#penobscotriver — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #penobscotriver, aggregated by home.social.
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#Maine - #WabanakiAlliance holds U.S. Senate candidate forum, participants discuss gaps in #IndigenousEducation
By Arianna Perdomo on April 20, 2026
"Democratic U.S. Senate candidates #DavidCostello and #GrahamPlatner outlined their positions on tribal sovereignty and education during a debate organized by the Wabanaki Alliance on April 16 on Indian Island in Old Town, which is home of the #PenobscotNation. The event was hosted by Penobscot Nation members and offered a chance to discuss non-partisan policy affecting #WabanakiNations and candidates’ plans to support those communities.
"Located less than 15 minutes from the #UniversityOfMaine, #IndianIsland sits along the #PenobscotRiver. This reservation serves as a cultural and historical center for the Penobscot people. Within the community there are buildings and museums that reflect ongoing preservation efforts of Wabanaki culture. According to the Wabanaki Alliance, the Penobscot Nation is one of the oldest continuous governments in the world and remains committed to protecting territories, culture and language as a federally recognized #SovereignNation.
"The debate was moderated by Dr. #DarrenRanco, chair of the #NativeAmerican programs at #UMaine. Notably, Democratic candidate Gov. #JanetMills and five-term Republican candidate Sen. #SusanCollins were extended invitations to participate, but were not in attendance. However, Costello and Platner offered insight on their approach to ongoing issues facing Wabanaki nations.
"Opening remarks were delivered by #MaulianBryant, executive director of the Wabanaki Alliance and Chief of the Penobscot Indian Nation, #KirkFrancis. Each candidate then gave a five minute opening introduction explaining why they are running.
"The first round of the debate consisted of eight questions surrounding topics of tribal sovereignty, environmental justice, regulation and the implementation of legislation that would help address these issues. Costello and Platner agreed that there needs to be a restructuring of the government and a new balance of power. Both candidates stated that they would support legislation that helped extend the power to engage the Wabanaki people in issues that are important to them."
Recording of the forum:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_yvkISNZEc&t=74s#USSenate #UselessSusanCollins #MainePol #Elections2026 #TribalRights #Wabanakik #WabanakiSovereignty
#WabanakiCulturalPreservation #WabanakiHistory #NativeAmericanHistory #CulturalPreservation #WabanakiConfederacy -
Oh yeah. #JuniperRidgeLandfill is NOT a solution!
Time is running out to find new solutions to manage #biosolids in Maine
A new report shows that capacity at a state-owned #landfill will run out in 2028.
PORTLAND, Maine — "There are growing concerns about the state's ability to handle waste and the impact it could have on wastewater treatment facilities in just a few years. Tons of wastewater #sludge, or #biosolids, are shipped to a state-owned landfill every day. That sludge is laced with #PFAS.
"State regulators say if investments aren't made to manage it, the landfill could be at capacity by 2028. The Portland Water District's East End plant takes in 25,000 pounds of solid waste daily.
"'What comes in has to go out, so when we have interruptions in the ability to manage biosolids, that is a huge challenge,' Scott Firmin, director of Portland Wastewater Services with the Portland Water District, explained.
"The utility has nearly 100,000 customers in the Greater Portland area and ships the byproduct of that waste, known as sludge or biosolids, to the #JuniperRidgeLandfill near #OldTownMaine.
"Last summer, it was left scrambling after #Casella Waste Systems said it could not safely accept municipal #sludge at #JuniperRidge after shipments of construction debris needed to stabilize the site were banned.
"'Ninety percent of the biosolids generated in Maine go to that landfill,' Firmin said."
https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/tech/science/environment/pfas/time-is-running-out-to-find-new-solutions-to-manage-biosolids-in-maine-waste-pfas/97-0e674c1a-6c51-40a6-b297-5438e2cda549
#WaterIsLIfe #CompostingToilets #JuniperRidge #EnvironmentalDestruction #PenobscotRiver #PenobscotNation #EnvironmentalRacism #ProtectTheSacred -
This is the kind of BULLSHIT that the #PenobscotNation have been dealing with for years! WTF!
#Maine opens door for #landfill expansion despite community objections
By: Emma Davis - October 3, 2024
"The #JuniperRidgeLandfill is a step closer to an expansion that would allow for roughly 11 more years of use, despite continued objections from local residents and advocates concerned about the landfill’s impact on air and water quality in the region.
"In a decision released Wednesday, Commissioner of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection Melanie Loyzim determined there is a substantial public benefit from a proposal to increase the capacity of the facility in #OldTown and Alton, which means the #Casella subsidiary that operates it can now submit an application for a license to expand the facility.
"The decision has not stymied opposition. The #ConservationLawFoundation, an environmental advocacy organization, is prepared to challenge the determination, according to director of communities and toxics Alexandra St. Pierre.
"'This decision recklessly gambles with public health and the environment,' St. Pierre wrote in a statement following the decision. 'It dismisses the serious concerns raised by the Penobscot Nation and other nearby residents about the harmful effects this expansion will have on their health and community. We refuse to allow this dangerous expansion to proceed unchecked.'
"Juniper Ridge Landfill is owned by the state but managed by the Bureau of General Services, which contracts with #NEWSMELandfill Operations, LLC, a subsidiary of the waste management company #CasellaWasteManagement.
"Opened in 1993 and last expanded in 2017, the landfill currently disposes of just over half of landfill waste in Maine and is expected to exhaust its current capacity by 2028. BGS has proposed expanding the landfill by 61 acres, which at the current fill rate of about 1 million cubic yards of waste per year, would allow for roughly 11 more years of use.
"The #MaineDEP concluded that Casella’s proposed expansion is needed to meet Maine’s short- and long-term waste capacity needs and is consistent with the state’s waste reduction plans. From 2018 to 2022, Maine’s landfill waste increased by 24%. Waste generation continues to increase at approximately 5.6% per year.
"Further, the DEP determined that the expansion doesn’t conflict with #EnvironmentalJustice [BULLSHIT] — a new factor that had to be considered under a state law passed in 2021 — that is, as long as Casella meets a few conditions.
Environmental justice was among the concerns raised by environmental groups, local residents and the Penobscot Nation during public comment.
"The public argued there was insufficient treatment of landfill leachate — water that collects chemicals after passing through the waste — specifically for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, otherwise known as PFAS, which runs into the #PenobscotRiver.
"The Penobscot Nations’s reservation at Indian Island is located FIVE MILES from the landfill and also includes the Penobscot River, along which Juniper Ridge is located."
Read more:
https://mainemorningstar.com/2024/10/03/maine-opens-door-for-landfill-expansion-despite-community-objections/
#WaterIsLife #PFAS #PenobscotRiver #Biosolids #WabanakiConfederacy #EnvironmentalDestruction #EnvironmentalRacism