We have a BIG problem trying to come into NW Illinois' Jo Daviess County.
Wealthy California business man, AJ Bos is trying to set up a 12,000 head mega-dairy near Nora, Illinois. There will be about 70 acres of manure lagoons. The stench will travel for miles. Folks down there are organizing because they are concerned about their drinking water.
They have created a website at: STOPTHEMEGADAIRY.ORG.
Here's what you can do to help the good people living in Nora:
The Jo Daviess County Board voted 11 to 5 to reject the proposed mega dairy. Unfortunately, the IL Dept. of Agriculture can ignore that vote, and place the facility against the wishes of the board and the constituents that they represent.
Please give me one minute right now and take two vitally important actions.
First, contact the Governor, and let him know that you don't want this facility in Illinois. You can call, write, or use his web portal to send him a message.
Governor Rod Blagojevich
207 State House
Springfield, IL 62706
Phone: 217-782-0244 or 312-814-2121
TTY: 888-261-3336
Contact the Govenor
Your message should look and sound something like this:
Dear Governor Blagojevich,
The Jo Daviess County board voted 11 to 5 to deny an application for a 12,000 head CAFO proposed for their county. Siting numerous experts concern about major damage to the aquifer and surrounding rivers and streams, and the tremendous negative impact this facility would have on tourism, which is already bringing over $200,000,000 to the county, they rejected this application since it didn't fulfill the eight criteria imposed by the Illinois Department of Agriculture.
Please use your authority as Governor to ensure that the Department of Agriculture follows their own guidelines and denies this application. The citizens of Jo Daviess County deserve the right to have their elected county board make decisions that will have such significant negative impact on their community. Thank you.
Okay now that you've got that done, please go to this Sierra Club web site and tell the federal EPA that huge factory farms should not be exempt from the clean air act. The Bushies would give them a legal loophole to avoid all of the pollution lawsuits being filed against them all over the country. This gift to corporate agriculture from the Bush administration would penalize small family farms, while allowing the largest and richest facilities to do as they pleased.
http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=bOL-NhsfcC4RPypoGStwBw..
Alright, you've earned serious bonus point for the last two actions, but now you need to contact the head of the Department of Agriculture, and voice your objections to this facility. Every letter they get has to be reviewed by their board, and included in their files. They need to know that people are concerned about clean air, clean water, family farms, and public health, and won't stand for these factories in Illinois.
Charles A. Hartke, Director
State of Illinois Department of Agriculture
P.O. Box 19281, State Fairgrounds
Springfield, IL 62794-9281
(217) 785-4789
FAX: 217.785.4505
You can read much more about this issue at http://www.StopTheMegaDairy.org. Act now.
Showing posts with label Water-Quality. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Water-Quality. Show all posts
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Thursday, June 07, 2007
US/Canadian Study says Lakes Need Help
CHICAGO (June 7, 2007) - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Environment Canada today released the 2007 State of the Great Lakes Highlights Report at the International Joint Commission meeting in Chicago.
Overall, the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the Great Lakes ecosystem is mixed, with some conditions improving while others are getting worse.
Every two years the Great Lakes community reports on the condition of the Great Lakes ecosystem at the State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference. The last conference was held Nov. 1-3, 2006, in Milwaukee, Wis. The State of the Great Lakes Highlights Report summarizes the information provided in indicator reports presented at the biennial conference.
The 2007 State of the Great Lakes Highlights Report, for the first time, includes a section on "What is Being Done to Improve Conditions." According to Gary Gulezian, EPA Great Lakes National Program Office Director, "As never before, legislators, managers, scientists, educators and the Great Lakes community are working together to understand and respond to Great Lakes environmental challenges." These efforts to restore and preserve the Great Lakes are spotlighted in the 2007 SOLEC Highlights Report.
The good news is:
*Over the past 30 years there has been a marked reduction in the levels of toxic chemicals in the air, water, flora, fauna and sediment.
*Great Lakes continue to be a good source for treated drinking water.
* In 2005, 74 percent of monitored Great Lakes beaches in the U.S. and Canada were open more than 95 per cent of the swimming season. Wildlife waste can be more of a contributing factor in bacterial contamination than previously thought.
* Air quality is improving, although there still are regional areas that continue to have ozone and smog problems.
* Significant natural reproduction of lake trout is occurring in lakes Huron and Superior.
The bad news is:
* New chemicals of concern, like polybrominated diphenyl ethers (flame retardants) and various pharmaceutical and personal care products are being detected more frequently.
* Decline in contaminant concentrations has not eliminated the need for sport fish consumption advisories.
* Non-native species (zebra mussels, spiny water fleas) continue to invade the Great Lakes and impair the food web.
* Declines in the duration and extent of ice cover on the Great Lakes and declines in lake levels due to evaporation during the winter are expected to occur in future years.
* Continuing wetlands loss and degradation results in loss of habitat for birds, amphibians, fish and wildlife.
* Aquatic habitats on the coasts continue to deteriorate due to development, shoreline hardening and non-native species.
For the State of the Great Lakes 2007 Highlights Report and other documents about Great Lakes indicators and the State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conferences, visit www.binational.net or www.epa.gov/glnpo/solec.
Overall, the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the Great Lakes ecosystem is mixed, with some conditions improving while others are getting worse.
Every two years the Great Lakes community reports on the condition of the Great Lakes ecosystem at the State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference. The last conference was held Nov. 1-3, 2006, in Milwaukee, Wis. The State of the Great Lakes Highlights Report summarizes the information provided in indicator reports presented at the biennial conference.
The 2007 State of the Great Lakes Highlights Report, for the first time, includes a section on "What is Being Done to Improve Conditions." According to Gary Gulezian, EPA Great Lakes National Program Office Director, "As never before, legislators, managers, scientists, educators and the Great Lakes community are working together to understand and respond to Great Lakes environmental challenges." These efforts to restore and preserve the Great Lakes are spotlighted in the 2007 SOLEC Highlights Report.
The good news is:
*Over the past 30 years there has been a marked reduction in the levels of toxic chemicals in the air, water, flora, fauna and sediment.
*Great Lakes continue to be a good source for treated drinking water.
* In 2005, 74 percent of monitored Great Lakes beaches in the U.S. and Canada were open more than 95 per cent of the swimming season. Wildlife waste can be more of a contributing factor in bacterial contamination than previously thought.
* Air quality is improving, although there still are regional areas that continue to have ozone and smog problems.
* Significant natural reproduction of lake trout is occurring in lakes Huron and Superior.
The bad news is:
* New chemicals of concern, like polybrominated diphenyl ethers (flame retardants) and various pharmaceutical and personal care products are being detected more frequently.
* Decline in contaminant concentrations has not eliminated the need for sport fish consumption advisories.
* Non-native species (zebra mussels, spiny water fleas) continue to invade the Great Lakes and impair the food web.
* Declines in the duration and extent of ice cover on the Great Lakes and declines in lake levels due to evaporation during the winter are expected to occur in future years.
* Continuing wetlands loss and degradation results in loss of habitat for birds, amphibians, fish and wildlife.
* Aquatic habitats on the coasts continue to deteriorate due to development, shoreline hardening and non-native species.
For the State of the Great Lakes 2007 Highlights Report and other documents about Great Lakes indicators and the State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conferences, visit www.binational.net or www.epa.gov/glnpo/solec.
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