Dow Chemical - The Human Element Propoganda

This video is a "remake" of Dow Chemical's Human Element advertising. I found it at Blog4Brains.

World wide, Dow is involved in human rights abuses: environmental destruction, water and ground contamination, health violations, chemical poisoning, and chemical warfare. Dow Chemical's impact is felt globally from their Midland, Michigan headquarters to New Plymouth, New Zealand. In Midland, Dow has been producing chlorinated chemicals and burning and burying its waste including chemicals that make up Agent Orange. In New Plymouth, New Zealand, 500,000 gallons of Agent Orange were produced and thousands of tons of dioxin-laced waste was dumped in agricultural fields. Dow's toxic legacies of human rights abuses traverse to agricultural fields in Central America where Dow exported EPA-banned pesticide DBCP for use on banana and pineapple crops. As a result, thousands of banana workers were exposed to DBCP and became sterile. In retail markets across the world Dow's dangerous chemicals are present as common household solvents, plastics, paints and pharmaceuticals.

Velsicol Chemical Poisons the Pine River

Add this to the list of poisoned waters in Michigan. This kind of bullshit is really starting to piss me off. Every time I hear about some of the ignorant corporate assholes around these parts, I get a little bit angrier.

Associated Press -- ST. LOUIS, Mich. -- High levels of toxins are polluting the Pine River near a chemical plant, according to a report released this week by the state Department of Environmental Quality.

DDT, PBB, benzene and other highly toxic chemicals were found in the river at the site of Velsicol Chemical in St. Louis, Mich., said Murray Borrello, an Alma College professor and member of the Pine River Task Force. The toxins pose a risk to human health. DEQ employee Scott Cornelius told the task force that a study outlining what could be done next will be completed in September 2007. At that time, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the DEQ will decide what action will be taken, but it could take years.

The EPA designated the Velsicol plant and the nearby Gratiot County landfill as Superfund sites in 1983. Since then, numerous investigations and cleanups have been conducted, including the construction of a slurry wall. The river's sediment was transported to an approved hazardous waste dumpsite, but the plant never was cleaned.

Thanks alot Velsicol, you fuckin' jackasses.

Look, maybe it's time we stop putting chemical plants next to drinking water. Who the hell ever said that that was a good idea? I'll do some research into this issue and post more in a few days. This will take some time and energy to write about properly. I don't want to write more until I have a complete understanding of the situation.

If anyone has any background info, send it my way.

Bumpersticker Ideology

Hot Carl Runs Again

Giving the term 'hot Carl' a completely new meaning, Carl "The Specs" Levin announced today that he will run for re-election in '08. Was there ever any doubt?

Here's what he had to say:

"As the new Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, I am ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work. The challenges facing us are many, but my commitment to overcoming them is even greater.

Although I know we will make progress over the next two years, our work will not be easy or soon finished. The economic policies of the past six years are squeezing the middle class and have left us in a deficit ditch that will be difficult to climb out of. The Administration's reckless foreign policy has strained our international alliances and tarnished our standing in the world, which will take years to repair. "

Go for it, big fella. Make us proud.

And Senator, if you're reading, impeach those sons-a-bitches as soon as you can.

Mercury: Act Now to Pass New Legislation Before Year End

This week, the Michigan Senate passed three bills that are an important first step towards phasing out mercury in products. The bills would ban the sale of thermostats (SB 124), blood pressure measuring devices (SB 123) and esophageal dilators that contain mercury (SB 186).

You must contact your Michigan State Representative NOW! The Michigan House of Representatives only has until the end of December to pass these bills before session ends and the bills would have to start all over again. Please click the link below to send a message to your House legislator urging them to pass laws this year that phase out products containing mercury. Do it NOW!"

Tons of toxic mercury are manufactured into products each year in the U.S. Consider that there are currently more than five million mercury thermostats in Michigan, containing over 35,000 pounds of mercury. When these products are sent to a landfill, crushed in a garbage truck or demolition site, or burned in an incinerator, the mercury can be released with potentially serious consequences to people and wildlife.

Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that can affect brain development and, because of this, is particularly harmful to infants, children and pregnant women whose developing babies could be adversely affected. Once in the air and soil mercury makes its way into the rivers and lakes were it works up the food chain, resulting in higher mercury concentrations in the fish we eat. Fortunately, cost effective mercury-free alternatives to these products are readily available. We can reduce our exposure to toxic mercury by phasing out products containing mercury.

ACT NOW!!! Click here to sign up and send a pre-written letter to your Michigan State Representative!

DIOXIN: New Legislation Makes Its Way to Michigan Senate

The Midland Daily News reporter Kathie Marchlewski has been staying on top of new dioxin legislation as it has moved through the Michigan House and Senate. The bill passed the house unanimously last summer and cleared the Senate's Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs committee today. Midland folks involved in the class action lawsuit against Dow Chemical take notice.

A change was made to the bill as it passed through committee. The change allows the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality more flexibility in information used to calculate its dioxin contamination cleanup criteria.

There's a ton of information on the Tittawabassee River dioxin contamination downstream from Dow - which has affected thousands of folks in the Midland area - available on the Ecology Center's website: www.ecocenter.org

The Michigan Dept. of Environmental Quality has a site devoted to the issue called the Midland/Tittabawassee River Dioxin Information Page. Get educated, get informed, get active!


