Quoddy Bay Denied Tax Exemptions
The Passamaquoddy Joint Tribal Council, which is comprised of leaders from the Pleasant Point and Indian Township Reservations, last week voted against awarding tax exempt status to Quoddy Bay’s proposed LNG terminal in Pleasant Point, Maine. The Pleasant Point Reservation and Quoddy Bay last year signed an agreement allowing the company to pay over $12 million each year in lease payments instead of paying taxes. Quoddy Bay Project Manager Brian Smith says he does not see the rejection as a setback. “While we are disappointed that the Joint Tribal Council could not yet come to agreement on this issue, we are confident that the two Passamaquoddy reservations will continue to work together to come to a solution that both reservations will embrace,” Smith said in a statement issued to The Bangor Daily News yesterday. “We stand ready to honor our lease commitments as soon as the Pleasant Point band secures the tax agreement from the Joint Tribal Council.” [Access to archived articles requires a fee.]