Mercury Rising
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GOV. ARNOLD ON ENERGY • "NATURE BOY" LARRY DAVID WATERKEEPERWATERKEEPERAUTUMN 2004 mercuryrising Letter From the President Waterkeeper: Redefining the Environmental Debate responsibility toward our children. Dr. David Carpenter, a national author- Rather than honoring the free market, ity on mercury and human health, told they fight for corporate welfare and me that the children of a woman with envision a system of capitalism for the equivalent concentrations would have poor and socialism for the rich. cognitive impairment. He estimated In a true free-market economy you they would suffer permanent IQ loss of can’t make yourself rich without five to seven points. Half of the mercu- enriching your neighbors and your ry emissions in our country are coming community. A true free-market from coal-burning plants that could properly values natural resources and remove this poison cheaply and easily promotes efficiency and the elimina- but choose instead to externalize their tion of waste. Waste is pollution. So the costs by poisoning our children and free market eliminates pollution. But contaminating our waterways. polluters subvert the discipline of the Proposed Clinton-era regulations free market. Corporations are external- required utilities to remove 90% of the izing machines – ever seeking ways of mercury within 3 years, but President foisting their costs on the public, and Bush, after accepting $100 million from pollution is perhaps the most common the industry, scrapped those regula- orporate polluters, their phony method for loading production costs tions in favor of regulations penned by think tanks and political toadies onto the rest of us. Acid rain pollutants, utility lobbyists that will effectively C like to marginalize environmen- asthma-causing particulates and dead- allow the industry to escape enforce- talists as “tree huggers,” or “radicals” ly mercury that are now discharged able mercury controls forever. but there is nothing radical about clean from coal burning power plants thanks All environmental injury is a sub- air or water. Environmentalists are bat- to President Bush’s blessing, imposing version of the market system and an tling for the very mainstream values costs on society that should, in a true assault on democracy. The corpora- that right-wing fanatics so often herald free market, be reflected in the price of tions that persuaded our President to in their rhetoric: property rights, law those utilities’ energy in the market dump those public health regulations and order, local control, and free mar- place. You show me a polluter, I’ll show don’t want free markets or democracy, ket capitalism. Too often these are only you a subsidy—a fat cat using political they want profits. Oftentimes the best hollow facades that mask the radical clout to escape the discipline of the free path to profits is to capture govern- agenda of the White House’s doubles- market. ment officials using our campaign peakers whose only real value seems to All our federal environmental laws finance system, which is nothing more be corporate profit taking. These feder- were intended to promote free market than legalized bribery, and then use al officials have taken the “conserve” capitalism by forcing actors in the mar- that power to privatize and plunder the out of conservatism. They only ketplace to pay the true costs of bring- commons. Corporations are a good embrace property rights when it is the ing their products to market. thing for our economy, but they should right of polluters to use their property Werkeeper Alliance and our 128 local not be running our government. To pro- to destroy their neighbor’s or the public programs enforce these laws. We go tect our democracy and our environ- property. (Where is their clamor when into the marketplace, and catch ment, we must ensure that government industrial hog syndicates and moun- cheaters. “We are going to force you,” agencies and public trust assets stay taintop mining conglomerates destroy we tell them, “to internalize your costs within the hands of the people. the properties of their neighbors?) the same way you are internalizing Pollution threatens all of our national While proclaiming law and order, they your profit.” I don’t even consider values. It violates the free market, let corporate polluters off the hook. (As myself an environmentalist anymore. diminishes property rights, mocks law President Bush did last year when he I’m a free-marketeer. So long as the and order, promotes corporate rather ordered the Justice Department and polluters are cheating, none of us will than local control and shatters the EPA to drop dozens of lawsuits against get the benefits of the efficiency, pros- duties of responsibility mandated by coal-burning utilities and corporate perity and democracy that the free Judeo-Christian and other religious tra- hog farms that had contributed mil- market promises America. ditions. It is pessimistic, defeatist