AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage reiterated his opposition to a proposed north woods national monument Thursday and seemed miffed that he wasn’t personally notified of meetings next week between the National Park Service’s leader and residents chaired by U.S. Sen. Angus King.
The Office of the Governor, LePage said in a prepared statement, did not receive any information regarding the meetings set for Monday prior to their being made public by King on May 5.
“I think notifying the governor’s office would have been appropriate,” LePage said Thursday. “They seem like they have already made up their minds. Town after town has voted against federal control of the North Woods, and the Legislature passed my bill to limit federal jurisdiction over a national monument.”
“Clearly, they don’t want an open dialogue on this issue,” LePage added, later stating that “the fix is in.”
King’s spokesman, Scott Ogden, issued a statement that said “Senator King’s office did inform the Governor’s Director of the Maine Forest Service about both public meetings prior to the public announcement and was told by him that he would personally notify the Governor of the meetings.”
The statement also addressed concerns King has about the national monument issue. “Contrary to the statement released today by the Governor’s Office, Senator King has openly and repeatedly expressed his concern about a monument designation, including sending a letter to Director Jarvis with Senator Collins and Representative Poliquin earlier this year, and he intends to express those concerns to the Director directly at the two public meetings,” Ogden wrote in the statement.
Jonathan B. Jarvis, director of the park service, will participate in forums atKatahdin Region Higher Education Center in East Millinocket at noon on Monday, May 16, and at the University of Maine in Orono at 5 p.m. the same day. The public is invited, Ogden has said.
Ogden’s statement described the UMaine session as providing “the public and interested stakeholders the opportunity to express their thoughts and questions to Director Jarvis and to learn more about national monument designations from him.”
It was unclear whether the first session would feature a question-and-answer session. The East Millinocket forum will be attended by East Millinocket, Medway, Millinocket, Patten and Stacyville government officials and school boards, Ogden has said.
Both sides were gearing up Thursday for the forums. Sierra Club Maineannounced that it will charter a free bus enabling Portland-area residents to attend the UMaine meeting. One of the leaders of the anti-monument movement, Maine Snowmobile Association Executive Director Bob Meyers, said opposition groups were circulating fliers advertising the meeting and the oppositional stance regarding the monument.
LePage, the state Legislature and the governments or residents of most of the towns closest to the proposed monument — East Millinocket, Millinocket, Medway and Patten — oppose the monument and a national park proposal that preceded it. The Penobscot County Board of Commissioners, which governs unincorporated lands around the monument lands owned by entrepreneur Roxanne Quimby, also opposed the park.
Bangor’s City Council, the Katahdin Area and Houlton chambers of commerce and the state’s Penobscot Indian tribe support it.
LePage said the monument proposal is proceeding despite “the will of Mainers.”
“The National Park Service, by their own admission, cannot adequately maintain our existing public lands with existing resources,” LePage added. “It defies logic that we would create a new national monument right next to Baxter State Park when the federal government is facing a massive deficit that amounts to over $58,000 for every man, woman and child in the United States. Rather than creating a new, unsupported national monument in Maine, the focus should be on maintaining the lands we already own.”
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