Producer/Host: Meredith DeFrancesco
Issue: Environmental and Social Justice
Program Topic:Maine’s legislature works to relax mining standards
Key Discussion Points:
a) Today we speak with two citizen activists on current legislative proceedings aimed at relaxing state environmental standards to allow metallic mining in Maine.
b) This week the Maine legislature’s joint committee on Environment and Natural Resources has been in work sessions, reconfiguring a new bill based closely on rule changes proposed by JD Irving, the company seeking to mine Bald Mountain in Aroostook County. In this session, the ENR Committee has reviewed mining bills LD 146 and LD 750. The current bill retains the number LD 750, but no longer contains the stringent environmental and financial stipulations of it’s original sponsor, Rep. Ralph Chapman.
c) A public hearing on the new LD 750 will be held on May 11th, 9:00 am at the Augusta State House Cross Building, Room 216.
Guests:
Lew Kingsbury, environmental activist
Dennis Chinoy, activist, volunteer Power In Community Alliances (PICA)
www.pica.ws
www.maineminingwatch.org
www.nrcm.org
bangordailynews.com/2015/02/22/opinion/contributors/mining-is-on-augustas-agenda-public-hearing-reality-tv-or-charades/
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