#wahsumkik — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #wahsumkik, aggregated by home.social.
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When it comes to standing up to #Trump, I laud #Maine Governor #JanetMills. But when it comes to #Wabanaki #Sovereignty, building wind terminals on undeveloped islands (#SearsIsland / #Wahsumkik ), destroying untouched forests to supply #WesternMass with electricity, or building highways through farmland (#MDOT), we definitely DO NOT always see eye-to-eye!
Governor opposed to latest change to #SettlementAct backed by #WabanakiNations
by Emma Davis
Wed, April 9, 2025"Discussion of legislation to afford the Wabanaki Nations more authority over their land revealed that Gov. Janet Mills does not support the change, presenting a steep path for a plan that otherwise has bipartisan support.
"After not testifying during the public hearing last week, the governor’s counsel, Jerry Reid, told the Judiciary Committee on Wednesday that Mills’ concerns stem from the inability to predict the future needs of state government, an issue also raised in written testimony from the #MaineDepartmentOfTransportation, which was made available after the hearing.
"When pressed by committee members, Reid said he doesn’t have a specific example of an infrastructure project that would warrant seizing tribal land but that, 'We need to write the law mindful of the potential for problems.'
"While Reid and Wabanaki leaders noted that progress has and continues to be made to improve the relationship between the state and Wabanaki Nations, Reid added, 'the fact that we have such a good relationship right now might not always be true.'
"The U.S. government can seize private property for public use, a principle known as eminent domain, however that authority is restricted by the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which requires just compensation for land taken, as well as some federal laws.
"The 1834 federal Indian Nonintercourse Act prohibited land transactions with tribes unless authorized by Congress. However, the 1980 Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act specified that that federal law was not applicable to the #HoultonBand of #Maliseet Indians, the #PassamaquoddyTribe and the #PenobscotNation.
"This is the act that has overall resulted in the Tribes being treated more akin to #municipalities than #SovereignNations. So far, sweeping changes to the act have failed due to opposition from Mills, but the governor, lawmakers and Wabanaki leaders have successfully made some targeted adjustments, including expanding tribal authority to prosecute crimes last year.
"The legislation being considered this session, #LD958, would amend the Settlement Act to prohibit the state from exercising eminent domain on trust and reservation land, which is protected under federal law, though fee land — or private property for which the owner owns the title — would still be subject to the state taking.
"The bill would also amend the 2023 #MikmaqNationRestorationAct to make this change for the Mi’kmaq Nation, which wasn’t included in the Settlement Act.
"On Tuesday, the Taxation Committee unanimously voted in favor of a bill to ensure equal tax treatment among all of the Wabanaki Nations, which Mills supports. #LD982 would provide the #MikmaqNation the same rights to sales tax revenue on its land that the other three tribes of the Wabanaki Nations were granted in 2022 through an amendment to the Settlement Act.
State hasn’t exercised this authority in decades, but argues it’s necessary"The state hasn’t exercised eminent domain over #TribalLands since the #SettlementAct. However, testimony from Wabanaki leaders and state government officials underscore that it is a possibility."
Source:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/governor-opposed-latest-change-settlement-185134791.html#MaineSettlementAct #EminentDomain #LandTheft #FirstNations #WabanakiConfederancy
#MaineFirstNations #Maine #MainePol
#NativeAmericanNews #TribalSovereignty #SaveSmilingHillFarm #SaveTheForests #MainePol #IndigenousPeoplesDay -
#Searsport information session addresses questions about offshore #WindPort
By Marleigha Clipston
Published: Aug. 13, 2024 at 9:11 PM EDTSEARSPORT, Maine (WABI) - "The Searsport Select Board held an informational meeting with representatives from #MaineDOT and the Maine Port Authority to discuss the state’s proposed offshore wind port.
"At Tuesday night’s meeting the select board asked questions that were submitted ahead of time regarding the wind port and the impacts it would have on the area.
"In February, the state announced the preferred location for the wind port is #SearsIsland.
"Many residents have spoken out against the wind port being built on Sears Island suggesting #MackPoint as an alternative location.
"Representatives from the state say they are still very early in the process which will take years.
