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January 25th, 2012 | Category: Features | January 17, 2012 | Denise Penttila
Defending Water for Life in Maine recently had the opportunity to speak to Rodney Butler, Supervisor of the Brewer Maine Water Department. Last fall 2 articles appeared in the Bangor Daily News about Mr. Butler leaving his job as the Code Enforcement Officer in Brewer. The first stated that he was leaving Brewer to take an engineering job with Nestle/Poland Spring. The next article stated that Mr. Butler was returning to Brewer to take [...]
Continue reading Defending Water Speaks with Rodney Butler of the Brewer Water Department
Update 1-11-12: Yesterday, LD 1671, the bill to fund the study was supposed to go into work session with the Finance and Appropriations Committee. However, it was moved to the Transportation Committee and we are now watching to see when the work session will be scheduled. Representative James S. Gillray (R-Searsport) is on the Transportation Committee. Note below that it was the Searsport selectmen asking for support of the highway.
Here is a link to the bill, LD 1671: http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/bills_125th/billtexts/SP057001.asp
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Continue reading East-West Highway Update 1-11-2012
1) In a letter to Susan Collins, thanking her for passing a bill that increases the truck weight limits on the interstate, Searsport selectmen also asked her to consider supporting an East-West Highway through Maine.
If you live in Searsport, or know people who do, please talk to the selectmen about this decision.
Here is the article: http://waldo.villagesoup.com/news/story/selectmen-press-senator-for-east-west-highway-development/477526
2) Also, the Maine East-West Highway Map has been updated! Check it out: http://defendingwater.net/maine/maine-east-west-highway-map/
3) We found a copy of [...]
Continue reading East-West Highway Update 1-7-12
Update 12-16-11: A nonprofit transportation research group out of Washington D.C., TRIP, released a statement identifying “Maine’s 50 most needed transportation projects for economic growth.” #3 was the construction of a new east-west highway. TRIP is sponsored by “construction businesses, insurance companies, equipment makers, labor unions and other transportation-related organizations.” We believe TRIP’s role is to encourage private funding of the study, since funding from Maine taxpayers would be highly controversial, as we face severe cuts on social services. Chris
related [...]
Continue reading East-West Highway Update 12-16-11
Update 12-12-11: This letter is the link between Vigue / Cianbro, Mobilize Eastern Maine / Eastern Maine Development Corporation / the Action Committee of 50, and LR2358…!
Brief summary: Cianbro doesn’t have the money for the feasibility study, and as part of this business group, wrote a letter to Legislators asking for an emergency bill (LR2358) to support funding. Senator Thomas had sponsored a bill to approve funding earlier that was voted down 2-8. This letter from EMDC was an [...]
Continue reading East-West Highway Update 12-12-11
LR 2358, An Act To Provide Funding to the Department of Transportation for a Feasibility Study for an East-West Highway, has been given the green light for consideration this session.
Background
The idea of a Maine East-West highway has been kicked around the Maine Legislature since 1981. However, public and/or private funding has never been provided to study the feasibility of such a highway or to finance its construction.
Canadian businesses want an East-West highway to move goods more cheaply [...]
Continue reading Action Alert: East-West Highway Feasibility Study Moving Forward!
December 8th, 2011 | Tags: 2030 water resources group, corporate accountability international, international finance corporation, water commodification, water privatization, world bank, world economic forum | Category: Community Rights, Features, International, Nestlé, News, Report, Resources | Chris Buchanan, DW4L, December 8, 2011
In 2007, the World Economic Forum Water Initiative was created to “raise awareness among governments, businesses, and the expert community about the challenge of managing future water needs, and on piloting public-private-expert platforms for reform.” http://www3.weforum.org/docs/IP/MM/Water_Resources_Group_Phase2_4pager.pdf
Out of this initiative came the 2030 Water Resources Group. Formed in 2008, the WRG was sponsored by the International Finance Corporation, a part of the World Bank Group, which “provides investments and advisory services to [...]
Continue reading World Bank Sponsors ‘Water Resources Group’ aiming to Privatize Water Services in Less Developed Countries
By Sharon Kiley Mack, Special to the BDN Posted Nov. 24, 2011
INDIAN TOWNSHIP, Maine — The Passamaquoddy Tribe at Indian Township has nearly completed lining up investors for a $25 million water bottling plant, a project that tribal Gov. Joseph Socabasin said will provide 96 full-time, good-paying jobs with benefits.
Socabasin discussed the project this week in the wake of the tribe’s loss at the polls in early November, which blocked plans for a tribe-owned [...]
Continue reading Passamaquoddy Tribe to create $25M water bottling facility, 96 full-time jobs
As a major donor to the National Park Foundation, Coca Cola and the top federal parks official, Jon Jarvis, made the decision to undermine years worth of work to kick the bottle out of the Grand Canyon. Top Grand Canyon park official Stephen Martin and other officials have been working to stop the sale of bottles at the park for years. They see that bottles contribute the most to pollution of the park.
Defending Water for Life feels that favoring [...]
Continue reading Coca Cola Flexes Influence to Block Grand Canyon Bottle Ban
Making Quilt Squares at the Common Ground Fair
Defending Water for Life in Maine tabled for three days at the Common Ground Fair in Unity, ME. Organizers Denise and Chris spoke with hundreds of people about protecting water in Maine. We provided a couple interactive activities for fairgoers, including a poster sized “Anti-Bottled Water” pledge for folks to sign, as well as this art project to create quilt squares for our water quilt (pictured). Squares [...]
Continue reading Defending Water for Life in Maine at the Common Ground Country Fair
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