RadioActive 2/25/16

Producer/Host: Meredith DeFrancesco

Issue: Environmental and Social Justice

Program Topic: A Climate to Thrive: Mount Desert Island moves towards energy independence by 2030

Key Discussion Points:
1) On January 24th, MDI Climate Solutions kicked off A Climate to Thrive, a local initiative whose goal is to move Mount Desert Island to energy independence by 2030.
2) Over 200 people attended the event on January 24th, and have divided the work going further into seven tracks, covering solar energy, other alternative energy, conservation and building, transportation, waste, local food and policy.
3) The project will have a particular focus on solar power, building on the current solar initiatives on Mount Desert Island. This will include more solar farms and arrays for residential and municipal purposes, and discount purchasing of solar panels through pooled buying.

Guests:
Gary Friedmann, Bar Harbor town councilor, climate activist, A Climate to Thrive advisory board

About


www.facebook.com/AClimatetoThrive/?fref=nf
www.revisionenergy.com/events

Johannah Blackman, program manager for A Climate to Thrive
[email protected]

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RadioActive 2/18/16

Producer/Host: Meredith DeFrancesco

Issue: Environmental and Social Justice

Program Topic: The Climate Change Institute and Reversing Falls Sanctuary’s Speaker Series on Climate Change

Key Discussion Points:

1) The Reversing Falls Sanctuary in Brooksville has begun it’s Lenten speaker series, called “Caring for the Earth, Our Common Home”, most specifically focusing on climate change. It kicked off last Sunday and will run weekly through March 20th.

2) We interview last week’s speaker, Dr Paul Mayewski, director of the Climate Change Institute and professor at the University of Maine, Orono.

3) The Reversing Falls Sanctuary is spearheading or involved with a number of local initiatives, including a green house project, participation in a state wide weatherization initiative (“Window Dressers” ), development of the Brooksville Community Solar Farm and work in the Transition Towns movement.

Guests:
Dr Paul Mayewski, director of the Climate Change Institute, professor at University of Maine, Orono.

Information

Anne and Tony Ferrara, Reversing Falls Sanctuary and RFS Community Climate Change Initiative
reversingfalls.org/2016-lenten-series-caring-earth-our-common-home

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RadioActive 1/7/16

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

Program Topic: Alliance for a Common Good’s Rally of Unity at start of Legislative Session in Augusta

Key Discussion Points:
1) A broad network of Maine organizations and movements, gathered under the banner the Alliance for the Common Good, held their 4th annual Rally of Unity at the capitol in Augusta at the open of the legislative session, on January 6th.
2) Participants shared updates on current struggles and victories, and campaigns for the coming year.
3) Some of the points of unity shared by Alliance for a Common Good participants include:

Respect for community sovereignty.
An economy that protects our environment.
Reserving Maine money for Maine people.
Keeping money out of politics.

Guests:
Jim Freeman, environmental and social justice activist, Rally of Unity moderator
Betsy Garrold, Food For Maine’s Future, Local Food Rules
Rev. Carie Johnson. Unitarian Universalist Church, Augusta, UU State Advocacy Network
Fredrick, Bernie Sanders campaign
Hendrick Gideonse, Stop the East West Corridor
Sherri Mitchell, member of the Penobscot Tribe, indigenous rights attorney

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RadioActive 12/31/15

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

Program Topic: A new initiative to move Mount Desert Island towards energy independence by 2030.

Key Discussion Points:
1) Today we look at an unflinching local initiative to address climate change. A new organization, MDI Climate Solutions has set a goal to move Mount Desert Island towards fossil fuel free energy by 2030.
2) The “Climate to Thrive” initiative will be launched on January 24th at a public event from 3-6pm at the Neighborhood House in Northeast Harbor. This will include looking at a vast expansion of solar power on the island.
3) We also look towards the Alliance for a Common Good’s 4th Annual Rally of Unity next week in Augusta.

