#conservationlawfoundation — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #conservationlawfoundation, aggregated by home.social.
-
While on the subject of #landfills and #TrashFires...
Exponential Landfill Expansion Proposal MustTake Into Account #EnvironmentalJustice
Josh Woodbury July 25, 2024
"#CasellaWasteSystems has applied for an expansion of the Juniper Ridge Landfill that could more than double its size. Under law, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection must determine whether an expansion has 'public benefit.' They also must consider Environmental Justice when looking at the industrial facility’s impact on surrounding communities, including the #PenobscotNation. The #MEDEP will make a decision by August 23rd. Public comments are currently being accepted. [I'll have to look into what the decision was]
"After a hard fought push back from area residents, including members of the Penobscot Nation, the DEP is now required to consider 'Environmental Justice' when making a determination about whether a landfill expansion meets the 'Public Benefit' criteria. The DEP will decide if the criteria is met next month.
"Juniper Ridge landfill is located in West Old Town, and is situated between #PushawStream and #BirchStream that both flow into the #PenobscotRiver. The landfill’s leachate waste is trucked to the now #NineDragonsMill in #OldTownMaine, where it receives treatment [sic] and is released into the Penobscot River, directly below the Penobscot Nation.
"In current solid waste law, the DEP has defined Environmental Justice as, '…the right to be protected from environmental pollution and live in and enjoy a clean and healthful #environment, regardless of ancestry, class, disability, ethnicity, income, national origin or religion.
"Environmental justice includes the equal protection and meaningful involvement of all people with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of waste management laws, regulations, and licensing decisions.
"The Penobscot Nation has experienced environmental impacts from the Juniper Ridge Landfill including odors, a toxic fire in 2023, and the discharging of minimally treated leachate, which includes #PFAS, into the #PenobscotRiver sustenance fishing waters.
"Juniper Ridge Landfill still accepts out of state waste after Casella lobbied for a postponement of recently passed restrictions."
#SunlightMediaCollective #JuniperRidgeLandfill #Casella #MaineNews #Maine #ToxicSmoke #ToxicFire #WaterIsLife #WabanakiAlliance #KathyPaul #DontWasteME #Slingshot #ConservationLawFoundation
-
#MaineTribes and Leading #Environmental Organizations Join Forces To Oppose Proposed #Mine in Shadow of #Katahdin
Proposed #ZincMine at #PickettMountain being pursued by virtually unknown Canadian company
June 28, 2023
"Two Tribes in Maine today joined forces with leading environmental groups and a national public interest environmental law organization to oppose a proposed mine that would be located in the shadow of #BaxterStatePark and the #KatahdinWoods & Waters National Monument.
"The proposed zinc mine at Pickett Mountain is being pursued by a virtually unknown Canadian company, #WolfdenResources, that has never operated a mine before. A previous version of Wolfden’s request was widely opposed because the region holds enormous cultural and natural significance to #Wabanaki Tribes, outdoor recreation businesses, and Maine people.
"The #HoultonBandOfMaliseets, the #PenobscotNation, and the #NaturalResourcesCouncilOfMaine [#NRCM], represented by #Earthjustice and #Brann&Isaacson, joined the #ConservationLawFoundation in petitioning to intervene in the review of Wolfden’s permit application to the Land Use Planning Commission (#LUPC) to rezone the area for #industrial uses.
"'The Penobscot Nation strongly opposes the rezoning of this #ecologically important area. We share significant concerns over impacts to the #water quality and f#isheries of the area, which our members rely upon,' said #ChiefKirkFrancis of the Penobscot Nation. 'The West Branch of the #MattawamkeagRiver contains abundant, high-quality, cold-water fish habitat and Designated #CriticalHabitat for #endangered #AtlanticSalmon, identified as necessary for the recovery of Atlantic salmon in the Penobscot River. This mine would impact our traditional territories and forever alter our ability to maintain our relationship to this place.'
"The area Wolfden wants to mine is next to three State Heritage Fish Waters and is a centerpiece of the region’s growing outdoor economy. It contains the headwaters of the West Branch of the Mattawamkeag River, which is sacred to the Penobscot Nation and provides key, federally designated critical habitat for endangered Atlantic salmon.
"'The Katahdin region’s wild beauty and clean water are extraordinary. One look at this landscape demonstrates that this is no place to put a mine,' said Nick Bennett, staff scientist at the Natural Resources Council of Maine. 'Wolfden’s claims that it will treat #wastewater more effectively than any mining company on earth are not credible. This is too big a risk for #Maine.'
"'The legacy of metallic mineral #mining in Maine is one of empty promises of economic development, acid mine drainage #polluting waters and killing fish, and multi-million dollar c#leanups funded by taxpayers and not the fly-by-night mining companies like Wolfden,' said #SeanMahoney, vice-president and senior counsel at the Conservation Law Foundation. 'Rezoning this area to allow mining would fail to recognize the cultural and spiritual importance of the land to the #WabanakiTribes and threaten the natural resources and experiences valued by generations of Maine citizens.'
"After withdrawing its initial request because it was riddled with errors, Wolfden submitted a second rezoning petition in January that sparked another review by the LUPC. Comments by Wolfden’s CEO disrespecting Maine tribes and #MininLlaws have prompted outrage from the Penobscot Nation, Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, and #conservationists. The company has lost tens of millions of dollars over the past decade.
"'This is one of the absolute worst areas to rezone for a mine,' said Aaron Bloom, a senior attorney with Earthjustice. 'The region is known for its vast contiguous forest, pristine streams, high-quality lakes, and aquatic species like wild brook trout and landlocked salmon. Why would we risk that, along with the outdoor economy that depends on it, on a half-baked proposal from an unproven mining company? The Commission must put Maine’s unique natural resources, and the well-being of the people of Maine and Maine’s Wabanaki Tribes, before short-term industry profits.'
"More than 700 hundred Mainers and local businesses, including Bradford Camps, Chandler Lakes Camps and Lodge, and the #MaineWildernessGuidesOrganization, have spoken out against Wolfden’s plans. In May 2022, residents of #Pembroke voted overwhelmingly to ban industrial-scale metallic mineral mining in their town in response to Wolfden’s plans to develop a mine there."
#WaterIsLife #Maine #WabanakiNations #Environment #Mining #CorporateColonialism #NoMining