The forgotten scourge that never went away

MisLEAD Trailer, 3 min from Tamara Rubin on Vimeo.

Coal Trains and Selling Out the Willamette Valley

The Willamette Valley contains most of Oregon's population; it extends from Portland in the North to Eugene in the South. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Anyone who lives in Salem and environs needs to anticipate what coal exports really mean here:  Selling out our future for the empty promise of a few jobs.  Look at the states where King Coal has had its way (West Virginia, Kentucky, PA), and compare them to Oregon.  Now, which is the better model?

Coal exports down the Columbia and up to Bellingham and down to Coos Bay mean the destruction of livability in the Willamette Valley in service of global capital seeking to maximize profits by externalized costs (environmental devastation, climate disruption, reduced property values all along the routes of these behemoth coal trains), with no benefits to the people paying those costs (us).

Coal exports are a gigantic step backwards for the US.  Not only does it return us to the days of colonial status, exploited for our raw materials and stuck with the negative consequences, but it would help ensure a runaway carbon nightmare of the Six Degree C (11F) hotter global temperature average, which is pretty much a nightmare future in the best case.

Anyone with children or grandchildren or simply a modicum of concern for the future needs to realize what a serious threat we face from continued use of coal. 

Bottom line:  if the Iranians and North Koreans had a thousand 100-megaton nukes each and the means to drop them on any place in the world, that would only be a tiny fraction of the threat we face from coal.  It's only the limits of our primitive monkey-based brains that make it so easy for us to see threats from other bands of monkeybrains and so hard to recognize the much more potent and serious threats we unleash upon ourselves.

Related articles

• Red Means Stop for Big Coal Exports in the Pacific Northwest

Fighting back against The Enemy of the Human Race (coal)

"The earth is not dying, it is being killed, and those who are killing it have names and addresses."  - Utah Phillips

After the hottest summer in recorded history, extractive industries are still attempting to dig in the backyards of communities across the country, release carbon into the air, and poison people in their all-consuming quest for more dirty energy.

As author and veteran climate activist Bill McKibbon recently wrote, "It has become a rogue industry, reckless like no other force on Earth. It is Public Enemy Number One to the survival of our planetary civilization." He lays out in concrete numbers what most of us know - that climate change is real, it is caused by humans, and the reason it is happening is simple: greed.

What we don't hear as often is what groups are doing to fight back. And RESIST grantees are not standing idly by – they are on the frontlines of the devastation. Yes, these are the wealthiest most powerful corporations in the world, but that's not stopping grantees such as Citizens for Huerfano County and Erie Rising in Colorado, or Beyond Toxics in Oregon, or United Mountain Defense in Tennessee.

And this RESIST Newsletter shares a few of their stories...

Confronting Energy Tyranny
By Ceal Smith
An aggressive energy boom is sweeping across the country. And although the technologies are new, the consequences for the people and the planet are familiar. For those caught in the crosshair, hydraulic fracturing (or “fracking”) and massively scaled, remote-concentrated solar are two of the newest yet most disastrous dangers being forced upon our communities and the planet.

One City, Two Worlds
By Lisa Arkin
Eugene, Oregon is actually two different communities, with two different standards for the environment and public health. And when one of those communities is home to poorer families, more immigrants and more people of color, it seems to have fewer rights to health and safety. And then the polluters come knocking.

Polluters: Kiss Your Profits Goodbye
By James Kane
It’s a cold, rainy November morning on the slopes of an abandoned strip mine somewhere in the southern Appalachians. Dead grass carpets the slowly decaying, slumping piles of mining waste, hurriedly piled against the vertical gashes in what was once a mountain ridge. Mining companies abandoned this place long ago, but someone refuses to forget.

Read and download the entire Newsletter here.

All of these groups are RESIST grantees. They are fighting for the survival of their communities and for the planet by taking on the largest corporations in history. Your support makes that possible. Please donate now!

259 Elm Street | Somerville, MA 02144 US

Related articles

• Coal fight looms, Keystone-like, over US Northwest.
• Five Reasons to Stop Coal Exports in Its Tracks

Hard Truth about Coal (aka "The Enemy of the Human Race")

Coal on the Marches line (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As you read this, coal exportation threatens our right to live in a healthy community.  Coal exportation will pollute our air and water with toxic coal pollution, put our communities' safety at risk, clog our railroads and waterways, and recklessly stoke the climate crisis all the way.

