On July 9, 2012, Stephen Perkins, Director, Office of Ecosystem Protection, US Environmental Protection Agency Region I, wrote to William Schneider, Maine Attorney General. The EPA found 12 MRSA §6134(2), the law passed by Maine in 1995 to block river herring passage on the St. Croix River, in noncompliance with the overall water quality standards set by Maine for that stretch of river which must support naturally occurring species. EPA concluded its letter by stating, “To address EPA’s disapproval and protect designated and existing uses, Maine should take appropriate action to authorize passage of river herring to the portions of the St. Croix River above the Grand Falls Dam.”
