Clergyman Charlie: A second call to Governor Spitzer
July 17th, 2007 by Charles Lamb
When you have lots of money, you can put big ads into a newspaper. That doesn’t necessarily make them true.
When you don’t have the same financial resources, you are grateful to papers that publish letters to the editor, so that the other side of the story can be told. I hope people recognize the difference between statements that are made for self-interest by those who profit by making them, and those which are made by volunteer citizens who speak with no financial gain in mind.
On July 7 there was a large ad in a Western New York newspaper from Waste Management that spoke of the commitment of Chemical Waste Management, the largest polluter in Niagara County, to protecting the environment. It was headed, “Protecting the environment isn’t just a requirement. It’s our most important responsibility.”
Well, the proof of any statement is in the actions that follow.
If CWM really wants to protect our environment, then they can join in urging Governor Spitzer to sign a bill that recently passed the New York State Assembly and Senate. This bill, A.248-B, calls for no permits for toxic landfills that have the potential to leak into the Great Lakes. CWM could stop opposing that legislation and instead endorse it.
CWM could also drop its attempts to get a permit for a new landfill. It isn’t good for our environment to attempt to get customers from many states to bring their toxic poisons for disposal here. When hundreds of trucks go by our schools carrying toxics, there is always the potential of leaks or accidents. We can protect our environment better if that importation of toxics from many other states ceases.
So do not be fooled by good sounding advertisements. Think for yourself. To protect our environment, let’s get a bill signed and let’s stop being the dumping ground for dangerous materials. For the sake of our health and our children’s health, our property values, and our environment, we need to say “Yes” to bill A 248 and “No” to any more permits for toxic landfills.
We’ve asked you to do it before, but the bill still sits on the Governor’s desk. Tell Governor Spitzer to sign the bill. Call him at 518-474-839, or you can email him here. Then tell CWM to stop any attempts to get a permit for a new landfill. Call them at 716-754-0404.
Protecting the environment is the responsibility of all of us, regardless of where we live, and we’ll do that best by taking the two actions above.
A view of Toronto from across Lake Ontario by this fantastic photographer
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