"'Local people should be listened to in this process and heard that we really need to have an undeveloped Island to go to and for the animals and plants,' said Chris Buchanan, Campaign to #ProtectSearsIsland.
“'You know, we talked about carbon sequestration, having mature ecology, like an intact ecosystem, is way more important than building out offshore wind. We could do that on industrial sites that already exist,' said Buchanan.
“'Its still an ongoing process. I mean, the permitting process here, we anticipate to take a minimum of two years. We hope to do that concurrently with the NEPA process,' said Matthew Burns, Maine Port Authority’s Executive Director.
“'And I mean, ultimately, you know, the final decision is to find the least #environmentally damaging, practical alternative. We’re committed to doing that. and have devoted a lot of resources to make sure we do right,' said Burns.
"Over 70 questions were submitted and many were not addressed due to time constraints.
"The town and the state plan to hold more meetings going forward."
#ProtectSearsIsland #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#Searsport #ProtectWahsumkik #MackPoint #Wahsumkik
#EndangeredSpecies #ProtectTheDunes #GovernorJanetMills #ProtectTheForest #CorporateColonialism #Wassumkeag -
CALL TO ACTION!
Can you attend this event for
#Wahsumkik / #SearsIsland?"Floating Offshore Wind 101 - An Educational Panel with Q&A."
Wednesday, August 21st
Bucksport 5:30-7:30pmCenter for Professional Mariner Development
24 Mariner Way
Bucksport, #MaineFMI -
https://www.facebook.com/events/826271572971739/#WindPort #MackPoint ProtectSearsIsland #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#Searsport #ProtectWahsumkik #EndangeredSpecies #ProtectTheDunes #GovernorJanetMills #ProtectTheForest #CorporateColonialism #Wassumkeag -
Proposed offshore #WindPort on #SearsIsland raises new conflicts for coastal Mainers, environmental activists
Residents concerned about both #ClimateChange and preservation are conflicted over plans for a facility on Sears Island that could be key to launching Maine's offshore wind industry
Annie Ropeik, The Maine Monitor
July 14, 2024"Dow and activists like Huber want the port built instead at a #SpragueEnergy-owned oil and logistics terminal across the water known as #MackPoint. It was considered as an alternative in lengthy public processes in recent years, and Sprague and opponents of the Sears Island proposal have continued to urge reconsideration for it so far this summer.
"Offshore wind has taken some big steps forward in Maine this year. Federal regulators approved a state research array of floating turbines, which generate power in deep waters far offshore, and are nearing leasing for commercial projects.
"A new state law calls for #Maine to procure 3 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2040, using union- standard labor to build the projects and a floating wind-focused port.
"Formal environmental assessments and site analyses are still pending. But state port authority director Matthew Burns wrote in June that Mack Point’s 'physical and logistical constraints, need for significant dredging, and increased costs to taxpayers for land leasing and port construction would result in an expensive and inferior port for Maine compared to a versatile, purpose-built port on Sears Island.'
"Still, opponents worry that #wetlands and #forests on Sears Island could be disrupted by port construction, even if most of the surrounding #ecosystem remains intact.
"'Because we have to sacrifice something, let’s sacrifice something irreplaceable, instead of cleaning up a dirty old existing port?' Huber said outside the event. 'That’s just ridiculous.'"
Archived version:
https://archive.md/HBPgT
#ProtectSearsIsland #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#Searsport #ProtectWahsumkik #MackPoint #Wahsumkik
#EndangeredSpecies #ProtectTheDunes #GovernorJanetMills #ProtectTheForest #CorporateColonialism #Wassumkeag -
#SearsIsland Bird Images
by Karl Gerstenberger"To date, birders have spotted 222 species of birds on Sears Island, representing 47% of all bird species recorded in #Maine. In Derek Lovitch’s 2017 book #Birdwatching in Maine, he states that 'Sears Island…is by far the shining gem of Maine coastal birding' in the area of #coastline between Rockland and Mount Desert Island..'"
