Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Ecology Needs to Enforce Regulations Now


THEY KNEW NOT WHAT THEY DID

Submitted to Shelton Blog by Katherine Price
Mason County Progressive


When Solomon Grout Simpson and his early descendants began to use Oakland Bay to move their logs, and the harbor to process those logs, science was not nearly as sophisticated as it is today. While they may have seen the results of wood residue in the water and ash on the land from their forest and milling practices, they were innocent of any intent to harm the health of the citizens of Shelton and our neighbors on the Olympic Peninsula.


It can be said that they knew not what they did.

Fast forward to 2011:

The present custodians of the Simpson legacy know that the wood residue in Oakland Bay has polluted the Bay's soil. The Department of Ecology report from September 2008 clearly sets forth the presence of a deadly poison, dioxin, in "all sediment samples" taken from Oakland Bay. The owners and operators of the businesses in the Shelton Harbor know this. It is a fact that they follow these reports because ultimately these types of reports will deliver the death blow to the already dying timber industry. It is inevitable, it is known, and the only unknowns are:

How long can they keep doing it before they are shut down for their inability to comply with environmental standards?
How much damage will be inflicted on our environment before they are made to stop?
The Washington Department of Ecology, Toxics Clean Up Program, engaged a couple of upscale environmental groups (Herrera Environmental Consultants, Inc., and Ecology & Environment, Inc.) to perform a sample of Oakland Bay.

The report provided to Ecology, titled "Final Sampling and Analysis Plan, Oakland Bay Sediment Characterization Study, Mason County, Washington", dated June 18, 2008, is an impressive 118 pages. Skipping all the wonderful technical data supporting the report, the report found Dioxin in the sediment of the bay.


Remember, the study was done at the request of the TOXICS CLEAN UP PROGRAM.


Dioxin, as some may not know, is deadly. For humans, there is no safe level of dioxin. Let me repeat that, there is no safe level of dioxin.


With the knowledge that there is dioxin in the sediment of the Bay, the Department of Health has
"...determined that the levels of contaminants found in the sediments and Oakland Bay pose a very low human health threat. Therefore, people do not need to reduce the amount of shellfish they eat or restrict their exposure to the sediment."
In December of 2010, the Department of Ecology (DOC) sent notices to SOME residents at or near the affected areas discussing the sediment report and providing in their summary notice the following pertinent facts:
Industrial uses of Oakland Bay resulted in sediment contamination in Shelton Harbor and surrounding areas.
Ecology chose Oakland Bay because Shelton Harbor has a history of heavy industrial use and previous studies have provided evidence of contamination.

Chemicals, wood waste, and waste water from timber and wood product manufacturing industries have been discharged into Oakland Bay.
DIOXINS WERE PRESENT IN ALL SEDIMENT SAMPLES. (Emphasis mine.)
The dioxin types are most similar to those made from burning pulp, mill waste and pentachlorophenol (wood treating chemicals).
At present, Simpson Timber Company and Olympic Panel are out of compliance with EPA standards for several pollutants that wash with the stormwater from these two plants into Oakland Bay. Simpson and Olympic Panel know what these pollutants are and they claim they have made attempts to minimize the amounts washing into the Bay.

Notwithstanding these attempts, they have been unable to bring themselves within compliance. They are, however, unwilling to admit defeat and instead would like an
extension to work on the problem some more.

It is entirely likely that there is no way to prevent the chemical by-products of heavy industry around the harbor from washing with the stormwater into the Bay. These two businesses, Simpson Timber Co. and Olympia Panel Company, knowingly operate highly polluting industries close to the water with knowledge of the effects of the chemicals the stormwater picks up on sea life and human life. They know it is unlikely they can achieve the safe levels of pollutants in the stormwater that have been established by Ecology, and yet they both soldier on. And why shouldn't they?

As long as there are no serious repercussions for this poisoning of our water, Simpson and Olympic Panel will continue to request, and likely receive, extension after extension to bring themselves into compliance.


At the same time, friends of industry (think Tim Sheldon, Lynda Ring Erickson, et al.) will be busy seeking ways to weaken both the standards and the enforcement authority of the agencies who the citizens believe exist to enforce those standards.

Weaker standards and lax enforcement mean Simpson and Olympic Panel will continue to wash poisonous chemicals into Oakland Bay for some time to come without any detriment to their business, but at the expense of the health of the people who live near that water, who swim in the bay, or who eat fish and shellfish from the bay.


In exchange for allowing this continued pollution into our water Simpson and Olympic Panel will continue to employ some local people, although they will likely continue to get laid off every-other-week, or more often, and their benefits will be continue to be cut frequently, and eventually their union will be broken.

