Nice one Claude; you capture in pen and ink what the Port/County/PUD and City want to do to the citizen (I include the City because I expect them to be the next ones to ignore citizen concerns in connection with the Simpson/Solomon incinerator).
Also, I wonder what sort of permitting was required for all of those existing smokestacks in the Harbor... are they "grandfathered in," and does that mean that no matter their poisonous nature and danger to the community they get to stay and operate in perpetuity?
Their poisons "trespass" all over the neighborhoods, the water and downtown businesses without repercussion to them. Seems like it is time to take a long hard look at all of those smokestacks and ask the City why they (Simpson and all of its other incarnations) get to have so many smokestacks, and what all of them are emitting into the air we are breathing...
A conversation with an ORCAA engineer revealed that the companies "grandfathered in" are allowed to keep operating under the old standards unless they change something which would require new permits. However, they are not allowed to spew unabated, they can't be a nuisance. It was my impression that complaints to ORCAA trigger investigations so I wonder if the standard for those companies "grandfathered in" is that they're allowed to get away with as much as WE let them get away with.
Friday I was downtown by the Journal building and it smelled bad to me, breeze coming from guess where?
Also Friday, standing by the old liquor store building, I was seeing way more than a single smokestack emitting smoke and/or steam...
How many are we really talking about?
At the very least, let's start making comments to ORCAA when (1) the air smells bad; (2) when the stuff coming out is particularly black or brown, and (3) for those who live downtown and see it and smell it everyday, maybe you get to call ORCAA every day.
Very good point, Katherine. We need to start "getting in everyone's face" and start complaining. I guess we need to become "squeeky wheels". The "squeeky wheel" gets the attention/grease in order to 'shut it up'!
Oh, that is so true. There are some people whose faces we need to get in, and we need to get in their faces in number, and we need to get in their faces regularly.
Let's start squeaking hard, fellow air-breathers. Let's see if we can get some help from our elected officials if only to shut us up.
It is time to make some phone calls to Norm Dicks, Patty Murray, Maria Cantwell, Fred Finn, Kathy Haigh, and any and all other "Democrats," who give lip service to protecting the environment when it suits them, and then forget about or ignore it when it does not.
Fred Finn and Kathy Haigh in particular could be helpful in putting forth new legislation that correctly identifies hydro as renewable, and removes burning biomass from the list of things we can call "green" or "renewable."
We lost a battle on Friday, it stings, but it was only one battle in a war we cannot afford to lose.
We were down for a minute, and that minute is over.
Let's dust ourselves off and come out swinging.
There are lots of avenues we still need to pursue, letters and phone calls to follow-up on, people we need to alert who could help us, and lots of people who still need to be educated about the triple-threat facing our community from Adage, Simpson and Simpson's latest bastard child, Solomon.
We like this one! How true -- but we like it anyway!
ReplyDeleteNice one Claude; you capture in pen and ink what the Port/County/PUD and City want to do to the citizen (I include the City because I expect them to be the next ones to ignore citizen concerns in connection with the Simpson/Solomon incinerator).
ReplyDeleteAlso, I wonder what sort of permitting was required for all of those existing smokestacks in the Harbor... are they "grandfathered in," and does that mean that no matter their poisonous nature and danger to the community they get to stay and operate in perpetuity?
Their poisons "trespass" all over the neighborhoods, the water and downtown businesses without repercussion to them. Seems like it is time to take a long hard look at all of those smokestacks and ask the City why they (Simpson and all of its other incarnations) get to have so many smokestacks, and what all of them are emitting into the air we are breathing...
A conversation with an ORCAA engineer revealed that the companies "grandfathered in" are allowed to keep operating under the old standards unless they change something which would require new permits. However, they are not allowed to spew unabated, they can't be a nuisance. It was my impression that complaints to ORCAA trigger investigations so I wonder if the standard for those companies "grandfathered in" is that they're allowed to get away with as much as WE let them get away with.
ReplyDeleteGreat point.
ReplyDeleteFriday I was downtown by the Journal building and it smelled bad to me, breeze coming from guess where?
Also Friday, standing by the old liquor store building, I was seeing way more than a single smokestack emitting smoke and/or steam...
How many are we really talking about?
At the very least, let's start making comments to ORCAA when (1) the air smells bad; (2) when the stuff coming out is particularly black or brown, and (3) for those who live downtown and see it and smell it everyday, maybe you get to call ORCAA every day.
Very good point, Katherine. We need to start "getting in everyone's face" and start complaining. I guess we need to become "squeeky wheels". The "squeeky wheel" gets the attention/grease in order to 'shut it up'!
ReplyDeleteOh, that is so true. There are some people whose faces we need to get in, and we need to get in their faces in number, and we need to get in their faces regularly.
ReplyDeleteLet's start squeaking hard, fellow air-breathers. Let's see if we can get some help from our elected officials if only to shut us up.
It is time to make some phone calls to Norm Dicks, Patty Murray, Maria Cantwell, Fred Finn, Kathy Haigh, and any and all other "Democrats," who give lip service to protecting the environment when it suits them, and then forget about or ignore it when it does not.
Fred Finn and Kathy Haigh in particular could be helpful in putting forth new legislation that correctly identifies hydro as renewable, and removes burning biomass from the list of things we can call "green" or "renewable."
We lost a battle on Friday, it stings, but it was only one battle in a war we cannot afford to lose.
We were down for a minute, and that minute is over.
Let's dust ourselves off and come out swinging.
There are lots of avenues we still need to pursue, letters and phone calls to follow-up on, people we need to alert who could help us, and lots of people who still need to be educated about the triple-threat facing our community from Adage, Simpson and Simpson's latest bastard child, Solomon.
Keep it light, air-breathers.