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Sunday, January 30
LOOPHOLES IN IOWA POLLUTION LAWS by Molly Regan
by
Linda Thieman
on Sun 30 Jan 2005 12:24 PM CST
 LOOPHOLES IN IOWA POLLUTION LAWS
by Molly Regan
Loopholes…Loopholes…Loopholes. Bad little areas of the law that just happen to allow all kinds of things to slip through. ENVIRONMENTAL INTEGRITY PROJECT
released a report saying: “At least 29 states have loopholes in
their laws that allow “accidental” pollution emissions to exceed
federal CLEAN AIR ACT limits, while many other states simply choose not
to take enforcement against industrial facilities for such emissions”
that include BENZENE, BUTADIENE and other CANCER-CAUSING CHEMICALS.
IOWA is one of those 29 states.
OIL
REFINERIES are some of the culprits. Is there a refinery near
you? Do you drive by one on the way to work? One woman who
lives in Ohio close to one stated for the ENVIRONMENTAL INTEGRITY
PROJECT: “I used to work across the street from a Sunoco
refinery. I now have HEART ARRHYTHMIA and CHEMICAL
SENSITIVITY. We found nine people in a two-block area around the
refinery with MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. Something is obviously
wrong. We know emissions from the refinery are affecting our
health, but we can’t even get basic information from the state about
what is being emitted. We’re at least entitled to know what we’re
breathing”.
The
great work that the ENVIRONMENTAL INTEGRITY PROJECT has taken on
was started in 2002 by Eric Schaeffer. He had previously been
with the ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY as part of their OFFICE OF
REGULATORY ENFORCEMENT. “He resigned after publicly expressing his
frustration with efforts of the Bush administration to weaken
enforcement of the CLEAR AIR ACT and other laws”….KUDOS TO YOU, ERIC
SCHAEFFER!
This
non-partisan, non-profit organization’s August 2004 report goes on to
indicate that according to a woman in Texas who lives near an
industrial area: "HEART DEFECTS IN BABIES in our area occur at TWO TO
SIX TIMES THE STATE REGISTRY RATE”. Her grandbaby was born with a
heart defect, and when she sees the pollution she asks, “ How is this
affecting my family’s health? How is this affecting my
community? How sick must we be before someone pays attention?”
Another
woman in California admits: “You can sometimes smell a terrible odor
and feel a nasty taste in your mouth, but I’m just as concerned at all
the things I can’t see that I know are occurring on a daily basis!”
For further information on this report and to view their RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ACTION, go to:
environmentalintegrity.org/pub238.cfm to see the press release from AUGUST 18, 2004.
So,
“What now?” you may ask. To be sure, the first thing that would
really show you are serious about making an impact, is to make a change
in your behavior. For example, sit down and make a list of ways
to CUT DOWN ON PETROLEUM PRODUCT USE. This may be a very long
list, because you may be unaware of the extensive use that these
products play in our lives.
That
case holding your computer innards in one place is probably plastic
(Petroleum Based), the oil keeping your vehicle lubed is Petroleum
Based, your glasses sitting on your nose may be, that new lawn set
you’ll look at in a catalogue soon, and even the little ball bearings
making your child’s newest toy so much fun may all be Petroleum Based.
So where does a person go to find products that are less dangerous to create? One place to start is www.patagonia.com to find much information about becoming a more BENEVOLENT, LESS POLLUTION-CONTRIBUTING CONSUMER.
Another
suggestion to help clean up the air, is to report any sightings of an
industry spewing colorful, toxic smelling agents into our air. We
all should seriously change how we get from place to place, too, as
well as share that new-found information with others. It could
not only save you some money and possibly make you new friends, but may
also save lungs and hearts and lives.
Let us not forget to CPR…CONSERVE/PARTICIPATE/RECYCLE
DemocracyFest 2005!
by
Trish Nelson
on Sun 30 Jan 2005 07:43 AM CST
Welcome to DemocracyFest 2005!
DemocracyforTexas.Org
Democracy Fest, a gathering of
progressives from around the country hosted by DFT and co-sponsored by
My Vote is My Voice, will be held June 17-19 in Austin.
Down in
Texas, we know a bit about politics. We’re the home of Sam Rayburn,
LBJ, Barbara Jordan, Jim Hightower, Ann Richards—and those other guys.
You may have an image in your mind of us that has something to do with
horses, oil wells, and cactus. We have a different image of ourselves—a
lot of people working really hard to come out from under the aberration
that turned our blue state temporarily red. In other words, we’re
taking our state back for the people it really belongs to—us!
And
Austin? During the redistricting mess, Tom DeLay’s boys referred to us
as “The People’s Republic of Austin.” Perhaps that was payback for
voting for Al Gore in the 2000 election. Or it could have been our lack
of reverence for the biennial meeting of the legislature in our midst.
Or maybe it was because of our history of consistently electing the
most liberal leaders in the state. You might say we’re “a little
difficult.”
But
we’re not just all about politics. We not so modestly call ourselves
“The Live Music Capital of the World.” We’re the heart of the Texas
Hill Country; the location of Town Lake, Barton Springs, and the LBJ
Presidential Library; and home to the largest urban bat colony in the
world. And when we say “Keep Austin weird,” we mean it.
In
short, we’re the perfect place for DemocracyFest. We’re working hard on
the “Democracy” part. “Fest?” We’ve got that perfected. And we're
mighty pleased to have been chosen to co-sponsor DemocracyFest 2005
with My Vote is My Voice.
Read on... and register early!
When: The weekend of June 17–19
Where: Austin, Texas
Workshop sessions on the campus of historic Huston-Tillotson College;
Saturday evening dinner/entertainment at Stubb’s Bar-B-Q.
Workshop focus: Beyond Basic Training
We
guarantee you'll learn something new. We promise you won't hear about
the same old stuff. We even promise you'll learn something you didn't
know about databases, emailing, computers, the internet, and more. Some
ideas for workshop sessions include the following. And we want to hear
yours!
•
Changing the Party from the Inside: Democracy for Texas’ political
director, former State Rep. Glen Maxey, on turning red states blue (or
at least purple).
• Changing the Party from the Outside: Anything Charlie Grapski wants to talk about.
• Balancing Activism with Family/Professional Life: You know what we mean.
•
Growing the Grassroots: Exchange of ideas/strategies from participants,
with Grassroots for America invited to lead the session.
• Don't Think of an Elephant: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate: Inspired
by the book of the same title by famed UC Berkeley linguist and BFA
guest blogger George Lakoff, this session will address ways we as
progressives can use language more effectively to convey our positions
and vision to voters. A member of the Rockridge Institute, headed by
Dr. Lakoff, will lead the discussion.
• ¡Juntos, Sí Podemos! Learning from Latinos for America about successful outreach to minority communities.
• What Does It Mean to Be a Progressive? Historical perspectives plus open discussion.
•
Building a Community Website: Tips and tricks for making your website
all that it can be. Templates used in this session will be included on
the workshop CD.
Ticket price: $55/person. Includes:
• CD with materials from all workshop sessions
• DemocracyFest T-shirt
• Saturday morning breakfast (You’ll be craving “breakfast tacos” from now on!)
• Saturday night dinner at world-famous Stubb’s Bar-B-Q with major speakers
and musical guests. (Vegetarian dinner options available.)
(click here for more information)
(click here to register)
 Click here to sign up for action alerts
from RapidResponse - Iowa.
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