IS ORCAA ENDANGERED?

LET'S FIX IT NOW!

Submitted to Shelton Blog by Clear Cut Mason County Progressive

We need to campaign for changes to the functions and makeup of ORCAA. These changes should affect their charter, their responsibilities, the make-up of their Board and their so-called experts.

ORCAA has become a political rubber stamp agency run on behalf of, and for the benefit of, polluting industries. I'm pretty sure the original intent was to protect the quality of our air and our health, but the process has been seriously diverted. The ORCAA board is made up of politicians, appointed largely for political favor, who lack the knowledge, judgement and fiduciary character that such an agency should represent.

The Board of ORCAA should be comprised of environmental experts, citizens specifically elected to serve on the ORCAA Board, one or two representatives of industry and at least two representatives from well respected environmental and health organizations like the American Heart Association, American Lung Association, the Mason Thurston Physicians, the Center for Biological Diversity, The Wilderness Society, The Sierra Club, Concerned Citizens of Mason County and PT Airwatchers. There should be no politicians appointed to the board.

Representation should be diversified and include more citizen representation and input.

Alternatively, ORCAA should be eliminated and made part of the Department of Ecology where it could be held accountable, with their budget and functions transferred to the Department of Ecology.

In either case, citizen involvement needs to be formalized and electoral pressure needs to be brought to bear on behalf of the people, and reduced on behalf of industry and local elected officials acting as pawns for industry.

It is time to make those responsible for upholding and interpreting established law accountable for their actions and violations.

It is time to assure citizens that agencies charged with protecting their health and environment do just that.