BRUNSWICK — The citizen oversight board of the Maine Department of Environment Protection on Nov. 19 rejected an appeal of a stormwater permit issued for an Amtrak train layover facility.
The Brunswick West Neighborhood Coalition, a citizen’s group opposing construction of the maintenance and layover facility for Downeaster trains, appealed the permit granted in July to the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority. It argued there were “fundamental flaws” in the DEP’s permitting process, including deficiencies in groundwater and soil modelling.
But the Board of Environmental Protection unanimously denied the appeal and sided with DEP staff, who had recommended the permit.
BWNC has not said if it will appeal the decision in court. Construction of the layover facility, meanwhile, began in October.
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