| Subject: I think you are on the right track... |
Author:
Ned
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Date Posted: 23:21:13 12/20/05 Tue
In reply to:
Gwen
's message, "Re: Gwen - complain to Gene" on 22:09:59 12/20/05 Tue
Gwen -
I don't know anyone who says "cement is unnecessary" That is a red-herring, just like branding anyone who disagrees with you a NIMBY. We all know that cement is an essential building material.
Those of us who have studied the industry also know that when rigorously regulated (as they are in Switzerland, for instance) cement plants can hold down their dangerous emissions significantly, but also that in the absence of such strict controls Cement Companies will do whatever they can get aways with to reduce costs and increase profits, even if that means neglecting upgrades to pollution control technology.
That is what has happened at LaFarge's Ravena plant, at the SLC facility in Cementon, and to a lesser extent to Lehigh/Blue Circle's Greens County plant. The plants were granted "grandfather" status (a huge mistake by the legislature in my opinion) in regard to environmental regualtion, that allowed them to keep operating with the technology that was in place when the environmental laws were passed - more than thirty years ago! They have done so - rather than protect their neighbors from the dangers of their emissions, many of which were not understood when the regulations were first passed.
We need legislation that first encourages, but ultimately insists that these dirty industries continuously adopt the BACT (Best Available Control Technology) standards, in order to provide necessary products while still doing everything possible to safeguard public health.
The Companies argue that doing so is "too costly" and they prefer to move their factories to third-world countries or desperate (or corrupt) parts of the US where they can write their own regulations or avoid regulation all together, and reap bigger profits.
But that is no reason for us to let them get away with it. There is no amount of money that can compensate a family for a lifetime of asthma for their child, or the untimely death of someone with respiratory problems, aggravated and possibly even caused by exposure to pollutants. We must insist that our laws protect the public health and that enforcement agencies like the DEC do their job.
We have to write to our legislators, make our voices heard, write to the DEC, to the Governor, and organize locally and regionally, as we did to fight the Greenport Proposal, to get results.
P.S.: In my post above I gave you the names of a number of places here in Hudson where HomeStyle can be found.
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