https://friendsofsearsisland.org/explore/bird-gallery/
#ProtectSearsIsland #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#Searsport #ProtectWahsumkik #MackPoint #Wahsumkik
#EndangeredSpecies #ProtectTheDunes #GovernorJanetMills #ProtectTheForest #CorporateColonialism #Wassumkeag #WednesdaysForWildlife -
#SpragueEnergy Unveils Alternative, Lower-Impact Plan for Floating #OffshoreWind at Its #MackPoint Terminal in #Maine
Harnessing Existing Infrastructure, Sequestering Tons of #Carbon Per Year and Protecting 100 Acres of Undisturbed Natural Habitat on and off #SearsIsland
June 6, 2024 /PRNewswire
"'Building a wind port on Sears Island means more than 75 acres of upland forest will be cleared, graded, and compacted. It also means filling 25 acres of pristine #PenobscotBay to extend the shoreline where a previously protected ocean sand dune is located,' said Rolf E. Olsen, vice president of #FriendsOfSearsIsland, a volunteer nonprofit organization that manages the conservation area on behalf of the people of Maine and supports the idea of a #WindPort in #Searsport.
"Olsen continued, 'That estimate by the State does not include the additional impact from a new and greatly expanded approach road and rail bed to get to the facility. This seriously damages the island's #ecological, recreational, and economic value. Re-developing Mack Point - which has thrived as an industrial site for more than a century - is a far better and less disruptive decision, and the State has previously stated that it meets the requirements for the port.'
"On April 24, the #MaineDOT issued a request for information seeking public input on Maine's commercial offshore wind solicitation approach and implementation. Public opinions should be emailed to [email protected] before the June 21st deadline. More information is available on the Maine.gov website."
https://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2024/06/06/10024531.htm
#ProtectNature #Nature #GulfOfMaine #Environment #EndangeredSpecies #ProtectSearsIsland #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#ProtectWahsumkik #Wahsumkik
#EndangeredSpecies #ProtectTheDunes #WabanakiAlliance #Wassumkeag #CorporateColonialism #PenobscotBay #Greenwashing #JanetMills -
What this article doesn't mention is all the other plans to develop #SearsIsland, that are contingent on #MDOT's and #GovernorJanetMills getting their way!
[Paywall] The plans for #Maine’s floating #WindPort, explained
May 31, 2024
Why Sears Island?
"This question remains a big sticking point for what appears to be a number of local residents, some environmental organizations and midcoast advocacy groups, and those who are simply opposed to offshore wind development entirely.
"They argue that industrialized #MackPoint in #SearsportMaine is the best place for a wind port.
"'There’s such a sensible alternative 800 yards away — a 105-year-old working port, with a terminal operator that is ready, willing and able to take on the project and not to jeopardize their other operations,' said #DavidItaliaander, a Searsport resident and board member for #FriendsOfSearsIsland. The group maintains the island’s vast network of trails.
"#SpragueEnergy owns Mack Point and appears to be making its own push to host the state’s wind port. The company has said that its existing #industrial #waterfront could be repurposed to support Maine’s plans. And Sprague said it has a new alternative plan that addresses some of the concerns the state has identified.
"But there is a coalition of other conservation organizations, labor groups, the Maine Chamber of Commerce and others that want to see Sears Island redeveloped as a wind port and support the state’s plan.
"Maine DOT already owns the land that it wants to develop. The state also says that Sears Island wouldn’t require dredging, but Sprague has said those requirements would be reduced under its new plan.
In the meantime, Italiaander and other Sears Island advocacy groups are poring through the details of DOT’s federal grant application."DOT, for example, has proposed relocating the Sears Island access road so it would cut through a corner of the #conservation area.
"That’s a concern, Italiaander said. Burns acknowledged that the land is protected and said the proposed road relocation is intended to better bifurcate the island into its two potential uses — port activity and recreation.
"The debate over Sears Island will ramp up in the coming weeks and months.
"Sprague Energy will host an event next month at the Mack Point terminal, where company leaders are expected to present their own alternative wind port design.
"And #MaineDOT is expected to release a much-anticipated analysis of alternative sites, which will include Mack Point."
