[GreenYes] Alert 468: Another big victory for the wasters in Delaware.

[Alan Muller <amuller@no.address>]

Green Delaware Alert #468
   (please post/forward)
Another big victory for the dumpers and wasters in Delaware

Delaware Solid Waste Authority gets green light from "Sunset" Committee

Public not allowed to speak ...

"That's what it came down to ...  f__k the people's health."

Last night the"Joint Sunset Committee" of the Delaware General Assembly 
approved the continued existence of the Delaware Solid Waste Authority 
without making a single official recommendation for improvement.

The Committee has the power to recommend changes, and is supposed to shut 
down truly non-performing agencies.

The Delaware Sunset Act was passed in very different times--times of 
political reform when the public interest was on the mind of elected 
officials--and is well worth reading, if only to get a sense of how much 
ground has been lost.  See http://www.delcode.state.de.us/title29/c102/.

Community organizations had requested a "review" of the Authority under the 
Sunset Act.  Many asked that the agency be terminated ("sunsetted").

 In three years of proceedings, the Sunset Committee consistently dissed 
public testimony, sucked up to the DSWA, and even "snuck off" quietly to 
visit a Pennsylvania garbage incinerator, illegal in Delaware.

For background see, for example, Alert 317, "Delaware's Joint Sunset 
Committee insults public, ignores law," at 
http://www.greendel.org/item.xhtml?name=alert_0317 .

This was a huge victory for the self-serving, much-criticized agency, 
coming on the heels of the recent approval by state officials of a 
requested expansion of the notorious Cherry Island garbage dump in the city 
of Wilmington.  See Alert 466 at 
http://www.greendel.org/item.xhtml?name=alert%20_046.

Green Delaware's written request to speak was denied.  Nor were any members 
of the public were allowed to speak.  Testimony from the (politically 
controlled) Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental 
Control (DNREC) opposed a state takeover of the quasi-independent Solid 
Waste Authority.

Martha Denison of the Civic League for New Castle County said:  "It's 
totally appalling.  We aren't being treated like citizens at all."  "The 
decision not to let the public speak was a travesty.  Sen. Copeland, who is 
on the 'citizens task force,' and is supposed to be helping us, should have 
spoken up."  Denison was also disturbed that no New Castle County officials 
appeared to represent their constituents' concerns.

Don Farrell, Wilmington activist and the only person of color in the room, 
said:  "Senator Copeland said the [Cherry Island] dump is well run and he 
admires the 'business model' of the Authority.  I guess he doesn't live 
around the dump."  [Senator Copeland, related to the DuPont family, lives 
far from the dump.]  Farrell continued "That's what it came down to ...f__k 
the people's health."

Afterwards, Authority officials smiled happily and talked about going to 
the "Lobby House" restaurant to celebrate.  Board Member Toby Ryan thanked 
Rep. John Viola for his support.  Authority CEO Pat Canzano and DNREC Air 
and Waste Director Jim Werner--two of the most unreliable officials we have 
ever met--gave an endearing public display of affection.  Authority public 
relations consultant Sam Waltz looked especially pleased.  (Waltz had his 
employees and clients send in "public comment" letters supporting increased 
dumping.)

Impending progress...

One committee member, Sen. David Sokola, reportedly said the committee 
didn't take any real action because the agency is "making progress."  It 
certainly is:  Coming up on the agenda is a rollback of Delaware laws 
against incineration.

The committee acted to support the DSWA by an (apparently) unanimous voice 
vote:

Sen. George Bunting (spoke at length in favor of the Waste Authority)
Sen. Charlie Copeland (wanna-be governor and member of "citizens" waste 
task force)
Rep. Deborah Hudson
Sen. Robert Marshall (Vice-chair and loyal servant of the Authority)
Rep. Mike Mulrooney
Rep. Bill Oberle (Chair of committee.  Has promised improvement but it's 
not visible.)
Rep. Bob Valihura (Val. seemed a bit uncomfortable with what was happening)
Rep. John Viola
Sen. David Sokola (Sokola is a legislator many would expect better of.)

Absent:

Rep. Helene Keeley (Of Wilmington.  left before the vote)
Sen. Colin Bonini (Is almost always absent from Sunset Committee meetings)

Commentary from Green Delaware:

Elected officials act like this when they are more afraid of special 
interests than they are of the voters.  The remedy for this seems obvious 
but is difficult to implement on our little plantation.

Government in Delaware is in a meltdown comparable to what is happening at 
the national level under Bush.  The public interest is submerged in a 
feeding frenzy of special interest scumbaggery.  For environmental and 
public health advocates, this is obviously a tough time.

The meltdown of waste policy is aided, as we see it, by a "citizens" task 
force described in Alert 565 
(http://www.greendel.org/item.xhtml?name=alert%20_0465) and other comments 
posted at www.greendel.org.

Does this mean that all the members of this "task force" have bad 
intentions?  No.  A standard tactic of community manipulation is to co-opt 
and distract the susceptible, and to marginalize those who know what they 
are doing.

This "task force" seems similar to the "Community Advisory Panels" set up 
by industrial facilities to manipulate their neighbors.

This is no time for concerned citizens to panic or give up.  The answer is 
always the same:  "Don't mourn,...Organize!"

ACTION ITEM:

Call each of the committee members and let them know how unhappy you are 
with their decision.  Contact information is 
at:  http://www.de.lwv.org/repu01.html
Green Delaware is a community based organization working on environment and 
public health issues.  We try to provide information you can use.  Please 
use it.  Do you want to continue receiving information from Green 
Delaware?  Please consider contributing or volunteering.  Reach us at 
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USA, 19731-0069