The good news is that it doesn’t have to be this way.  Oregon has always been at the forefront of this issue.  Over 25 communities across the Oregon and Washington have passed city resolutions calling for an area wide environmental impact statement to assess the full implications of the coal export projects.

Governor Kitzhaber and the state agencies have the power to stop this invasion on our right to a healthy community. They can deny or delay permits and demand evaluations from federal agencies to block coal exportation here in Oregon.

Want to learn more about how coal exportation will affect Salem?
Want to learn what you can do about it?

Come to our Coal Hard Truth Forum!

Salem Coal Hard Truth Forum
Wednesday October 10th, 7:00-8:30pm

Willamette University
College of Law
Paulus Lecture Hall (Room 201)
245 Winter Street SE, Salem
(Refreshments Provided)

Join us for an evening of panelists and Q & A, with experts talking about the health, economic, and environmental impacts of coal export projects in Oregon and Washington.

Speakers include

• Martin Donohoe, MD, FACP is Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Community Health at Portland State University, senior physician at Kaiser Permanente Sunnyside Hospital, and member of the Social Justice Committee and Board of Advisors for Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR),
  
• Reverend Rick Davis of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Salem, and
  
• Peter Frick-Wright, a frequent contributor to The Oregonian, Bike and Sierra Magazine, which sent him to cover the first coal export terminal proposals in 2010.

I'm happy to email you the official invitation and any more information you would like on this critical issue. You can reach me at lucy@greencorps.org

Related articles

• Editorial: Coal trains, terminals need comprehensive environmental reviews
• Oregon Activists Say No to Coal Exports

Poisoning Marion County for Profit: Brooks slated for yet more airborne toxics

Air Pollution Smoke Stack (Photo credit: EnvironmentBlog)Hey Marion County Neighbors!

Don't you just love the smell of burning plastics in the morning?

Feeling like the air near Salem is just too darn breathable? Wouldn't you rather breathe in tons and tons of hazardous pollutants and see particulate toxins enter the foodchain right here in the heart of the Willamette Valley by landing on produce and fields and in streams?

Then you're in luck! Agilyx Corp. wants to satisfy your craving for more pollution for you!

They're proposing to build a plastic trash burner up in Brooks, already the epicenter of air-quality insults in Marion County. In other words, they propose to dump millions of tons of greenhouse gas into the atmosphere over the project lifetime, while spreading a fine dust of toxic particulates and hydrochloric acid all over! What nice neighbors, eh? Oh, and they don't plan to pay anything for using our sky and our precious world-class farmland as their free toxics dumpsite.

And don't worry about the PVC -- they say they're going to screen out the PVC wastes first, since PVC combustion releases incredibly toxic and nasty products. And we all know that mistakes never happen when plowing through tons and tons of waste garbage that all pretty much looks the same and arrives in truckloads!

Here's the abbreviated notice. (pdf)

What does Agilyx Corporation do that affects air quality?

The company proposes to construct and operate a pyrolysis energy reclamation facility. They will produce a synthetic crude-oil like product from plastic feedstock. The feedstock will consist of plastics not feasible for recycling. The feedstock must be pre-screened to remove polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastics. The oil product will be sold to off-site customers.

The proposed operations will emit Particulate Matter (PM), Fine Particulate Matter (PM10/2.5), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Nitrogen Oxides (NOx), Sulfur Dioxide (SO2),Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), Greenhouse Gases (GHG), and Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs) to the air. Additional detailed information regarding operations and emissions can be found in the review report.

Table 1
Criteria Pollutant Proposed Emission Limit (tons/yr)
Particulate Matter (PM) 24
Fine Particulate Matter (PM10) 14
Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) 9
Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) 39
Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) 39
Carbon Monoxide (CO) 99
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) 39
Greenhouse Gases (GHG) 74,000 (67,100 metric tons)

Table 2
Hazardous Air Pollutants Proposed Emission Limit* (tons/yr)
Individual HAP (HCl) 9
Combined HAPs 24

*HAP PSELs are being established to ensure the source remains a minor source of HAPs pending further emission factor verification analyses.

For more on the criteria pollutants, see http://www.deq.state.or.us/aq/forms/annrpt.htm

Comments due: Written comments due: 5 p.m. September 5, 2012

Where can I send my comments?

Patty Hamman, Regional Permit Coordinator
(503) 378-5305 or Toll Free (800) 349-7677
750 Front Street NE, Suite 120
Salem, OR 97301-1039
(503) 378-4196 (Fax)
hamman.patricia@deq.state.or.us

Where can I get technical information?