#WindPort #GulfOfMaine #Environment #EndangeredSpecies #ProtectSearsIsland #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#Searsport #ProtectWahsumkik #Wahsumkik
#EndangeredSpecies #ProtectTheDunes #WabanakiAlliance #Wassumkeag #CorporateColonialism #PenobscotBay #Maine #ProtectSearsIsland #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#ProtectWahsumkik #Wahsumkik #CulturalGenocide #Greenwashing -
#MDOT Plans New #SearsIsland Road and Rail Access Corridor Through Current #ConservationLand
Published by
#allianceforsearsislandon May 23, 2024
"Can we hold the Maine Department of Transportation accountable for bull-dozing their way toward developing Sears Island and industrializing #PenobscotBay, along the way breaking promises, rewriting environmental protection law, changing the Sears Island conservation easement, withholding from the public important development costs and impacts and avoiding open, honest, transparent public involvement?
"We might be tempted to begin our list of facts illustrating MDOT’s abuse of authority and public trust with the illegal filling of Sears Island #wetlands and construction of the causeway, apparently in violation of its permit, in the 1980’s. But let’s keep to the more recent offshore wind record of broken promises and undisclosed development activity.
"During the Governor’s announcement in February, [#GovJanetMills] claimed, without supporting data, that Sears Island development 'will cost less' and 'is expected to result in less environmental harm' than would development of a state-owned but privately operated offshore wind facility at Mack Point.
"The 'cost less' assertion raised major questions not yet answered in part because, a few months earlier, at the last OSWPAG meeting, we were told, 'The total project cost for construction is very similar for both MP ($460 Million Total Project Cost) and SI ($470 Million Total Project Cost).'
"Sears Island’s current #undeveloped, natural condition, provides important ecological services to the region and state, especially for fisheries, #CarbonSequestration and publicly accessible recreation. #MackPoint does not provide these ecological services. According to a reliable source, every acre of intact Sears Island forest locks up between 80 and 100 metric tons of carbon dioxide each year – #CO2 that cannot harm our #climate.
"Developing Sears Island proposes removing all vegetation and life from more than 100 acres on Sears Island, nearly one-third of which is existing or historical #wetland, and then harvesting 1.4 million cubic yards of soil to create an impermeable, nearly level work area. Doing so constitutes radical, permanent, irreparable ecological damage, forever eliminating current upland and associated marine #environmental benefits. This exactly flips an appropriate climate-change response and dramatically undermines any claim that developing Sears Island instead of Mack Point represents the least environmentally damaging choice.
Broken Promises
"In 2007, the state promised to choose #MackPoint as the preferred location for future marine transportation development. The Sears Island agreement, signed by 38 stakeholders including the Maine Department of Transportation, and adopted as state policy by then-Governor Baldacci and the State of Maine’s Joint Standing Committee on Transportation, says: 'Mack Point shall be given preference as an alternative to port development on Sears Island.'
"The Sears Island agreement also committed the State of Maine from ever harvesting soil from the island. Ever. Not one cubic yard of soil would be harvested and certainly not 1.4 million cubic yards of soil!
Sadly, the Governor’s announcement and subsequent actions taken by MDOT toward developing Sears Island render the promises made in 2007 by our government worthless.
Broken Laws
"But highly questionable governmental actions in pursuit of developing Sears Island continue. In March this year the Governor brought forward the sand dune bill that allows violation of sand #dune system protections on Sears Island and creates a dangerous threat in the future for any environmental law that may interfere with MDOT development aspirations. Though initially failing to pass in the House, the bill eventually became law after strong political pressure.
New Sears Island Road and Rail Corridor
"And now we come to the MDOT application for a federal grant specifically to develop Sears Island. Nestled within several documents associated with the grant application is page 2 of a two-drawing file titled, Sears Island Wind Port Concept Drawing 2024-04-29, copy attached or available at https://www.maine.gov/mdot/grants/infra/.
"The illustration depicts a new 'heavy load' access road and rail corridor as part of Sears Island development plans for the first time, at least in public.
"As proposed, the new approximately 2,300-foot-long rail and road access corridor passes through a thickly wooded portion of the island, crossing at least two perennial streams and disturbing additional wetlands along the way. Assuming a 100-foot width, the corridor would destroy more than 5.25 acres of intact natural landscape, in addition to the more than 100-acre upland ecological destruction at the facility site proper.