And all the while Simpson and Olympic Panel will continue to wash poison into the bay, under the watchful eye of that
permitting agency for polluters, the Washington State Department of Ecology.

I encourage all citizens to go to Ecology's website and familiarize yourself with the report "Final Sampling and Analysis Plan, Oakland Bay Sediment Characterization Study, Mason County, Washington" dated June 18, 2008. If you want to get further background information, see pages 116-118 of the report, which reference 22 other reports and papers that were reviewed in the preparation of Ecology's Final Sampling and Analysis Plan.


I used to be mystified that the Olympic Region Clean Air Agency and the Department of Ecology would continue to permit obvious polluters. Now I am convinced that these agencies do not exist to protect the water, the air or the citizen. They may have started out that way, but now they are the permitting arm of the polluting industries.

I think that it is time to return these agencies to their planned function, not to protect the profits of industry but to protect the health of citizens.


If you think the same way, please let the Department of Ecology hear our voices. The comment period for Simpson's extension expired on July 2, but Olympic Panel's comment period goes until July 9. If you feel that there should be some consequence for their inability not to pollute our water, let Ecology know.


Perhaps, with a united voice, we can encourage the Washington State Department of Ecology to become an enforcer of the rules and regulations, rather than simply a permitting agency for the polluters.

CONTACTS:

To comment on Simpson and Olympic Panel polluting the harbor:

PAUL STASCH, Industrial Stormwater Facilities Manager
State of Washington Department of Ecology
PO Box 47696
Olympia, WA 98504-7696
psta461@ecy.wa.gov

To comment on how screwed up the system is:

TED STURDEVANT, Director
State of Washington Department of Ecology
Headquarters Office
PO Box 47600
Olympia, WA 98504-7600
tstu461@ecy.wa.gov

STATE OF WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF ECOLOGY WEBSITE:
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/

3 comments:

  1. In the "Old" days, when an industry needed to pollute in order to be profitable and it was getting a little too obvious what was going on, they would just move somewhere else to set up shop again. To a less populated area, to another state, to another country, etc. But the world is getting smaller, much smaller, and they are running out of places to pollute.

    So now we are seeing another strategy being emphasized. Corruption.

    Before, if the law and rules made it difficult to profit from pollution, the industry or business could move to a less profit-hostile environment. Now, as that method is more difficult, corruption is the means to success.

    If the law and rules are problem, change them, make them go away. Use money, power, influence, lie, cheat--whatever it takes, to make it easier to stay right where you are, continue to pollute, and continue making profits.

    It's in the news everyday now.

    The political forces that have been bought by the corporate interests are hard at work trying to stop the EPA and other government entities from enforcing rules that make it harder to profit from pollution. Actually, this method is even more profitable for them. They no longer have to move to new locations to pollute. They just have their minions make the pollution go away by definition or defunding.

    And I take all of this personally. It affects me and my family and friends. You've no doubt heard me say all this before with ADAGE. It is the very same thing.

    For me it is simple. This is about Good vs Evil. Those who would put profit before the welfare of the environment and the health of the rest of us are sociopathic pustules on the backside of society 9a.k.a. Evil Bastards).

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  2. What continues to astonish me is that even the economics of biomass fails to achieve its objective without huge government subsidies. John is correct; industry influence has led to unbridled government corruption of regulatory agencies. The whole concept reeks of banana republic economics, and serves only as a means to transfer even more wealth to fewer people. But what really galls me is these scumbags wrap themselves in the American flag while they crap all over our environment our health and our country.

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  3. I had the opportunity last week to spend some time with members of the Department of Ecology who are NOT involved in the permitting side of Ecology.

    I was pleased to encounter both wisdom and passion among these people.

    I am still convinced the permitting arm of the Department of Ecology is a corrupt permitting agency for polluters!

    However, I am now also aware that the Department of Ecology is significantly greater than that and that there are some really great people engaged in good works for the citizens within the Department of Ecology.

    To those members of the Department of Ecology who are engaged in GOOD WORKS, who entered the Department of Ecology to take their love of our natural environment to the next level of service, I humbly apologize for having lumped you in with the permitting side of Ecology. I thank you for your service to the people of Washington and to our environment. Please keep up your good works.

    Perhaps the decent folks in Ecology might put pressure on the people who are making the department look bad to behave a little better toward the environment, maybe encourage them to be more concerned with the citizens' health and safety, and less concerned with accommodating polluting industry and their political masters.

    A big THANK YOU to those members of the Department of Ecology who do good works on behalf of the citizens of Washington State.

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