So far, the “historic” hearings on the Androscoggin River have been, well, a history lesson.

Environmentalists blame paper mills for polluting the Androscoggin.

Paper mills point to other pollution sources as chief contributors to the problem.

Gulf Island Dam is either a non-factor, or culprit, for awful odors that can ruin a fine summer’s paddle.

Millworkers fight for their jobs under the guillotine of government regulation.

We’re still waiting for the “lightbulb moment,” that second of clarity proving the decades of debate over the Androscoggin haven’t been wasted breath. Since Sen. Ed Muskie used the awful Androscoggin as impetus for the Clean Water Act, the river has remained the state’s most polluted waterway.

And from the sentiments voiced during days of testimony in Auburn, within earshot of the roar of the river’s Great Falls, little seems likely to change.

Where is the advancement? The record of pollution regulation, and enforcement along the Androscoggin River is woeful, capped by the 2005 improprieties of former Maine Department of Environmental Protection chief Dawn Gallagher, and ethics complaints against Rep. Tom Saviello of Wilton. Gallagher was forced out; Saviello was cleared.

Ability, and momentum, for cleaning the Androscoggin has existed for decades, yet here we are, in 2007, still hearing arguments about contested pollution sources, differing pollution levels, steep economic pressure on mills, and restoring wildlife and recreational opportunities to the river.

What is new, amidst all this history, is the tale of two mills that has emerged.

NewPage, in Rumford, has been congratulated by environmentalists for its pollution-control improvements, and although the mill is party to these proceedings, it isn’t the primary target for pollution-hunters.

It’s Verso, in Jay, that’s become the prime suspect.

Pete Didisheim, from the Natural Resources Council of Maine, called the mill’s aeration basin a “ticking time bomb”of environmental disaster, as the Androscoggin is “treated as an industrial river with low expectations.”

As long as those mills exist, however, the Androscoggin will remain an industrial river. The varied perceptions of the two big mills by environmentalists, however, prove harmony between the groups is possible. If there’s anything to applaud through the first few days of hearings, it’s that.

The final public hearing on the river is Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn.

For these proceedings to be considered historic, the state Board of Environmental Protection must assert its authority and dictate sensible, realistic terms to stem the pollution flow into the Androscoggin. It must stand alongside the shadow of Muskie – and work for what’s in the best interest of the river, and its people.

Otherwise, these hearings will simply rehash history, and become a process doomed to be repeated.