"Adding insult to injury, the proposed new road and rail corridor requires changing the conservation easement boundary in the vicinity.
"#FriendsOfSearsIsland Vice President Rolf Olsen received confirmation of the new road and rail access plan from Kay Rand in response to his query. Rand also substantiated that the new access corridor would cross a portion of the conservation parcel and necessitate a change in that parcel’s boundary.
"According to budget information included with the grant application, clearing, grubbing, excavation and borrow, grading, drainage, erosion control, paving and other work related to this access corridor will add $8 million to the cost of developing Sears Island. Mack Point already provides both a heavy load road and rail.
"The new Sears Island rail and road access corridor presents yet another failure by MDOT to incorporate an honest understanding of climate change into decision-making. As MDOT fiddles for federal grant money to pursue a mega facility on Sears Island, the Earth tilts toward catastrophic climate change.
"I will venture the opinion that, had the #MillsAdministration and MDOT focused offshore wind port research on Mack Point as promised in March 2020 (see attached press release), as promised in the Sears Island Planning Initiative, and as the historical record certainly suggests is the rational approach, including deeply exploring development possibilities there with #SpragueEnergy, they might already have secured permits and seen construction begun.
#Accountability Now"End the insulting double-speak. With honor and integrity, not intrigue and obfuscation, open-up and bring the full spectrum of facts to this decision. Accountability now!"
Steve Miller
#WindTerminal #SandDunes
#Searsport #AllianceForSearsIsland #ProtectWahsumkik #MackPoint #Wahsumkik
#EndangeredSpecies #ProtectTheDunes #GovernorJanetMills #WabanakiAlliance #CulturalGenocide #EnvironmentalRacism #PenobscotNation #Passamaquoddy #ProtectTheForest #CorporateColonialism #Wassumkeag -
Just like when the #Maine public voted AGAINST the #CMPCorridor through the #NorthWoods!
Public feedback process for decision on #OffshoreWind port a charade, #environmentalists claim
State officials are accused of long favoring #SearsIsland, the largest undeveloped island in #PenobscotBay, as the future site of the port.
Author: Kate Cough of The Maine Monitor
Published: 12:51 PM EDT August 14, 2023PORTLAND, Maine — "Environmentalists are decrying a year-long process meant to gather public feedback on where to build a #deepwater offshore wind port, calling it a 'charade.'
"They say state officials failed to adequately engage the public or #tribal communities and effectively decided where to construct the port long before the process began.
"The Maine Department of Transportation [#MDOT]has been making an internal case for Sears Island while 'giving an illusion of an impartial analysis of port possibilities to the public,' said #MattCannon, the state conservation and energy director for #SierraClubMaine, in comments at the final meeting of the Offshore Wind Port Advisory Group.
"'Some,' he said, 'see it as a breach of public trust.'
"State officials have said they’re considering several locations for the 100-acre port, including #Eastport, #MackPoint and Sears Island, and don’t expect to choose a final location until next year. The officials insist they have not made a final decision.
"But participants in the process, which began in May 2022, say the state has long advocated for Sears Island, the largest #undeveloped island in Penobscot Bay.
"They believe officials have not seriously considered other options for the port, which would be the staging area for equipment needed to build and maintain #Windturbines in federal waters in the #GulfOfMaine.
"Those suspicions hardened after documents released via a public records request submitted by #IslesboroIslandsTrust earlier this year revealed internal discussions seeming to indicate an official preference for the island. #FriendsOfSearsIsland manages the #trails on the conserved portion of the island.
"The documents included a '#Stakeholder Management Plan' written by state-hired consultant Kay Rand. The document said the goals were, in part, to 'develop and execute a stakeholder outreach strategy that would enable #GovernorJanetMills to … announce a commitment to pursue development of Sears Island as the #RenewableEnergy Port of the Northeast.'
"The document is dated Sept. 8, 2021 — eight months before the stakeholder group held its first meeting — and mentions pursuing Sears Island as the port at least four times."
