Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Craig's Guest Post


A couple of days ago I posted my frustrations about the EPA backtracking on important environmental recommendations that would protect Texas drinking water from uranium contamination and our air more generally from mercury emissions.

My friend Craig's comments suggest this failure of governance is pervasive.

Here is the article I was responding to and below see his response:

ProPublica (2013, March 13) After a Powerful Lobbyist Intervenes, EPA Reverses Stance on Polluting Texas County’s Water’ by Abraham Lustgarten

[Excerpted] When Uranium Energy Corp. sought permission to launch a large-scale mining project in Goliad County, Texas, it seemed as if the Environmental Protection Agency would stand in its way.

To get the ore out of the ground, the company needed a permit to pollute a pristine supply of underground drinking water in an area already parched by drought.


...EPA scientists feared that radioactive contaminants would flow from the mining site into water wells used by nearby homes. 

Uranium Energy said the pollution would remain contained, but resisted doing the advanced scientific testing and modeling the government asked for to prove it.


The plan appeared to be dead on arrival until late 2011, when Uranium Energy hired Heather Podesta, a lobbyist and prolific Democratic fundraiser whose pull with the Obama administration prompted The Washington Post to name her the Capitol's latest "It girl."


Podesta -- the sister-in-law of John Podesta, who co-chaired President Obama's transition team -- appealed directly to the EPA's second in command, Bob Perciasepe, pressing the agency's highest-level administrators to get directly involved and bring the agency's local staff in Texas back to the table to reconsider their position, according to emails obtained by ProPublica through the Freedom of Information Act. 


By the end of 2012, the EPA reversed its position in Goliad, approving an exemption allowing Uranium Energy to pollute the aquifer, though in a somewhat smaller area than was originally proposed.  [end excerpt]



Craig notes the EPA has repeatedly failed to protect human health, as illustrated by the failure to protect 9-11 responders. Accordingly, he writes

That business about Texas groundwater pollution and corporate influence via Podesta --only adds to charges of malfeasance and non-feasance lodged against the EPA.

> http://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2006/feb/03/whitman-sued-for-calling-911-air-safe-to-breathe/

> http://pstuph.wordpress.com/2011/04/04/radnet-or-sadnet-the-epas-failed-radiation-detection-system/

> http://pstuph.wordpress.com/2011/04/04/epas-radnet-troubles/

But then: since we allowed our government to get away with:

> http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=hZEvA8BCoBw#!

> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mxFRigYD3s

--I can understand why they've become perfectly contemptuous of our efforts to protest and democratically respond to the many outrages which have followed.


I doubt that we'll make headway on today's issues, until we find the courage  to face that abomination of our recent past. "It happened on our watch."

Majia here: I agree that we have essentially given up our democratic rights by our failure to demand accountability and good governance.

 

1 comment:

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.