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 England states. 10 million gallons of leachate from the Juniper Ridge Landfill is pumped into the Penobscot River every year, the largest river system in the state of Maine.
We’ve spent the last few weeks shooting, editing, and gathering testimony in order to put together something that hopefully folks can wrap their heads around.The Maine Board of Environmental Protection is currently considering a citizen petition that proposes to close an industry created loophole, which has for years allowed an interstate commercial waste operation to generate profit by laundering waste material from all over New England into a public landfill through rules that Maine’s own Department of Environmental Protection has allowed.
“This is a bipartisan abdication of responsibility on the part of our state government.” – Ed Spencer
One of the purest examples of the “administrative state” run amok.
A Sunlight Media Collective production
Filmed & Edited by Chek Wingo
Featured (in order of appearance):
Kathy Paul – Penobscot Nation Elder
Ed Spencer – West Old Town
Paul C. Schroeder – Orono
Peter Crockett – Argyle
Hillary Lister – Co-founder, organizer w/ Don’t Waste ME
Dan Kusnierz – Penobscot Nation Water Resources Program Manager
Jan Paul – Water Resources Field and Lab Technician, interim Air Quality Director
