Tag: Natural Resources Council of Maine

WERU News Report 2/25/15

Producer/Host: Amy Browne
Engineer/Reporter: John Greenman

The Maine legislature’s committee on Environment & Natural Resources held a public hearing today in the latest round of the controversial re-write of Maine’s mining regulations. As we’ve reported previously, the original legislation was introduced on behalf of the Irving Corporation, and consisted of an industry wish list of changes to existing protections. Irving wants to changes that would allow them to mine Bald Mountain in Aroostook County—a prospect that has been rejected by other companies in previous decades as being environmentally and economically unfeasible- but these new mining rules would open up mining at locations across the state. Following a convoluted path through the legislature, the same proposed rules that were rejected last year are being re-introduced. This has resulted in allegations of administrative misconduct in addition to public outcry against loosening environmental protections.

Today on the WERU News Report we’ll be talking with Lisa Pohlmann, Executive Director of the Natural Resources Council of Maine about that group’s legislative priorities for this session, including the mining regs re-write, and we’ll be taking your calls with questions or comments. But first we start with some of the testimony from today’s public hearing

FMI: www.nrcm.org

WERU News Report 6/19/12

Producer/Host: Amy Browne
Program Topics: Segment 1: Environmentalists Issue New Report on Tar Sands Pipeline in Maine; Segment 2: Penobscot Nation Receives Maine Initiatives Award

Key Discussion Points:
a) Portland-Montreal pipeline
b) Tar sands
c) Penobscot Nation

Guests:

Dylan Voorhees, Clean Energy & Global Warming Project Director, Natural Resources Council of Maine (www.nrcm.org)

Recorded audio from Maine Initiatives Awards, featuring John Dieffenbacher-Krall, Penobscot Nation Chief Kirk Francis and Natural Resources Director John Banks (www.penobscotnation.org, www.maineinitiatives.org)
(Audio recorded by: Matt Murphy)
Call In Program: no

WERU News Report 4/11/12

Producer/Host: Amy Browne
Audio contributed by: John Greenman
Issue: Alternative, Independent Local News
Program Topics:
Maine’s Legislative Session is winding down, and as law makers prepare to recess there are several pieces of important legislation that are moving quickly through the process, sometimes with changes that the public may not be aware of. One instance is the latest version of a worker’s comp bill that has raised concerns among worker’s rights advocates who held a press conference in Bangor on Monday. (FMI: www.foodandmedicine.org) Updates on other legislative action today, and an interview w/ Judy Berk, Natural Resources Council of Maine, re: the Maine mining bill and “takings” legislation (FMI: www.nrcm.org)

Key Discussion Points:
Worker’s Comp legislation
Other legislation voted on today
Mining bill update
“Takings” legislation

Guests:

Speakers recorded at a press conference re: Worker’s Comp legislation: Jack McKay, Director of Food AND Medicine; Rev. Mark Doty, Mark Richards, Dean Harding, Loren Snow

Interview with Judy Berk, Communications Director, Natural Resources Council of Maine

Call In Program: No

RadioActive 2/16/12

Issue: Environmental and Social Justice
Host: Meredith DeFrancesco and Lawrence Reichard
Engineer: Meredith DeFrancesco
Broadcast Time:4-4:30PM

Program Topic: United States Postal Service Cuts Proposed, and Bill in Maine Legislature Aims for Major Change to LURC, the Land Use Regulatory Commission

Key Discussion Points:

a) Though not required of any other government agency, in 2006, Congress mandated that the US Postal Service pre-fund their future retiree health benefits. Meeting this mandate accounts for 84% of the postal service’s current debt, which a bill co-sponsored by Senator Collins and others asserts must lead to the closure of hundreds of post offices and processing centers through out the country, including 30 Maine post offices and the Hampden processing center.

b) LD 1798, “An Act to Reform Land Use Planning in the Unorganized Territory”, proposes to restructure and reassign the current make up and tasks of the Land Use Regulatory Commission (LURC). This includes : assigning the permitting of large scale projects to the Department of Environmental Protection, eliminating the requirement that the developer of a project demonstrate that there is a “need” for it.

c. LD 1798 would also change LURC’s name to the Land Use Planning Commission (LUPC) and would be made up of nine members, six from the counties with the largest amount of Unorganized Territories. Count Commissioners could appoint themselves to the LUPC. The most impacting on the current mission of LURC, the bill would allow counties to opt out of the LUPC, as the Natural Resources Council of Maine says, could effectively dismantle the statewide land use system.

