Re: Incineration & Evil Intent

[Susan Snow <sksnow@1stnet.com>]

  Jon and Rebecca,
  I believe the same thing is occurring with people who peddle municipal
  solid waste and/or sewage sludge compost facilities, which peddle their
  toxic compost for use on farmlands and gardens across the nation.  This
  sludge may contain dioxin and PCBs, but EPA from what I understand, is
  not regulating these contaminants in the sludge --now linquistically
  detoxified as biosolids and sold as an ''organic'' compost, potting
  soil, or fertilizer.
  
  Susan
  ------------------------------------------------------------
  
  
  
  Jon Campbell wrote:
  > 
  > Hi, Rebecca,
  > 
  >       In my posting, I did not intend to cast all of the people who promoted
  > incinerators as evil. Most were just misinformed about the dangers.
  > 
  >       The incinerator companies knew better, however. They just didn't let
  > on that anything was amiss...
  > I believe that it was a well-coordinated scheme to divert public money to
  > private hands through the floating of municipal bonds.
  > 
  > Thanks
  > Jon
  > 
  > -----Original Message-----
  > From: Rebecca Leighton Katers <cwac@mail.execpc.com>
  > To: Multiple recipients of list <dioxin-l@essential.org>
  > Date: Wednesday, December 03, 1997 8:53 AM
  > Subject: Incineration & Evil Intent
  > 
  > >While everyone should certainly know better now,
  > >I agree with Sam McClintock's assessment that
  > >many incinerator promoters in the 70s and 80s
  > >were probably well-meaning.
  > >
  > >As a college student in 1981, I took a course in
  > >Solid Waste Management.  The professor in that
  > >course was essentially a nice man who was
  > >mesmerized by the promise of incinerators, and he
  > >passed "the magic" on to all his students.   Our
  > >class project for the semester was to "plan" a
  > >MSW incinerator for downtown Green Bay,
  > >Wisconsin.
  > >
  > >The Professor was absolutely convinced that
  > >incinerators were the "Answer."   In fact, I got
  > >in quite a bit of trouble asking more than once
  > >why we didn't study or discuss recycling.   He
  > >stormed at me and said it didn't work --- they
  > >had already tried it in Green Bay in the 70s and
  > >no one cooperated.   He said our job was to
  > >manage the solid waste once it was generated ---
  > >the only people still talking about recycling
  > >were soft-headed environmentalists.
  > >
  > >Let's face it --- to those who see only the good
  > >of incineration there seem to be a lot of
  > >benefits:  waste to energy, reduced landfill
  > >needs, destruction of pathogens,  high-tech
  > >magic, etc.   It seems like the pinnacle of
  > >modern, even environmental, answers to solid
  > >waste.   It turned waste into a resource.
  > >
  > >And everyone I knew then believed that air
  > >pollution control equipment took care of any
  > >minor pollution problems.   Everyone
  > >assumed "the regulations are strict" --- (THIS IS
  > >WHERE WE NEED TO FOCUS OUR PUBLIC
  > >EDUCATION!!)
  > >
  > >I remember from that old class that several
  > >professors were working together to address the
  > >financing, waste flow, siting and other details
  > >--- and they were ALL enthusiastic supporters of
  > >the project.
  > >
  > >They didn't know any better.   They were missing
  > >critical pieces of information.    These
  > >professors weren't "evil," but they did have
  > >tunnel-vision.
  > >
  > >When I was elected County Supervisor and City
  > >Alderwoman in 1988, the incinerator was being
  > >formally proposed.   But by then, I had read a
  > >great deal about incinerator disasters (financial
  > >and environmental) across the country and
  > >convinced the local government that it was risky
  > >and needed more investigation.
  > >
  > >In the meantime, Wisconsin passed a strong
  > >recycling law, and Green Bay now has a very
  > >successful curb-side recycling program, in
  > >addition to a permanent household hazardous waste
  > >drop-off site.
  > >
  > >The MSW incinerator never happened, but we're
  > >still siting landfills for the remaining waste
  > >--- and neighbors of those sites STILL want a
  > >MSW incinerator, hoping it will prevent a
  > >landfill by their homes.
  > >
  > >(And many of our papermills propose incinerators
  > >for their waste sludges....)
  > >
  > >I think we should hold the incineration
  > >specialists' feet to the fire, because they
  > >surely knew about toxic emissions
  > >coming from incinerators.
  > >
  > >But the less-informed people who supported these
  > >projects didn't know any better.   And the
  > >majority of people promoting incinerators
  > >probably fit in this second category.
  > >
  > >It's inaccurate (and a waste to time) to blame
  > >ALL incinerator supporters for evil intent.
  > >
  > >Rebecca Leighton Katers
  > >Clean Water Action Council of N.E. Wisconsin
  > >2220 Deckner Avenue
  > >Green Bay, WI 54302
  > >Phone:  920-468-4243
  > >Fax:  920-468-1234
  > >E-mail:  cwac@execpc.com
  > >