Sears Island Victory
3/16/96
*******************************
RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:
Written 6:53 AM Mar 16, 1996 by nfnena in igc:nfn.tempforest
"Sears Island Victory!"
From: Native Forest Network-ENA
NATIVE FOREST NETWORK
Eastern North American Resource Center
POB 57
Burlington, VT 05402 USA
(802)863-0571
(802)863-2532 Fax
email: nfnena@igc.apc.org
A Victory for the Tree Spirits
by Jim Freeman
The State of Maine withdrew its proposal for the Sears Island
Cargo port due to an incredible number of environmental organizations
who opposed it with various tactics. Governor Anus King, a strong
business type announced on February 28th that the state was
withdrawing its application for a permit for what would have been a
$190,000,000 cargo port.
The port would have been used by the Maine Forest Products industry
to ship 1,600,000 tons of high quality hardwood chips for papermaking
and lower grade chips for cardboard to the Far East. Our trees would
have come back to us in the form of boxes containing TVs and VCRs.
The battle was won by groups constantly keeping the issue in the news
throughout the state, and enlisting the power of the Carpenters and
Joiners Union and the Papermakers Union. We FOIAed documents from
all the state and federal agencies and pressured these same agencies
to comply with federal law.
The most significant action seemed to be when a group of
approximately 50 Earth First!ers, Greens, and NFN members raided
the Maine Department of Transportation office to go through their
files after they refused to meet with the activists. This action
made the front page of almost every daily and weekly newspaper in the
state, making the Sears Island Cargo Port a statewide issue. The
action, with no arrests, was viewed as reasonable by the press and
raised questions about both the danger of exporting woodchips and
jobs and the secrecy of state agencies.
Throughout this campaign to protect Sears Island, we sponsored
campouts and gatherings on the 940 acre island so hundreds of Mainers
could experience the island's beauty.
The variety of groups from differing political perspectives that
worked together overwhelmed the state and gave a clear message
that Maine people won't stand for the exporting of jobs and natural
resources by the government.
Jim Freeman is a member of the Maine Greens, Earth First! and is soon
going to open the NFN Maine office.