Guests:
A) Gary Friedman, Bar Harbor town councilor; climate activist

About


www.facebook.com/AClimatetoThrive/?fref=nf
www.revisionenergy.com/events/a-climate-to-thrive-launch-event/

B) Larry Dansinger, Alliance for a Common Good

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RadioActive 12/17/15

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

Program Topic: Penobscot Nation v Mills : Decision at US District Court

Key Discussion Points:

1) Yesterday, US District Court Judge George Singal ruled that the Penosbcot Nation’s reservation does not include the river waters flowing through it.
2) While Judge Singal affirmed the right of individual tribal members to sustenance fishing in the main stem of the Penosbcot River, he sided with the State of Maine in ruling that the Penobscot flowing through tribal territory is not part of the reservation. He based his decision on the State’s interpretation of the controversial Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act,saying if the Act did not explicitly mention the water as part of the territory, then the water is not included. The Tribe holds if they did not explicitly give up their rights to the waterway in the Settlement Act, they did not give it up.
3) In the landmark case, Penobscot Nation v Maine Attornay General Janet Mills, The Penobscot Nation opposed the Maine Attorney General’s Office 2012 opinion that the Penobscot Indian reservation, which includes more than 200 islands in the Penobscot River, does not include any portion of the water. The Penobscot Nation has argued this amounts to a territorial taking by the state and erases their inherent, treaty reserved sustenance fishing rights.

In October, Judge Singal heard oral arguments from Penobscot Nation counsel, counsel for the US Dept of Justice, intervening in the case on behalf of the Penobscot Nation, the Attorney General’s Office’s, and Pierce Atwood counsel which is representing a consortium of pollution dischargers intervening on behalf of the state.

Guest: Sherri Mitchell, member of the Penobscot Tribe, indigenous rights attorney

landpeacefoundation.net/

www.facebook.com/dawnlanddefense

www,sunlightmediacollective.org

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RadioActive 10/15/15

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

Program Topic: Penobscot Nation v Mills : Reactions to Court Hearing

Key Discussion Points:

1) Yesterday, US District Court Judge George Singal heard oral arguments for Penobscot Nation v Mills in Portland. The Penobscot Nation is opposing the Maine Attorney General’s Office 2012 opinion that the Penobscot Indian reservation, which includes more than 200 islands in the Penobscot River, does not include any portion of the water. The Penobscot Nation argues this amounts to a territorial taking by the state and erases their inherent, treaty reserved sustenance fishing rights.

2) Judge Singal heard oral arguments from Penobscot Nation counsel, counsel for the US Dept of Justice. which is intervening in the case on behalf of the Penobscot Nation, the Attorney General’s Office’s, and Pierce Atwood counsel which is representing a consortium of pollution dischargers intervening on behalf of the state. Both sides have asked the judge for a summary judgement.

3) We also speak with Hugh Curran about the annual Estia Conference on October 23rd at the Hutchinson Center in Belfast. This year the theme is Deep Ecology. Keynotes speakers include Darren Ranco, Maria Girouard and Sherri Mitchell. www.estiamaine.org

Guests:
Kathy Paul, Penobscot
Sherri Mitchell, Penobscot indigenous rights attorney
Chief Kirk Francis, Penobscot Nation
Maria Girouard, Penobscot historian, Dawnland Environmental Defense
Hugh Curran, University of Maine Peace and Reconciliation Studies, Estia Conference organizer

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RadioActive 10/1/15

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

Program Topic: Penobscot Nation Chief Francis on Penobscot Nation v Mills and Meeting in DC with President Obama

Key Discussion Points:

1) On October 14th, US District Court in Portland will hear oral arguments for Penobscot Nation v Mills.The Penobscot Nation is opposing the 2012 opinion by the Maine Attorney General’s Office that the Penobscot Indian reservation, which includes more than 200 islands in the Penobscot River, does not include any portion of the water, a decision that the Penobscot Nation argues breaks treaties and amounts to a territorial taking by the state.

2) We speak with Chief Francis about the case, and about the separate legal battle concerning the federal EPA decision that, though Maine has the jurisdiction over water quality standards in tribal waters, under the Clean Water Act, state standards are not high enough to protect sustenance fishing.

3) Last week, Chief Francis met with Congressional Representatives and President Obama on both these issues, among others. The US government is currently a legal intervenor in Penobscot Nation v Mills on behalf of the Penobscot Nation.

Guests: Chief Kirk Francis, Penobscot Nation

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RadioActive 9/17/15

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

Issue: Environmental and Social Justice

Program Topic: Bar Harbor’s Community Solar Farm Project

Key Discussion Points:
1) Today we talk about two solar projects in development in Bar Harbor. One, a roof top array on the public works building to power that building and the other, a community solar farm which will power a number of homes. Bar Harbor’s will be the first community solar farm on public land in the state.
2) We talk with Bar harbor town councilor Gary Friedman about local efforts to develop sustainable energy and address climate change.
3) We talk with a ReVision Energy representative, John Loft, about action being taken around the state to transition to solar power.

Guests:
Gary Friedman, Bar Harbor town councilor, 288-5323
John Luft, Revision Energy, branch manager,Liberty,
[email protected]

www.revisionenergy.com,

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