Archives for East-West Highway

RadioActive 8/2/12

Producer/Host: Meredith DeFrancesco

Issue: Environmental and Social Justice

Key Discussion Points:

a) Hundreds demonstrated at the Conference of the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers in Burlinton, VT July 31st . In the early evening, when a smaller group attempted to peacefully block the road, Burlington police used rubber and pepper bullets against them point blank.

b) Inside the Hilton Hotel conference, the New England Governors, Eastern Premiers and their energy consultants meet on, among other things, what they call “building a clean and cost effective energy future for the Northeast”.

c) Outside, activists from all around the Northeast converged to underscore their opposition to the local and global impacts of a number of proposed regional energy projects. These include Quebec’s $80 billion resource extraction and energy development “Plan Nord” project; the so-called Northern Pass transmission plan to bring energy from Quebec through New Hampshire to New England markets; the proposed private East West Highway which would link Quebec and the Martimes through Maine; and the Trailbreaker pipeline, which is in the process of being reversed to bring tar sands oil from eastern Canada to Portland, Maine, for shipping. Activists from the Innu in Quebec to Mainers living along the the Trailbreaker Pipeline spoke of the community and environmental impacts of these initiatives, including climate change.

Guests:
A) Demonstrators from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Occupy NYC and more
B) Elyse Vollant, Innu First Nations delegation, from Maliotenam indigenous community in Quebec
C) Bill Mckibben, 350.org

www.cutvmontreal.ca
www.towardfreedom.com/americas/2916-connecting-the-struggles-regional-activists-greet-new-england-governors-conference-with-protests
www.350.org
plannord.gouv.qc.ca/english/messages/index.asp
www.northernpass.us/project-overview/route-map
www.workerscenter.org/
vtdigger.org/2012/07/30/environmental-groups-disrupt-governors-conference-cruise/
www.nytimes.com/2012/05/10/opinion/game-over-for-the-climate.html?_r=1
intercontinentalcry.org/tactical-unit-dismantles-innu-blockade-against-controversial-hydro-complex/
fsrn.org/audio/headlines-monday-july-30-2012/10655
rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/behind-numbers/2012/04/plan-nord-really-economic-development-tool-qu%C3%A9bec
climate-connections.org/2012/07/29/breaking-news-police-violently-attack-peaceful-protest-in-burlington-vt/

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WERU Special: East-West Highway/Corridor Controversy 5/31/12

Host: Amy Browne
Engineer: Joel Mann

Program Topic: The East-West Highway/Corridor Controversy
Key Discussion Points:
a) What information is being withheld from the public, and why?
b) What things that ARE known about the project are raising concerns?
c) Who stands to benefit?
d) Who stands to lose?

Guests:

Hillary Lister—she has followed the various incarnations of the East-West plans for the past decade, doing coverage for Maine Indymedia, and living in and growing up in the vicinity of the various proposed routes

Diane Messer–she has attended all of the legislative hearings, offering testimony at them, and has studied the impacts of the E/W proposal on the community

Organizer Chris Buchanan of “Defending Water for Life in Maine”, and journalist Lance Tapley, who has been covering this issue, also join us by phone.

We also invited proposal’s most vocal proponent, Cianbo CEO Peter Vigue to either join us or send someone in his place today, but he declined to do so. We’ll feature excerpts from an interview we recorded with him in early May.

Call In Program: Yes

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