Over 40 legislators attended a closed session on Tribal State Relations, on February 11th, at the State House in Augusta. The goal of the Legislative orientation was to begin an examination of the past and current relationship between the Maine State government and Maine Tribal… Read More »Tribal-State Relationship Training for the Maine State Legislature
On Wednesday, April 3rd, the Maine Legislature’s Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources heard public testimony on three bills including LD 401, “An Act to Preserve State Landfill Capacity and Promote Recycling”, written in collaboration with members of affected communities and sponsored by Rep.… Read More »Penobscot Nation and Other Affected Communities Speak Out at Public Hearing on Solid Waste Reform Bill
The first meeting of the Task Force on Changes to the Maine Indian Land Claims Settlement Act was held July 22, 2019, at the Augusta State House. The charge of the task force is to review the 1980 Act to Implement the Maine Indian Claims… Read More »Task Force on Changes to the Maine Indian Land Claims Settlement Act
February 14, 2020. Video Excerpts: February 19, 2020. Video Excerpts: February 14, 2020. Transcripts: House Speaker Sara Gideon, Senate President Troy Jackson, Penobscot Nation Chief Kirk Francis, Former Penobscot Chief and Elder Barry Dana speak at the legislative Judiciary Committee’s public hearing for LD 2094:… Read More »Judiciary Committee’s public hearing for LD 2094: An Act To Implement the Recommendations of the Task Force on Changes to the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Implementing Act”.
Maine legislation passed on June 10, 2019, creating the Task Force, states a commitment to recognize, “that the Maine Tribes should enjoy the same rights, privileges, powers and immunities as other Federally recognized Indian Tribes within the United States”. Since the passage of the Settlement… Read More »Task Force on Changes to the Maine Indian Land Claims Settlement Act Presentation 1-14-2020
A significant return of land stewardship to the Penobscot Nation celebrates their history and cultural resilience and serves to inspire similar land stewardship returns during and beyond this important moment of historical reckoning. On October 30th, 2020, in the Ancestral territory of the Penobscot Nation,… Read More »Restoration of Land Stewardship
We have rescheduled the rally for August 1st! Please join us and invite as many friends/family as you possibly can! We need a big crowd of folks there showing support and solidarity for Wabanaki people during this time of ongoing struggle and threats to our… Read More »Rally for the Penobscot River and Wabanaki Sovereignty
Hillary Lister, longtime activist on waste impacts in Maine, founder and organizer with Don’t Waste ME, speaks prior to the Maine Board of Environmental Protection’s consideration of rule changes that seeks to provide protections for communities directly impacted by landfills and waste facilities and to… Read More »Mini-Lectures on How Disparate State Policies Invite Out of State Waste into Maine and How Landfill Leachate Threatens Health and Environment on the Penobscot River
Over 200,000 tons of out-of-state waste is disposed of at the Juniper Ridge Landfill megadump every year, a publicly owned, privately run landfill in Maine. The waste used to construct it is toxic enough to have been banned from disposal in all 5 other New… Read More »Juniper Ridge Landfill Megadump
Sunlight Media Collective spoke with Penobscot Nation Chief Kirk Francis about the historic judicial review of the Penobscot River Case now underway. This En Banc Review will assess whether the courts adequately applied Federal Indian Law when siding with the State of Maine’s 2012 opinion… Read More »Interview with Chief Kirk Francis of the Penobscot Nation with Sunlight Media Collective Meredith DeFrancesco & Dawn Neptune Adams July, 2020