Category: WERU News Report

WERU News Report 5/18/11

Producer/Host: Amy Browne

Today we continue our coverage of yesterday’s public hearing, before the Joint Standing Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry on 2 pieces of pending legislation.
LD 819, pponsored by Representative Jeff McCabe, is an Emergency Resolve that would make changes to the way Maine’s Land Use Regulatory Committee– or LURC– operates. LD 1534, sponsored by Representative Jeffery Gifford, would abolish LURC completely, turning their planning and zoning authority for the state’s unorganized territories (you’ll hear them referred to here as “UT”s), over to the counties. 2 other pieces of proposed legislation concerning LURC were pulled from consideration by their sponsors yesterday.
Yesterday on the WERU News Report we heard mostly from supporters of LD1534, the bill that would abolish LURC. Today we hear some other points of view:

WERU News Report 5/17/11

Producer/Host: Amy Browne

The Joint Standing Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry is hearing testimony, as we go to air today, on bills that would revise — or even abolish– Maine’s Land Use Regulatory Commission, also known as LURC. LURC was created by the Maine Legislature in 1971 to serve as the planning and zoning authority for the state’s and unorganized territories– or, as you’ll hear them referred to today, UT’s

LD 1534 An Act To Reform the Land Use and Planning Authority in the Unorganized Territories, Sponsored by Representative Jeffery Gifford, would abolish LURC, effective in 2012, transferring authority for land use planning over to the counties.
and LD 819 Resolve, To Improve the Predictability of Land Use Regulation in the Unorganized Territories, (Emergency) Sponsored by Representative Jeff McCabe of Skowhegan which would require some changes in the way LURC operates.
Today we’re going to hear testimony from those in FAVOR of the proposed legislation, in particular LD 1534, the bill that would abolish LURC. Tomorrow we’ll bring you testimony from opponents, which is still taking place today at air time:

WERU News Report 5/11/11

Producer/Host: Amy Browne

The Maine State Legislature’s Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee held a public hearing, and then immediately followed with a work session yesterday, on LD1453, “An Act To Legalize and Tax Marijuana”, sponsored by Representative Diane Russell, Democrat of Portland. Today we’re joining the public hearing as the committee questions Representative Russell about the ramifications of the bill:

WERU News Report 5/4/11

Producer/Host: Meaghan LaSala

A full half hour report on the Mother Earth Water Walk. Starting in Machias this Saturday, May 7th, a group of native people and their supporters will begin a walk of over 4 million steps to Bad River, Wisconsin, carrying water from the Atlantic Ocean. Walkers are heading to Lake Superior from 4 directions of the continent, carrying water from the Pacific, Gulf of Mexico and the Hudson to call attention to the crises facing fresh water, a life source for all species. We speak with coordinating organizers for the Eastern Walk, Madeleine Huntjens and Kehben Grier about the walk and how listeners can get involved.

Madeleine Huntjens, coordinating organizer of the Eastern direction Mother Earth Water Walk
Kehben Grier, of the Beehive Design Collective in Machias, coordinating organizer
http://www.motherearthwaterwalk.com/
http://www.beehivecollective.org/english/front.htm
http://www.emptyglassforwater.ca/home.php

WERU News Report 5/3/11

Producer/Host: Amy Browne

The Maine legislature took up the controversial issue of school vouchers yesterday, in a public hearing before the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs. LD 250 “An Act To Permit Tuition Subsidies by Municipalities” would allow municipalities to give subsidies from their general funds to parents to reimburse them for part or all of the tuition the parents paid to private schools that are precluded from receiving tuition funding from the State– including religious schools.
Supporters of the bill cite a recent situation on Swans Island, in which the town reportedly chose to allocate municipal funds for parents who wanted their children to attend private, religious schools, but the plan was overturned when it was determined to be in violation of state law. Opponents of the law have concerns about violations of separation of church and state, and about taxpayer dollars being used to fund un-regulated schools. Today we’ll hear some of the testimony from both sides at yesterday’s public hearing. Senator Brian D. Langley, Republican of Hancock County, the Comittee Co Chair, facilitated

WERU News Report 4/27/11

Producer/Host: Amy Browne

A public hearing was held in Augusta on Monday for LD872, a bill that would decrease protection for the habitat areas around vernal pools and require that property owners be reimbursed if required to protect habitat on land they own. The hearing, held by the Joint Standing Committee on Environmental and Natural Resources, drew a standing-room-only crowd of supporters and opponents. Yesterday on the WERU News Report we heard from of the testimony in support of the bill. Among the proponents we heard from were Chandler Woodcock, the Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, and Daryl Brown, Commissioner of the DEP—both of whom promised to provide the facts to back up their testimony later– in time for the upcoming work session, a session at which the public is not allowed to comment unless asked to by the committee.

Today we hear testimony from some of the opponents of LD872 at Monday’s hearing.

WERU News Report 4/26/11

Producer/Host: Amy Browne

A public hearing was held in Augusta yesterday for a bill that would decrease protection for the habitat areas around vernal pools and require that property owners be reimbursed if required to protect habitat on land they own. The hearing, held by the Joint Standing Committee on Environmental and Natural Resources, drew a standing room only crowd of supporters and opponents. Today we have the voices of some of the supporters of the bill, and tomorrow at this time we’ll follow up with some of the opponents. Notice how Chandler Woodcock, Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, and Daryl Brown, Commissioner of the DEP respond when asked to back up their testimony with facts. We’ll start with State Senator Ron Collins, sponsor of the bill, reading the bill to the committee

WERU News Report 4/20/11

Producer/Host: Amy Browne

Doug Anderson is a Documentary Media Producer from Boston, and a recent graduate of the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies. Today we’re happy to bring you 2 of the audio pieces he produced about people here in Maine. FMI: http://www.dougdocs.net http://www.salt.edu/

WERU Volunteer Larry Dansinger’s “Outside the Box”

NRCM opposes roll-backs on vernal pool protection. FMI: www.nrcm.org