Tag: Penobscot River

RadioActive 11/7/13

Producer/Host: Meredith DeFrancesco

Issue: Environmental and Social Justice

Program Topic: Penobscot Nation Natural Resources director on the work to protect the health of the Penobscot River Watershed

Key Discussion Points:

a) Today we hear a talk by John Banks, a member of the Penobscot Nation and the Natural Resources Director for the tribe. He has been an active and tireless advocate for environmental sustainability and tribal rights.
b) In his talk, he outlines the Penobscot Nation’s work to protect the health of the Penobscot River Watershed from the impacts of paper mill dioxin, to the work of the Penobscot River Restoration Project to dismantle dams, allowing for the expansion of fish species into original habitats, to legal issues on state vs federal control over pollution permits, with explicit industry pressure, and now the tribes current court case to oppose the 2012 state Attorney General’s opinion that the Penobscot Reservation does not include any of the Penobscot River.

c) John Banks spoke at the University of Maine’s 10th annual Eco-Peace Sustainability Training and International Affiliates Conference on October 25th in Belfast. This years Conference was titled “Reclaiming the Commons : Water Ethics and Nature Rights in Maine”. We spoke with organizer Hugh Curran on RadioActive October 10th, 2013.

Guest:

A) John Banks, Natural Resources Director for the Penobscot Nation; Penobscot tribal member

RadioActive 6/14/12

Producer/Host: Meredith DeFrancesco
Issue: Environmental and Social Justice

Program Topic: Penobscot River Restoration Project, with John Banks of the Penobscot Nation: Great Works at Old Town going down.

Key Discussion Points:

a) On Monday, work began to remove the Great Works dam on the Penobscot River in Old Town. It is the first step in re-opening 1000 miles of the river to sea run fish, including alewives, herring, sturgeon and Atlantic salmon. In 2013, the Veazie Dam is scheduled to be removed. The Milford and Howland dams will install new fish lifts and by passes.

b) The Penobscot River Restoration Project has been called one of the largest fishing restoration projects in the history of the country, and now serves as a global model for cooperative conservation efforts. The project includes conservation groups, utilities, government entities, including the Penobscot Indian Nation.

c)The Penobscot Nation, which has been on the ground floor of this project, has offered instrumental perspective and leadership on the project, based on their unique relationship with the Penobscot River

Guests:

A) John Banks, tribal member, Director of the Department of Natural Resources for the Penobscot Nation, founder and member of the Penobscot River Restoration Project www.penobscotriver.org/

Call In Program: no

Weekend Voices 1/30/10

Producer/Host: Amy Browne

The company responsible for cleaning up hundreds of thousands of tons of soil contaminated by mercury at the former Holtrachem chemical plant in Orrington, is asking the state to approve a cheaper, less thorough, and quicker, clean up plan for the site.   Mallinckrodt Incorporated, a subsidiary of a multibillion dollar corporation, would save an estimated $100 million, and leave behind a large quantity of mercury in the soil, if their plan to remove only the most contaminated section is approved.   Mercury is a potent neurotoxin, and the former Holtrachem site is on the banks of the Penobscot River, just a few miles upstream from Penobscot Bay.

The Board of Environmental Protection held a public hearing in Orrington, Thursday night to hear what people think about the proposal.  WERU was there, and today we bring you excerpts from the testimony.
FMI: www.mainepeoplesalliance.org