Submitted to Shelton Blog by Katherine Price
Squeak loudly, fellow-air-breathers!
Diana T. Yu, MD, MSPH, Health Officer, Mason County, wrote a wonderfully self-serving article in August of 2010, which is posted on the Port of Shelton website titled: “Air Quality in Mason County". Much of the content of this article is, as stated, self serving and, of course, kicks the can down the road to ORCAA. The very fact that it is posted on the Port of Shelton website makes it clear that it does not support the position taken by air-breathers, but is a document created to support the Port of Shelton. Further, Dr. Yu works for King Tim and his Court of Merry Jesters, so you know if she wants to keep her job, she will write a carefully worded article that does not take any position on Adage.
Dr. Yu acknowledges in her introduction: “In recent months there has been concern raised by a variety of individuals and groups in Mason County regarding the Adage Corporation’s proposal to build a biomass energy production facility in Mason County.” She also discusses Simpson Investment Company: “Now they propose to remodel or build a new co-generation plant that will produce more power that the company can then sell.”
Therefore, the document was created in response to the concern of citizens; to quiet us down, I guess, and to let us know that while the medical community may be on our side, in the case of Dr. Yu – not so much.
The thrust of the article is to minimize the effect of industry on our bad air, and lay the blame on vehicles: “Vehicular emissions are the number one air pollution source in Mason County.” This article is not “new” news, but finding it on the Port website got me to take another look at it.
I also wondered why they did not give equal time on the Port website to the physicians of Mason County, who have a different view of things than Dr. Yu, but again, she works for King Tim who is all about protecting his projects and his corporate buddies.
A review of Dr. Yu’s references indicates that she did not consider, or possibly did not even read, the articles the air-breathers have read by the American Heart Association and the American Lung Association, or any of the other reference documents we have available on our blog sites.
She failed to make any mention of Dr. Sammons and the information and concerns he presented to the Mason County Health Department in connection with biomass incinerators.
But she did have personal interviews with ORCAA personnel Gordon Lance, Fran McNair and Jim Wilson; a phone interview with Mark Goodin of ORCAA; a personal interview with someone from the Department of Ecology; and she read a few feel-good articles about biomass plants.
However, I did find something in the article that I believe we should ask Dr. Yu to follow-up on for us.
At page 9, under “Recommendations", at number 3, the good doctor recommends as follows:
- Request that ORCAA add another ambient air monitor at the Recreational Complex so that people utilizing this important community resource can have real time information about the air quality.
Therefore, I would hope that we can all take the time over the next few days to make a call to Dr. Yu, and follow-up with written letters “confirming our phone conversation on… you are going to request that ORCAA add another….”
The telephone number for Mason County Health is 427-9670, extension 352 (environmental). That might also be a good time to ask her if she has read the physicians' letter, and whether she also remembers Dr. Sammons and Dr. Helms citing what significant health risks this proposed plant poses.
The Governor of WA kicked the can back to us, and told me we need to work with our local elected officials. Therefore, let us see if we cannot become the squeaky wheel that gets oiled.
Squeak loudly, fellow-air-breathers, and maybe we can get another monitor up at MCRA. While I would personally like to have one downtown, one on John’s Prairie at MCRA might provide us with a lot of important data we are not now getting.
Keep it light.
Photo by Erik Soper, age 16
Isn't the health department downtown? They should put an orcaa monitor down there.
ReplyDeleteThe Health Department is downtown, and having a monitor there would be perfect.
ReplyDeleteI think a monitor and a big siren should be placed on the Health Department building. We citizens can then monitor the numbers and walk over or give them a call to tell them they need to sound the siren so the citizens know not to breathe downtown!
At the least we should move the monitor from the hospital to the Health Department building, and put a new one at MCRA as recommended by the good doctor.
Time to call our friends at ORCAA to find out if we can move the one from the hospital and to follow-up on Yu's recommendation to have a second monitor at MCRA.
Keep it light.