and lions to his campaign.) “Local control” This issue of Waterkeeper Magazine anti-democratic. It contradicts America’s is only invoked to dismantle the obsta- focuses on mercury, which has led to historical ties to wilderness and the cles to corporate dominion at the local warnings against eating fish in 45 American tradition of responsibility, level (When Arnold Schwarzenegger states. One out of every six American resourcefulness and commitment to com- passed the toughest auto emissions women of childbearing years now car- munity. It is unpatriotic and un- law in the U.S., the White House threat- ries so much mercury in her body that American and threatens our public health ened to join Detroit in suing). And her children are at risk for permanent and national security far more than any while proclaiming Christianity, they IQ loss, blindness, autism, kidney, heart terrorist. Our battle is a battle for those routinely violate the manifest man- and liver damage. I recently tested my values and for all the things that make dates of Christianity that we act as own blood for mercury and found us proud of our country. WK stewards of the Earth and exercise levels double those considered safe. 04 Waterkeeper Magazine Fall 2004 www.waterkeeper.org WATERKEEPER Volume 1 Number 2, Fall 2004 20 34 46 54 04 Welcome Letter 40 Making the Clean Water Act Work in Dublin, Georgia 08 Letters to the Editor 44 Billion Dollar Baykeeper: Santa 10 PRS Guide to Healthy Fish Monica Baykeeper Settles Suit with Los Angeles 12 News 46 Special News: Cook Inletkeeper & Black 18 California Governor Arnold Warrior Riverkeeper Schwarzenegger on Energy 50 Waterkeepers Around the World 20 Mercury Rising: The consequences of lax 54 Waterkeeper National Conference emission rules for coal-fired power plants 56 Chesapeake Initiative 30 Larry David: “Nature Boy” 59 Ask me about Mercury 34 A Typical Day with the Delaware Riverkeeper 60 On the Water with photographer Stephen Shore 38 Navigation Hazard on Commencement Bay, Washington 62 Index to Advertisers CONTENTS Proud Sponsors of Waterkeeper Magazine © 2004 Waterkeeper Alliance. Reproduction of editorial content only, is authorized with appropriate credit and acknowledgement. Waterkeeper, Channelkeeper and Lakekeeper are registered trademarks and service marks of Waterkeeper Alliance, Inc. Coastkeeper, Creekkeeper, Gulfkeeper and Inletkeeper are trademarks and service marks licensed by Waterkeeper Alliance, Inc. Riverkeeper is a registered trademark and service mark of Riverkeeper, Inc. and is licensed for use herein. Baykeeper and Deltakeeper are registered trademarks and service marks of Waterkeepers Northern California and are licensed for use herein. Soundkeeper is a registered trademark and service mark of Soundkeeper, Inc. and is licensed for use herein. Inside pages printed on Domtar Schooner paper with up to 20% post-consumer content, and at least 17.5% of the fiber used in the manufacturing process comes from well-managed forests in accordance to the rules of the Forest Stewardship Council. Printed in USA • Cummings Printing 06 Waterkeeper Magazine Fall 2004 www.waterkeeper.org Magazine Ads age individuals to report violations by rewarding The premier issue of your magazine was the courage to do so. But the money you can recov- informative and helpful. But I was shocked to see er under these laws doesn’t approach 50 percent of prominent ads for Fords SUVs - hybrid or not - and the penalty. Some state laws also allow whistle- Honda's personal watercraft. I don't think these blowers to receive some of the penalty. The federal sponsors/commercials are appropriate for the Clean Water Act, the one Waterkeeper Alliance Letters to the magazine. -Joan Breiding, via email most commonly enforces, does not provide for a Editor bounty. Environmental groups can, however, We have put a lot of thought into what adver- recover their attorney fees and costs. This provi- tisers we will allow and we’ve tried to set appro- sion is important to ensure that citizens have priate standards. In both these cases, we chose to equal access to justice – it helps put some of the accept ads for vehicles that use advanced tech- burden for enforcing the law back onto polluters. nologies, although their overall environmental Whether or not a citizen is entitled to a bounty we record is questionable. believe that anyone who knows about illegal pol- The Ford ad is specifically for their new lution is obliged to take action. (See article , page gas/electric hybrid vehicle. We believe that pro- 40- (Making the Clean Water Act Work). Everyone moting a step in the right direction is as important has a right to clean water and with that right as fighting the many bad decisions that come out comes a responsibility to speak up for clean water. of Detroit (as well as Tokyo and everywhere else where the auto industry makes its decisions). The Clean Marinas Honda ad is for their four-stroke personal water We have a marina and we want to be responsi- craft.