Guests:
A ) Jon Curtis, recently retired letter carrier
B) Cathy Johnson, Maine Woods Project Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine

Call In Program: No

WERU News Report 1/10/12

Issue: Alternative Local News
Program Name: WERU News Report
Broadcast Date:1/10/12
Broadcast Time: 4pm

Program Topic: Maine Legislature Watch

Key Discussion Points:
a) Updates on the DHHS supplemental budget and other legislation being monitored by the Maine Center for Economic Policy (MECEP)
b) Follow up re: the proposed renaming/restructuring of the Department of Environmental Protection and the recommendations of the LURC Reform Committee with Natural Resources Council of Maine
c) Audio from today’s work session discussion re: legislation to make the Governor’s “working paper” exempt from Freedom of Access requests

Guests by name and affiliation:
A) Dan Coyne, Legislative Director for Maine Center for Economic Policy (MECEP) FMI: http://www.mecep.org/
B) Pete Didisheim, Senior Director of Advocacy for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). FMI: www.nrcm.org

Call In Program: No
Political Broadcast: No

Host: Amy Browne
Engineer: Amy Browne

WERU News Report 1/4/12

Program Topic: DEP Commissioner Patricia Aho’s proposal –is it simply “renaming” the bureaus, or is it restructuring?

Key Discussion Points (list at least 3):
a) Aho, a former lobbyist for the American Chemistry Council, the American Petroleum Institute, Horizon Wind Energy, LLC, the Maine Real Estate & Development Association and Verso Paper, among others, was appointed to the Department of Environmental Protection post after Governor LePage’s original pick, Darryl Brown, resigned under controversy over conflicts of interest last year. Aho– who in the past received an award from the Kennebec County Chamber of Commerce for her advocacy on behalf of the business community– announced her plans to restructure DEP at a Chamber of Commerce event last month.

b) Audio recorded a few hours ago as Aho presented the plan to the Environment and Natural Resources Committee of the State Legislature

c) Comments from Pete Didishieim, the Senior Director of Advocacy for the Natural Resources Council of Maine, an organization that has been watching this process carefully and has serious concerns

Guests by name and affiliation: see above

Call In Program: no

Political Broadcast: no

Host: Amy Browne

Engineer: Amy Browne

RadioActive 1/21/10

Producers/Hosts: Amy Browne & Meredith DeFrancesco

The Natural Resources Council of Maine is calling upon it’s membership to attend public hearings in Augusta tomorrow on what it calls “Three of the most important bills of this legislative session”.   Matt Prindiville, the Project Director of the Toxics and Clean Production campaign at the Natural Resources Council of Maine, is with us today to tell us why the NRCM considers LDs 1662, 1631 and 1568 to be so important
And as we’ve reported in the past on RadioActive,  legislation has been introduced that would regulate the use of Solitary Confinement in Maine prisons, which many believe is being used abusively.    At a press conference in Augusta this morning it was announced that a coalition of groups has come together to work for the passage of LD 1611 “An Act to Ensure Humane Treatment of Special Management Unit Prisoners” (sponsored by Rep. Jim Schatz, Blue Hill), including the Maine Civil Liberties Union, the Jeremiah Project, the Maine Psychological Association, the NAACP- Portland Branch, and the Maine Council of Churches. We speak to Emily Posner of Mainers Against the Abuse of Solitary Confinement.  FMI: maineprisonjustice.org

The Natural Resources Council of Maine is calling upon it’s membership to attend public hearings in Augusta tomorrow on what it calls “Three of the most important bills of this legislative session”.   Matt Prindiville, the Project Director of the Toxics and Clean Production campaign at the Natural Resources Council of Maine, is with us today to tell us why the NRCM considers LDs 1662, 1631 and 1568 to be so important.  FMI: www.nrcm.org

And as we’ve reported in the past on RadioActive,  legislation has been introduced that would regulate the use of Solitary Confinement in Maine prisons, which many believe is being used abusively.    At a press conference in Augusta this morning it was announced that a coalition of groups has come together to work for the passage of LD 1611 “An Act to Ensure Humane Treatment of Special Management Unit Prisoners” (sponsored by Rep. Jim Schatz, Blue Hill), including the Maine Civil Liberties Union, the Jeremiah Project, the Maine Psychological Association, the NAACP- Portland Branch, and the Maine Council of Churches. We speak to Emily Posner of Mainers Against the Abuse of Solitary Confinement.  FMI: maineprisonjustice.org

Voices 6/02/09

Producer/Host: Amy Browne
Contributor: Matt Murphy
Segment 1: Natural Resources Council of Maine & Maine Audubon’s press conference this morning in Bangor, where the Land Use Regulatory Commission was meeting for final deliberations on Plum Creek’s proposal for the largest development in the state’s history. Both groups have serious concerns about the proposal. FMI: www.nrcm.org
Segment 2: An interview with Bonny Myers, director of a production of “Nickel and Dimed” that will be held at the Grand in Ellsworth this coming Friday, Saturday and Sunday. FMI: www.grandonline.org