — Check your email and finish the comment:
Within a few minutes, you'll get an email from FERC with a link to the comment system. (Check your spam folder if you don't see it — some email systems block FERC's mail.) Click the link, search for and select the docket number(s) below, paste in your comment, and click Send Comment.
Docket numbers to select:
P-2572 (Ripogenus Hydroelectric Project)
P-2458 (Penobscot Mills Hydroelectric Project)
You can comment on either or both.
Tip: Write your comment in a Word document first, then copy and paste it into the comment box — the system times out after 60 minutes, and the box has a 10,000-character limit (your comment should be much shorter than that).
What to Say
There's no wrong way to write this, and it doesn't need to be long. The most effective comments are personal and specific. Consider including:
- State your support for the Coalition FLA Comments — e.g., "I support the Coalition FLA Comments filed on August 25, 2026 (Docket Nos. P-2572-141 and P-2458-273)." This is the sentence that ties your comment to our filing — don't skip it.
- Who you are and your connection to the river — e.g., "I fish the West Branch," "I've paddled the Ripogenus Gorge for 20 years," etc. This establishes your standing — why you have a stake in this.
- Why this place matters — the West Branch corridor is one of Maine's most special resources, and it's worth saying so in your words.
- What you want fixed — pick what you care most about:
- The recurring fish kills below McKay Station
- Excessive lake drawdowns on Ripogenus, Chesuncook, and Caribou Lakes
- The dewatered river sections — the Ripogenus Gorge and the reach below Stone Dam in Millinocket — that run dry for months at a time under current operations
You don't need to be a technical expert or read the whole filing to write an effective comment. FERC wants to hear from the people who actually use and care about this river.
Thank you for your continued interest in the West Branch of the Penobscot. Please pass this along to anyone who shares our concerns for its future.