#Environment #EndangeredSpecies #ProtectSearsIsland #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#Searsport #ProtectWahsumkik #Wahsumkik
#EndangeredSpecies #ProtectTheDunes #WabanakiAlliance #Wassumkeag #CorporateColonialism -
Governor’s Bill to Exempt a Sand Dune on #SearsIsland/ #Wahsumkik from #EnvironmentalProtection for #OffshoreWind Port Passes Committee – Full Vote Expected This Week
Sunlight Media Collective March 26, 2024
"Governor’s Bill to Exempt a Sand Dune on Sears Island/ Wahsumkik from Environmental Protection to allow for her choice of the Undeveloped Island as the Site for the most 'Cost-Effective' Offshore Wind Port Passes Committee.
"The #Passamaquoddy and #PenobscotNation and numerous #environmental organizations oppose the development, while large environmental groups and unions back the governor.
"A full legislative vote is expected this week.
"On Thursday, March 21st the Maine Legislature’s Committee on Environment and Natural Resources voted in support of a bill that would carve out exemptions from existing environmental protections for the industrial development Sears Island/Wahsumkik.
"#LD2266 “An Act Regarding #OffshoreWindTerminals Located in #CoastalSandDune Systems” put forth by the Governor’s office five days before its public hearing last week, seeks to specifically exempt a sand dune on Sears Island, in Searsport, from current #EnvironmentalProtections to allow for the advancement of an offshore wind staging development on the island.
"Governor Mills announced last month that Sears Island is the state’s “preferred site” for the major development, instead of the already industrialized #MackPoint, also in Searsport.
"The bill’s passage could set a dangerous precedent for the quick rollback of environmental protections at the behest of industry and the state.
"The development of Sears Island (known also by the Penobscot name Wahsumkik)), the largest undeveloped island within the state and one of the largest on the eastern seaboard, has been a lightening rod over the past decades, as the state and prevailing industry have attempted to site a number of projects there and received concerted local push back that stopped development.
"On this current attempt, the Governor’s office has gathered a roster of supportive environmental groups eager to be seen making visible strides on climate change, and unions eager for employment opportunities. But opposition to Sears Island development has not dissipated, and has increased in diversity to include both political parties, as well as local and state environmental groups, fisherman and the Penobscot Nation and Passamaquoddy Tribe.
"This movement is pushing back on what they see as a false choice on #ClimateChange action– alternative energy vs the destruction of #forests and critical habitat on the undeveloped island. They challenge the Governor’s conclusion that Sears Island should be chosen over Mack Point.
"LD 2266 would allow for the exemption of a coastal sand dune on Sears Island within the proposed wind port from current protection under the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.
"Expressing public support for the bill at the hearing were: The Governor’s Office, The Maine DOT, Maine Labor Climate Council, Maine AFL-CIO, Maine State Camber of Commerce, Maine Peoples Alliance and the Natural Resources Council of Maine. Some expressed openness to locating at Mack Point, if it was considered viable.
"Against the development of Sears Island and additionally opposed to the bill that would make changes to the DEP coastal sand dunes protections, include: The Passamaquoddy Tribe, Searsport Representative Reagan Paul, the Alliance for Sears Island, #FriendsOfSearsIsland, Isleboro Island Trust, #SierraClub Maine, Preserve Rural Maine, New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association , Upstream Watch, Community Water Justice, #FriendsOfCascoBay and Casco Bay Keepers and a number of individuals speaking on own behalf. The Penobscot Nation did not give testimony at the hearing but opposes the development at Sears Island/Wassamkeag.
"Speaking Neither for nor against were: Maine Conservation Voters and #MaineAudubon, who stated they could not support the bill as written, but could potentially with an amendment .
"Testimony from the March 18th hearing can be viewed online at
https://legislature.maine.gov/committee/#Committees/ENR
"A vote by the full legislature on the the rollback is expected this week.
Sunlight Media Collective will continue to follow this story.
Further coverage can be heard archived on WERU FM Community Radio on the programs Maine Currents and RadioActive. www.weru.org"
#Corporatocracy #Maine #MainePolitics #Greenwashing #JanetMills #ProtectTheForest #SaveSearsIsland