Category: WERU News Report

WERU News Report 11/19/13

Producer/Host: Amy Browne

With all of the focus on the problems with the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, a looming health care crisis for some of Maine’s most vulnerable residents seems to be flying under the radar. In January, 25,000 low income Mainers will lose their Mainecare coverage, and others will not be able to qualify. And even if they could afford to purchase insurance thru Obamacare, a loophole in the law means that they will not get the subsidies that those with higher incomes will receive to make the prices more affordable.

Looking ahead to the next legislative session, White House staff joined Portland Mayor Michael Brennan and State Representative Linda Sanborn in hosting a phone conference yesterday to discuss the importance of expanding Medicaid coverage in Maine. Here’s what they had to say. (Also features a clip from a recent interview with Mitchell Stein, Policy Director for Consumers for Affordable Health Care)

WERU News Report 11/13/13

Producer/Host: Amy Browne

Wikileaks today made public one section of a highly secretive trade agreement currently under negotiation. The Trans-Pacific Partnership –or TPP has been called “NAFTA on steroids”. It is being negotiated by 12 countries, with a combined gross domestic product totally 40% of the world’s economy. Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison (D) has called it “largest corporate power grab you never heard of.”

Only 3 people from each participating country have been allowed to see the full agreement, but wikileaks managed to obtain a copy of intellectual properties rights section.

WikiLeaks’ Editor-in-Chief Julian Assange stated: “The US administration is aggressively pushing the TPP through the US legislative process on the sly.” The advanced draft of the Intellectual Property Rights Chapter, published by WikiLeaks on 13 November 2013, provides the public with the fullest opportunity so far to familiarise themselves with the details and implications of the TPP.”

The non-partisan citizen advocacy group Public Citizen has analyzed the document, and determined that the “Leaked Documents Reveal Obama Administration (is) Push(ing) for Internet Freedom Limits, (and) Terms That Raise Drug Prices” We spoke with Public Citizen’s Peter Maybarduk earlier today, to learn more about that, and what else the leaked documents reveal:

WERU News Report 11/12/13

Producers/Hosts: Amy Browne & Meredith DeFrancesco

Around 50 people braved the cold and rain on a busy intersection near the Bangor Mall on Sunday, in solidarity with the people of the Elsipogtog/Mi’kmaq First Nation in New Brunswick, who are engaged in a battle to protect their land from hydraulic fracturing, known commonly as fracking …

The Texas-based Southwestern Energy company (aka SWN) has been conducting seismic testing, (“thumping”) the earth, looking for possible sites to frack in New Brunswick. The Elsipogtog people in the area say that some of the testing is being done on land they never ceded by treaty – but they are quick to point out that this is not only their issue, as the impacts of fracking could affect everyone in the region. They and their non-native allies have drawn international attention and support for their campaign, especially following a violent police crack down last month, which resulted in 40 arrests. Several police vehicles were burned that day, and everyone we’ve interviewed who is involved with the resistance campaign has speculated that the police burned the vehicles themselves, as an agent provocateur tactic and/or in an attempt to undermine the high level of support for the protesters. Today 4 people remain in jail, and there have been unsubstantiated reports that they have been abused while in custody.
The solidarity rally in Bangor on Sunday drew people from the Penobscot Nation and across Maine, as well as New Brunswick, and a lot of supportive honks and waves from cars passing by – Meredith DeFrancesco and I spoke with some of the participants:

WERU News Report 11/6/13

Producer/Host: Amy Browne

31 Maine Legislators have signed onto a letter to the US Army Corps of Engineers, requesting a Comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement or “at the very least a Supplemental Environmental Assessment” for the controversial Searsport Harbor dredging project. If completed, the project would allow access for larger ships. It would also result in the need to dispose of what has been estimated to be close to 1 million cubic yards of sediment – sediment from an area that has seen more than 100 years of chemical companies, industrial spills and questionable disposal of waste along the shoreline. The dredged material would then be dumped elsewhere in Penobscot Bay, possibly in a dump site between Belfast and Islesboro. This has raised serious concerns about the potential impacts on the environment and the fisheries in the area.

