AUGUSTA – In a statement issued Thursday afternoon, Gov. John E. Baldacci said he is concerned with proposed Air National Guard low-level training flights over Western Maine and wants the state to have intervener status in the matter.

According to the release, Baldacci sent a letter to Maine’s congressional delegation asking for help.

“I have serious concerns about the proposed change and about the process. I do not believe that enough time has been allowed for public comment, and I’m concerned that the environmental impact has not been fully considered,” he wrote in the letter.

The Massachusetts Air National Guard has proposed changing altitude restrictions on flights over parts of Franklin, Oxford and Somerset counties. Currently, military aircraft cannot conduct exercises below 2,800 feet in some areas and 6,300 feet in others. The change would lower the floor to 500 feet.

The stated purpose of the change is to allow pilots to practice low-level and low-speed air intercept missions.

The release said Baldacci is asking for the delegation’s help in getting intervener status and for Maine’s Department of Transportation to be the lead agency for the state.

Baldacci cited opposition to a similar proposal in the mid-1990s and concern over the potential effects on the environment covering a three-county area – Oxford, Franklin and Somerset – in appealing for a more thorough process in determining the environmental impact of the low-level flights.

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