WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives

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

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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

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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

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Producer/Host: Amy Browne
Contributing Producer: Meredith DeFrancesco

Segment 1: Today we pick up where we left off yesterday in our coverage of testimony at Monday’s public hearing on Governor LePage’s proposed budget cuts. The public hearing was preceeded by a large rally– one of many at the statehouse in recent weeks, in response to LePage’s budget and legislative wishlist. Here are some excerpts.

Segment 2: The Natural Resources Council of Maine is tracking what they call the “50 Worst Bills” for Maine’s environment, that are currently under consideration. Meredith DeFrancesco gets an overview from Pete Didisheim, Senior Director of Advocacy for the NRCM.

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Producer/Host: Amy Browne
Contributors: Jim Campbell, Meaghan LaSala

Segment 1: Brownie Carson retired last week after a career that spanned more than a quarter century, of protecting Maine’s environment, at the helm of the Natural Resources Council of Maine
Back in 1983, when he started work at NRCM, Maine’s rivers were a primary concern for environmentalists because of the high levels of pollution and the dams, which among other things, obstructed fish. As he cleaned out his office Friday afternoon, Brownie Carson took a break to talk with us, reflecting back over early successes and looking ahead to challenges for Maine’s environment.

Segment 2: New York City has Selected Shorts, a program that features readings of short stories from all over the world. Belfast has As If Stories, short stories written by Maine writers and read live by local actors for local audiences.
The series is now in its second year. Gail Hennigsen is one of the original founders and still a current producer of the series which will feature a live reading of a story by Stephen King this coming Sunday. Jim Campbell caught up with Gail recently to find out more about the series, and the
somewhat mysterious name.

Segment 3: The recent 17th annual Changing Maine Gathering was called “Beyond Capitalism: New Economies for Maine.”
Excerpts from a presentation on Solidarity Economy by Ethan Miller and Olivia Geiger

Segment 3:

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Producer/Host: Meredith DeFrancesco

Topics: Executive bonuses at Fraser Papers while workers got pay cuts and company filed for bankruptcy,  in 2009.    Legislation to ban toxic DECA in plastic pallets and other pending environmental legislation.  An update on Plum Creek’s massive development plans in the Maine woods.

Guests:  Duane Lugdon, Union Rep. for Maine’s United Steelworkers;  Judy Berke, Natural Resources Council of Maine (www.nrcm.org)

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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.  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

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Producers/Hosts: Amy Browne & Meredith DeFrancesco
Topic: Federal Climate Change Legislation
An interview with Dylan Voorhees, Clean Energy Director of the Natural Resources Council of Maine. Voorhees offers a critique of the current version of the proposed legislation and explains the importance of this issue to Mainers, as well as the impact Mainers can have on the outcome.
FMI: www.nrcm.org

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