State legislators and representatives from the Maine Chapter of the Sierra Club and Islesboro Island Trust held a press conference at the Belfast Boathouse this morning, to explain their concerns. (Coverage of the press conference, and interviews with Marietta Ramsdell of “Friends of Sears Island”, and Ron Huber of “Friends of Penobscot Bay”

WERU News Report 10/30/13

Producer/Host: Amy Browne
Audio recorded by John Greenman

We’ve reported extensively on the re-write of Maine’s mining laws that is presently underway, and also on the situation in El Salvador, where those who resist mining have been threatened, jailed and even killed. Here in Maine, one of the giant Canadian Irving Corporation’s spin off companies and their lawyers, authored the new mining legislation- that was originally introduced in 2012—consisting of their wish list of changes to Maine’s mining laws. The company wants new regulations that would allow metallic mineral mining on Bald Mountain in Aroostook County, and elsewhere. They have the support of the LePage administration.
Stefano Tijerina is a Professor of History and Economics at UMaine and Husson University, and has worked in banking in the past. He has researched mining and free trade agreements in the US, Canada and Latin America. In a recent talk at the university, he focused on Canada’s role, and how it impacts us here in Maine:

(Professor Stefano Tijerina, with a segment of his presentation last week at UMaine, titled “Canada’s ‘Goodwill’ Revised—Mining, Capitalism, and Imperialism”. The talk was sponsored by the university’s Marxist and Socialist Studies lecture series, and was recorded by WERU’s John Greenman.)

WERU News Report 10/29/13

Producer/Host: Amy Browne
Audio recorded by John Greenman

Efforts are underway at the University of Maine, to become the 3rd Maine college–following Unity College and College of the Atlantic–in divesting from the fossil fuel industry. Churches, universities, cities and organizations around the world are taking part in the quickly expanding fossil fuel divestment movement. Here in Maine, in addition to Unity College and COA, the First Unitarian Church of Pittsfield, is also taking part.
The Fossil Free Campaign was started by 350.org. According to their website, “200 publicly-traded companies hold the vast majority of the world’s proven coal, oil and gas reserves.” And their demands are that those companies: stop exploring for new hydrocarbons, stop lobbying for “special breaks”, and pledge to keep 80% of their current reserves underground forever.

Speakers include: UMaine alum Karen Marysdaughter, she’s with 350.org’s Maine chapter, and is working with students at the university; students Samantha Perez, President of the UMaine Green Team; Audrey Maddocks and Jonathan McCullem; and Misa Saros, former Campus Sustainability Coordinator at UMaine.

Related links:
FB: http://www.facebook.com/divest.umaine
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/oct/29/fossil-fuels-divestment-campaign-gather-momentum
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/oct/27/fossil-fuel-divestment-campaign-uk
http://www.smithschool.ox.ac.uk/research/stranded-assets/SAP-divestment-report-final.pdf
http://gofossilfree.org/commitments/

Investors challenge fossil fuel companies


https://www.ceres.org/files/car-mats/car-release/carbon-asset-risk-initiative-investor-signatories-as-of-october-2013/at_download/file
http://www.ceres.org/press/press-clips/wall-street-demands-answers-from-fossil-fuel-producers-on-unburnable-carbon

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303902404579151580498275194
http://environment.yale.edu/climate-communication/projects/research/climate-change-in-the-american-mind

WERU News Report 10/23/13

Producer/Host: Amy Browne

The Mi’kmaq people and their supporters are continuing to fight back against fracking exploration in New Brunswick, despite a violent police crackdown last week. Greg Cook, who coordinates a website that has become a hub for information-sharing about the situation, joins up today for an update

WERU News Report 10/22/13

Producer/Host: Amy Browne

Segment 1: Maine’s mining laws are being rewritten. Legislation drafted by mining companies was presented to the Maine legislature last year with very little advance public notice, and revisions are still being drafted. A public hearing before the Board of Environmental Protection last week drew a crowd of more than 100 people last week, with the overwhelming majority of them speaking in opposition the new regulations, which loosen environmental protections. Clips from the March 2012 public hearing when the legislation was presented to the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, and an update on where things stand today, from Nick Bennett, Staff Scientist and Watersheds Policy for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (www.nrcm.org) Comments re the proposed changes can be sent to: Jeff Crawford 17 State House Station Augusta, Maine 04333-0017 207-287-7647

Segment 2: A few weeks ago we reported on TWAC, the Trans & Women’s Action Camp that was taking place in Maine. Yesterday the action camp wrapped up with participants visiting Irving headquarters in New Hampshire. One of the participants explains why: