DO SOMETHING: attend Fox River meeting

DO SOMETHING!

Please stand up one more time for the future of the Fox River and our communites and attend the upcoming EPA hearing about the Fox River cleanup.

The EPA is holding a public meeting about its proposed changes to the Fox River Cleanup plan. Please plan to attend this meeting and let them know there is no excuse to back down from the original, well-researched clean-up plan. We need to:

· Uphold the original “Record Of Decision”!
· Oppose capping of the river sediments.
· Clean-up; don’t cover up the PCBs in the Fox River. We need a permanent solution, so that our children will not have to deal with this polluted mess.
· Make sure the liable polluters take full responsibility and pay for the clean-up.


Meeting details:
Tuesday, December 5th, 2006
7 – 9 p.m. at the Brown County Library, 515 Pine Street, Green Bay.


Background:

The Fox River is polluted with more than 700,000 pounds of PCBs – cancer-causing chemicals highly toxic to both people and wildlife. PCBs were dumped by the paper mills and have accumulated at the bottom of the river. The toxins are taken up by smaller organisms and accumulate as they are eaten by fish and move up the food chain; exposing animals like the bald eagle and humans if they consume the fish. PCBs have also been linked to immune deficiencies, IQ loss, and learning difficulties.

Fox Valley environmentalists fought for a clean up plan that protects human health and the environment. After years of research, public hearings and extensive evaluations, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, determined the best remedy was to remove the PCBs by dredging. Science shows the way to return the Fox River to a system that fully protects human health and the environment is to REMOVE the toxic PCBs from the river. A Record of Decision (ROD) and plan to carry out the clean up was agreed to and signed.

BACKPEDALING-Clean Up is Re-Opened for Debate: Despite the evidence and agreement; DNR is reopening the ROD solely for financial reasons. Clean up costs exceeded estimates by 50% allowing the responsible parties to reopen the agreement. Now polluters want to backpedal and are proposing a cheaper dangerous alternative. In stead of removing the PCBs they intend to cover them up by capping. Capping means leaving toxins at the bottom of a dynamic river system for future generations to deal with; covering-up rather than cleaning up the mess they made. To learn more visit http://dnr.wi.gov/org/water/wm/foxriver/index.html

Local Groups Send Candidates One Message: "Our Land, Our Water, Our Future--Be Our Voice"

Green Bay—Today and tomorrow, in 6 locations across the state, representatives of over 50 groups from across the state, ranging from businesses, sporting clubs, and non-profit organizations, will join together to remind candidates running for office not to forget their hometown conservation priorities if they successfully make it to the Capitol after Tuesday’s elections. The groups are united around three pressing conservation issues, but have one single message for candidates to remember in Madison: Be Our Voice.

Over the last two months, groups have been mobilizing their members and supporters around three issues that impact their health, livelihoods, and hobbies, including improving the rules that manage manure on large, factory-style farms; finding solutions to reduce out-of-state waste; and creating protections for the Great Lakes waters.

This undertaking not only aims to educate the public, it also aims to educate candidates running for office. Already, the groups have delivered hundreds of public comments to candidates; today, they want to remind candidates one last time to remember their priorities, and to remind other Wisconsinites to take their conservation values to the voting booth.

“We are here today to ask candidates to Be Our Voice in Madison,” said Larry Freitag of the Sheboygan Area Great Lakes Sports Fishermen. “For so many of us, living in Sheboygan and Manitowoc counties means being able to enjoy the lakes, rivers, and land all around us. We can’t afford to sit by while they are threatened by manure runoff, diversions, and landfill toxins. Our candidates need to be strong advocates for protecting these natural resources so we can continue to enjoy the quality of life they provide.”

Kent Mayfield, a member of Grassroots Wisconsin out of Dodgeville, said, “Too often during elections, candidates tell you what you want to hear but forget what they said when they get into office. Today, our message to them is loud and clear: Protect our land, our water, and our future. Be our voice.”

Hunters and anglers, hikers and bikers, and others who value Wisconsin’s natural resources have seen attacks on natural resource protections in the last several years, like the Dirty Air Bill. The groups are calling on candidates from all political parties to protect natural resources.

According to Marc Schultz, Mississippi River conservationist, “Clean water, clean air, and open spaces are concerns that cross all party lines. All of us drink the water and breathe the air, and we all worry about pollution making our children sick. A well-managed landscape is important, and we need all of our decision-makers to make this a priority.”

“It’s clear to me that spending time enjoying the outdoors is no longer enough,” said Don Camplin, President of the Waukesha County Conservation Alliance. “I need to make sure my legislators take my love of Wisconsin’s natural resources to Madison. I plan to vote my conservation values on Tuesday, and I expect whoever wins to represent those values in the state legislature.”

For More Information: Jessica Garrels, Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters Institute, 920-429-9008