Karen White-Fallon, Permit Writer
(503) 378-5315 or (800) 349-7677
750 Front Street NE, Suite 120
Salem, OR 97301-1039
(503) 378-4196 (Fax)
white-fallon.karen@deq.state.or.us

Where can I get background information?
Information about this project is viewable online by clicking the following link(s):
• Permit (pdf)
• Evaluation Report (pdf)

For your old e-waste, check here first

Image by georgehotelling via Flickr

Interesting and good idea: create a website the vacuums up old electronic items that would otherwise be landfilled or disassembled and instead tries to find a use for them. If you have some old electronic junk sitting around unused, check this out -- you might get a few bucks for it, and even if you don't they'll help recycle it for you, either by directing you to a local recycler or by sending you a box that you can use to ship it to them for free.

Nice.

Time for another revolution: Against corporate irresponsibility

Image by Mr Magoo ICU via Flickr

Native Oregonian Nick Kristof's alarming column in the NY Times makes clear that the revolution we need now is against corporate-controlled science that urges us to keep producing and eating, drinking and breathing new chemicals --- unique molecules created in laboratories --- without a care in the world.

The corporations that rule politics in the US are unique entities --- devices for generating private profit while avoiding private liability for harm caused to others. Thus, they enjoy the right to keep spreading pollutants and hormone-mimics that disrupt cell biology until there's an airtight scientific case against them AND the political will to force those pollutants off the market, which often takes decades.

In other words, chemicals are innocent until proven guilty, and the onus (the burden of proof) is on us to force these dangerous molecules off the market -- which requires that the bodies and deformities pile up first, while the companies profits' pile up, giving them the resources to fog the issues and protect their "right" to keep on manufacturing and releasing toxins to hurt others.

As we celebrate Independence Day, it's time for another revolution, this time to throw off the shackles of an outmoded way of thinking about corporate privileges and responsibilities. We must shift the onus off us and put it back on those corporations who create and peddle compounds that kill and maim.

It's long past time for a revolution in regulation, one that says that molecules not found in nature are not innocent until proven guilty. Rather, molecules created in laboratories must be considered as suspect until they are scrutinized closely and cleared, just like people the national borders. It's astonishing how much we spend in response to fear of terrorists from abroad when we have huge sectors of US industry that are merrily poisoning us right here at home without a second thought.

The consequence of this revolutionary idea is that corporations will no longer be able to put a product or material into commerce until they show that it is safe for human exposure and for release into the environment. No more making victims first and then making the survivors fight to abolish the compounds that kill and deform.

. . . Now scientists are connecting the dots with evidence of increasing abnormalities among humans, particularly large increases in numbers of genital deformities among newborn boys. For example, up to 7 percent of boys are now born with undescended testicles, although this often self-corrects over time. And up to 1 percent of boys in the United States are now born with hypospadias, in which the urethra exits the penis improperly, such as at the base rather than the tip.

Apprehension is growing among many scientists that the cause of all this may be a class of chemicals called endocrine disruptors. They are very widely used in agriculture, industry and consumer products. Some also enter the water supply when estrogens in human urine — compounded when a woman is on the pill — pass through sewage systems and then through water treatment plants.

These endocrine disruptors have complex effects on the human body, particularly during fetal development of males.

“A lot of these compounds act as weak estrogen, so that’s why developing males — whether smallmouth bass or humans — tend to be more sensitive,” said Robert Lawrence, a professor of environmental health sciences at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “It’s scary, very scary.”

The scientific case is still far from proven, as chemical companies emphasize, and the uncertainties for humans are vast. But there is accumulating evidence that male sperm count is dropping and that genital abnormalities in newborn boys are increasing. Some studies show correlations between these abnormalities and mothers who have greater exposure to these chemicals during pregnancy, through everything from hair spray to the water they drink.

Endocrine disruptors also affect females. It is now well established that DES, a synthetic estrogen given to many pregnant women from the 1930s to the 1970s to prevent miscarriages, caused abnormalities in the children. They seemed fine at birth, but girls born to those women have been more likely to develop misshaped sexual organs and cancer.

There is also some evidence from both humans and monkeys that endometriosis, a gynecological disorder, is linked to exposure to endocrine disruptors. Researchers also suspect that the disruptors can cause early puberty in girls.

A rush of new research has also tied endocrine disruptors to obesity, insulin resistance and diabetes, in both animals and humans. For example, mice exposed in utero even to low doses of endocrine disruptors appear normal at first but develop excess abdominal body fat as adults.

