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How to stop a cement truck: Take action

Submitted by James on Sat, 01/02/2010 - 3:42pm

I don't much care for Governor Perdue's tendency toward grandstanding, not so much because she shouldn't be using her bully pulpit in general, but because of the things she chooses to get excited about. For example, if you give her a chance to smackdown some felons serving life-sentences, she'll pull on her shit-kickers and start stompin' in a heartbeat. Doesn't matter what the law says, she's got her own reelection agenda and god help you if you stand in her way.

On the other hand, when a group of citizens asked the Governor to take a stand to preserve wetlands and ensure a healthy, safe environment by stopping a known source of mercury poisoning, the silence was deafening. Without so much as the illusion of thoughtfulness, Perdue has stood behind what is almost certainly an illegal permitting of the Titan Cement plant in New Hanover County.

Rejecting a request from several groups representing residents in the affected areas, Governor Perdue’s Department of Administration this week ruled that the full environmental impact of the proposed Titan America cement plant on surrounding areas--including New Hanover, Pender and Brunswick counties—does not need to be examined before North Carolina begins issuing permits for the plant.

Make no mistake, if Governor Perdue wanted to do the right thing on this issue, she could stomp her pretty little feet and the Department of Administration would yield the to her wishes without question. Insiders in administration were divided on the permitting from the outset, but the chance to give away taxpayer dollars to fund a toxic factory with 161 jobs proved too alluring to the corporatists who run the show. Regular people, those unfortunate enough to live down wind of the poison plant, don't much matter to our "green" governor. Maybe she's just looking forward to having some sick babies to visit in the hospital, who knows, but her choices on this issue don't pass the smell test.

In the wake of Perdue's inaction, a coalition of environmental groups has teamed up with the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) for what promises to be a big brawl of never-ending litigation. Governor Perdue will be spending your tax dollars to defend her indefensible position, and regular people all across the state will be contributing their hard-earned dollars to non-profits trying to force the state to act responsibly. As with most issues involving corporate greed, lawyers will likely be the only ones who prosper.

SELC went to bat for the people in northeast North Carolina to help them stop the US Navy's assault on family farms and migratory birds. Along the way, they received much statewide support for their efforts. That needs to happen again. If you can support SELC, please to so.

And in the meantime, please write to Governor Perdue and ask her to reverse the decision made by her Department of Administration before more taxpayer dollars get flushed into a the Cape Fear River.

Tagged:

Comments

Send the Governor a New Year's note

Submitted by James on Sat, 01/02/2010 - 3:45pm.

It's easy. Takes only a few minutes. Ask her to work on behalf of the people of North Carolina to preserve the Cape Fear River and stop more mercury pollution.

Done

Submitted by Foxtrot (not verified) on Sat, 01/02/2010 - 3:55pm.

Submitted it. Good cause. Thanks, James.

Thanks

Submitted by James on Sat, 01/02/2010 - 4:13pm.

Part of this got prompted by your resolution on activism. We used to do a whole lot of letter writing around here ... and it will be good to get back to those basics. Much appreciated.

Okay, James, here was the response:

Submitted by Foxtrot (not verified) on Sat, 01/02/2010 - 4:21pm.

"Thank you for contacting the Office of Governor Bev Perdue – we are here to serve you and wanted to acknowledge receipt of your correspondence. If you submitted a suggestion or comment, it will be read, catalogued and referred to the appropriate staff member. If you submitted a question or request for assistance, we look forward to following up with you in a timely manner.

Sincerely,

Governor Bev Perdue"

Now, wasn't that nice? An "appropriate staff member" will check it out.

Give me a break !!

Foxy

Automation!

Submitted by James on Sat, 01/02/2010 - 4:41pm.

The only thing that matters is if they get a few dozen of questions or letters, otherwise, it's just noise they can ignore. Thanks for writing, though, I hope others will as well.

It doesn't take thousands of letters, just dozens. Our next stop will be letters to the editor ... and I'm hoping the Coastal Federation will come by BlueNC to provide some help and guidance on that front.

J

PS I got the same response from the same robot.

Sent my letter....

Submitted by Stan on Sun, 01/03/2010 - 10:06am.

thanks for the link. titan will be an environmental disaster. Just like the Navy landing field. The mercury they will spew won't just land in New Hanover County.

Stan Bozarth

I sent my letter

Submitted by loftT on Sat, 01/02/2010 - 6:54pm.

and asked her not to fight this "Titanic unnecessary battle"

It will be interesting to see if there really is an appropriate response.

Progressives are the true conservatives.

I've sent my letter

Submitted by scharrison on Sun, 01/03/2010 - 3:16pm.

And just in case it gets tossed in the digital File 13, here it is:

To Governor Perdue (or trusted staffer):

There are several reasons why this project needs to be evaluated more closely before it proceeds, but I'm going to focus on one of those reasons for now.

There are basically two methods for monitoring Mercury emissions for plants like this. One is a periodic monitoring approach, where they sample every few months and then arrive at an average that is then reported, and the other is known as Continuous Emissions Monitoring System (CEMS), which provides a hyper-accurate emissions count. This second method (CEMS) is going to be required by the EPA on all Portland-style cement plants (like Titan) in the future, for one main reason: it is too easy to manipulate the results using the periodic approach.

Titan Cement knows this, which is why they've refused to add CEMS to their design. The type and quality of fuel used combined with the temperature of burn can produce a (temporary) low emission of Mercury. They record that result and report it, and then go back to their normal high Mercury emissions process.

This is not a minor issue, it's a major one. Just take a look at our fish consumption advisory for proof of that. Governor Perdue needs to be on the right side of this issue, especially considering her ties to our coastal region. I supported her vigorously in her run for office, and I want to continue supporting her. But this is a make-or-break issue for me and many others, and we're not going to overlook it.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Steve Harrison

Tracking Titan

Submitted by James on Mon, 01/04/2010 - 7:54pm.

A new and very cool way to track news coverage through Google Timeline. Check it out.

I'm too lazy...er, busy...

Submitted by loftT on Mon, 01/04/2010 - 8:10pm.

to read it all...why the big time lapse in news?

Progressives are the true conservatives.

They're a big multinational

Submitted by James on Mon, 01/04/2010 - 8:14pm.

that has done a good job laying low ... until they decided they wanted to piss in the Cape Fear River back in 2008.

Mostly I was just pointing to the new timeline tracking tool.