Among some scientists, there is real apprehension at the new findings — nothing is more terrifying than reading The Journal of Pediatric Urology — but there hasn’t been much public notice or government action.

This month, the Endocrine Society, an organization of scientists specializing in this field, issued a landmark 50-page statement. It should be a wake-up call.

“We present the evidence that endocrine disruptors have effects on male and female reproduction, breast development and cancer, prostate cancer, neuroendocrinology, thyroid, metabolism and obesity, and cardiovascular endocrinology,” the society declared.

“The rise in the incidence in obesity,” it added, “matches the rise in the use and distribution of industrial chemicals that may be playing a role in generation of obesity.”

The Environmental Protection Agency is moving toward screening endocrine disrupting chemicals, but at a glacial pace. For now, these chemicals continue to be widely used in agricultural pesticides and industrial compounds. Everybody is exposed.

“We should be concerned,” said Dr. Ted Schettler of the Science and Environmental Health Network. “This can influence brain development, sperm counts or susceptibility to cancer, even where the animal at birth seems perfectly normal.” . . .

Kristof is really on a roll lately. This second piece is repeats a point made by many, often hilariously (that we're evolved to face hazards that appear out of the bushes, with big teeth, and we have a hard time dealing with or even recognizing far graver hazards that only appear as scientific data . . . until it's too late) but it's great to see this idea being discussed in the archaic media.

Recharge Salem (interest survey)

NiMH batteries have good power characteristics, hold a charge well even when not used for a long time, and can be recharged hundreds of times. Image via Wikipedia

Click Here for a very short survey that is designed to find out if there is interest in Salem for a rechargeable battery service --- that is, a service that would offer to keep you supplied with as many high-quality nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries as you like for less than the cost of disposables.

(NiMH batteries are the kind that hold their charge well and can be reused hundreds of times.)

Here at LOVESalem HQ we've been thinking about how to eliminate the flood of disposable batteries for some time. Only recently have rechargeable batteries become really good alternatives, but many people still think about nickel-cadmium rechargeables, which were not so good. So there's a bias against rechargeables that we have to overcome.

The idea is that, if we can offer people good-quality rechargeables for less than they spend now on throwaways, we can eliminate a big source of toxic waste that we generate.

So take the survey and help design the system!

Your Right to Know about Toxic Releases

OMB Watch today launched a redesigned and expanded website for the Right-to-Know Network (RTK NET) at www.rtknet.org. The website serves as a source for information about environmental and public health threats and opportunities for public engagement with environmental policy, and it offers news, data, and analysis of environmental right-to-know issues.

Constantly evolving since its initial launch in 1989, RTK NET continues to provide free access to several government databases of environmental information. Users can identify sources of pollution in their communities, learn about the transport of hazardous waste, search reports of chemical spills and accidents, and much more.

RTK NET allows users to conduct countless types of data searches, including in the Toxics Release Inventory - a database containing information on toxic pollution from facilities across the nation. Visitors will also find interactive maps for comparing states and easy-to-understand graphs that clearly identify pollution trends.

In addition to offering access to extensive amounts of environmental data, the redesigned RTK NET presents information on how environmental data are being used to protect air and water quality, wildlife habitats, children's health, and more.

Visitors will also find news items dealing with government transparency, public access to information, and public participation in environmental decision making. Opportunities for grassroots action and citizen involvement are available, as well as tools for outreach and education.

By providing both the raw information and the context for how it can be used, RTK NET empowers citizens to make a difference in their communities and beyond.

RTK NET can be found at http://www.rtknet.org. Please take a look and let us know what you think.

Two important films @ Salem Progressive Film Series for April 2009

The Salem Progressive Film Series presents a double feature: Contaminated Without Consent and Toxic Bust

Thursday, April 9, 2009
Doors Open at 6:15 PM
Film Starts at 7 PM
$3. Adults/$2. Students
At The Grand Theater in Downtown Salem-191 High Street NE

Contaminated Without Consent

examines the scientific foundations for concern and the implications for human health from widespread contamination of toxic chemicals. Scientific studies link chemicals frequently found in consumer products to obesity, diabetes, birth defects, asthma, cancer, learning disabilities, and other health impacts. The video empowers viewers to take action in support of common- sense solutions and urgently needed government reforms that will protect families, homes, and the environment from toxic chemicals.

Toxic Bust

is a thought-provoking documentary that explores the relationship between breast cancer and exposure to toxic chemicals. The film focuses on three breast cancer "hot spots," (Cape Cod MA, The SF bay area, and workers in Silicon Valley) to explore more fully the connection between cancer and chemical exposure in the household, community, and workplace.

Guest Speakers & Audience Q & A to Follow

Dr. Sue Koger is a professor at Willamette University. Her scholarship focuses on the effects of toxicants such as pesticides on brain development and function, and the role of psychology in environmental studies. She is also a member of Salem Citizen’s for Alternatives to Pesticides.

Dr. Renee Hackenmiller-Paradis is the environmental health program director for the Oregon Environmental Council where she works to develop and promote policies and projects that protect children from toxic pollution, and to strengthen collaborative relationships with health professionals.

For more information: www.salemprogressivefilms.net

Dealing with Waste in a Sustainable Community

Dealing with Waste in a Sustainable Community: A three part community forum series for dealing with waste reduction, waste management, growth and sustainable solutions

A series of three forums to be held at: William Paulus Lecture Hall
Willamette University College of Law, Salem, Oregon (On Winter St. just S. of State)

The dates are January 22nd, February 26th, and March 26th
6:30 pm :Registration and Displays
7:00 pm : Presentations Followed by Q & A

Forum One – Jan. 22, 2009
Oregon DEQ Waste Reduction Strategies
- Cathie Davidson, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
Recycling Efforts in Marion County
– Alan Pennington, Waste Reduction Coordinator for Marion County Environmental Services
Creating Jobs and Saving Recources through Recycling
– John Matthews, Garten Services

Forum Two – Feb. 26, 2009
Incineration Dangers: From Nanoparticles to Nonsustainability
– Dr. Paul Connett, renowned expert on zero waste and waste incineration by-products.
Covanta/Marion County Waste-to-Energy Facility as an Integrated Part of the County's Waste Management System
– Jeffrey Hahn, Environmental Director for Covanta Energy Corporation

Forum Three – March 26, 2009
Marion County's Solid Waste Master Plan
– Jeff Bickford, Marion County Environmental Services and Doug Drennen, J.R. Miller Consultants
League of Women Voters of Marion/Polk Counties Waste Study: presentation of the League 2-year study including questions raised by the committee and response to the MCSW Master Plan recommendations.
– Deanie Anderson, Susann Kaltwasser, David Phelps, and Sharon Johnson

Forums Cosponsors:

League of Women Voters of Marion/Polk Counties
Friends of Marion County
Health Care Without Harm
Oregon Center for Environmental Health
Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility
Oregon Toxics Alliance
Salem City Club
Willamette University – Center for Sustainable Communities

Sponsors will be collecting non-perishable food items for Marion-Polk Food Share at registration.

Waste Incineration: The self-inflicted wound

Sid Friedman of 1000 Friends writes:

Physicians for Social Responsibility sent along this information about a planning meeting they're having on Thursday about the Brooks incinerator. I'm sending it along in case you're interested in attending or know anyone who might be interested in attending. If so, please pass it along:

Planning meeting- November 20th, 6:30-8:30 at Willamette University, Olin Science Center 214

The League of Women Voters of Marion/Polk Counties, Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR), Waste-CAN supporters and possibly other interested parties in Salem plan to sponsor three community forums in the Winter of 2009 on Marion County's Solid Waste Management Plan with particular attention to the waste incinerator in Brooks, Oregon.

Our goal is to share tangible information on the current waste management plans in Marion County, alternatives to burning of municipal waste, the continuation of the waste incinerator, the promotion of waste prevention, and several vital issues related to the incinerator's environmental and financial sustainability.

We must have considerable help to carry out the large-scale public awareness and community empowerment project. We collectively need to learn and apply tools for making positive impacts on the County's waste management decisions, including the ability to focus attention on public health outcomes of waste management policies.

Another goal is to invite Professor Paul Connett, an international expert on "zero waste" and the toxic effects of waste incinerators to be a keynote speaker and educator for our community.

Join us in this adventure to protect each other and our State.

Please respond with your availability and interest in joining this valuable cause to info@oregonpsr.org. Thank you for your time!

Sid Friedman - Willamette Valley Advocate.
1000 Friends of Oregon - 189 Liberty St NE, #307A - Salem OR 97301
(503) 371-7261 phone - (503) 371-7596 fax - www.friends.org

If you aren't aware of why waste incineration is such a bad idea, here's a short video to help you get the idea.