Technorati: Michigan Dow Chemical Dioxin Tittawabassee+River Midland Midland+MI Legislation Senate

Nestle to Reduce Muskegon River 70 Million Gallons Annually

The following is taken from a letter from Terry Swier, President of the Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation:

"Many of you may have seen or heard of Sunday's article in the Muskegon Chronicle "Bottler aims to take more from rivers" written by Jeff Alexander and picked up by the Associated Press. Nestle has asked the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for permission to pump 70 millions gallons of spring water a year from the headwaters of two trout streams near Evart, MI in Osceola County. If approved that would reduce the annual flow of the Muskegon River by 70 million gallons. The DEQ is suppose to make a decision in January and then it will take public comment. All members of MCWC will be asked to comment.

Nestle has also found its way into Newaygo County's Monroe Township on the west side of the state. Nestle had been collecting stream data for three years before the public learned of its plans. The well site is located in the southern portion of Monroe Township at the headwaters of the White and Pere Marquette Rivers. Nestle began drilling a monitoring well on Friday and will probably seek approval to pump spring water from that site. The White River ranks among Michigan's best trout streams and is a state designated "Natural River". Will this give the White River more protection than other rivers in MI?

According to Nestle's geologist at the Stanwood Ice Mt. plant, Nestle is looking at two other sites in Newaygo County and two sites in Wexford County. If all future locations where Nestle is collecting stream flow data are approved this will bring the number of Nestle sites in Michigan to eight."

These guys think they have the right to take what is ours and sell it back to us at a ridiculous price. Don't be that stupid. It's water! Only a complete fucking idiot would pay $1.29 for something that falls out of the sky. Nestle does not own the waters of the state of Michigan, you do.

What can you do?

Boycott! The process of stopping alll this begins with you. Refuse to buy Nestle/Ice Mountain bottled water and let the stores that sell Nestle/Ice Mountain know that you will not shop there until they remove it from the shelf.

Write a check! Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation needs your financial support NOW! Please visit their website at www.savemiwater.org. There's a button on the bottom of the page clearly marked "Make a Donation."

Write letters of protest to Governor Granholm, to the Director of DEQ Steve Chester, and the Michigan Legislature.

Air Pollution: Dammit, I made the mistake of reading the news again!!!

Katwwack!!! That's the sound of my head smacking against my computer desk. Google News Alerts are slowly killing me.

Nov 27th: EPA releases a press release stating the 11 Michigan counties have met ozone requirements. Missing from the federal agency's list were Allegan and Muskegon counties. Elevated concentrations of ground level ozone, which drifts here from other states, continue to be recorded at air monitoring devices in both counties.

Nov 28th: Fox News 28 in South Bend says, "The air in Michigan is getting cleaner. So says the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which says eleven Michigan counties are meeting Clean Air Act standards after several years of falling short."

Nov 28th: The Muskegon Chronicle says "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a pollution alert earlier this week that lasted through Tuesday for elevated amounts of particulate matter in the air. Environmental officials say the levels, while not extreme, can be troublesome for those with sensitive respiratory systems..."The air (pollution) is building up and there is no way to blow it clean again," said Laura DeGuire, of the DEQ air quality division. "

Nov 29th: The Grand Rapids Press goes with exactly the same wording, different byline, "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a pollution alert earlier this week that lasted through Tuesday for elevated amounts of particulate matter in the air. Environmental officials say the levels, while not extreme, can be troublesome for those with sensitive respiratory systems...."The air (pollution) is building up and there is no way to blow it clean again," said Laura DeGuire, of the DEQ air quality division.

Nov 30th: Associated Press says, "Under the Clean Air Act, state and local air quality officials have the primary responsibility for implementing the nation's clean air program. But a study finds that state environmental agencies in the 10 profiled states do not have enough inspectors to monitor industrial emissions and enforce the law...The Center for American Progress and the Center for Progressive Reform today issued the report, "Paper Tigers and Killer Air: How Weak Enforcement Leaves Communities Vulnerable to Smog."...The problem lies with declining federal grants to state and local air quality agencies, which are primarily responsible for enforcing federal clean air standards, the report concludes."

The Alliance for the Great Lakes website tells me "Air pollution impacts on the Great Lakes are significant. According to one study, nearly 90 percent of all mercury entering Lake Michigan comes from the sky. As a result, women of childbearing age and other sensitive populations are warned by all four Lake Michigan states to not eat fish."

Nov 30th: Grand Haven Tribune, "Higher air pollution designations have been shown to slow economic growth by placing increased controls on new industrial plants and limits on highway construction, and can lead to vehicle emission inspections and expensive reformulated gasoline. Being designated as a county that meets the eight-hour ground-level ozone monitoring standard eliminates or loosens any restrictions."

Anyhow, to increase economic growth in West Michigan we had to lower ozone levels, but particulates and mercury will remain a serious problem. The question in my brain, "Won't increased economic growth lead to highter particulate and higher mercury?" What a minute, won't it also lead to higher ozone? Didn't those 11 counties just get permission to add more shit to the air?

My brain hurts.

Reply: Building the Liberal Blogosphere in Michigan

This is my response to Laura's 4posts over on Michgan Liberal.

Probably the coolest thing I've done in the realm of marketing and networking with Black Bear Speaks is to sign up for Google Analytics (you need a gmail account). You can get a complete breakdown of visitors both by geography and referring source site, plus it very easily shows you which posts on your blog are getting the most hits/most popular. What I found out immediately? When I raved like a freaking lune about an environmental issue that really upset me I got a ton of hits, but when I simply copied a news story from reputable source I got nothing. The answer is of course to be unique and outrageously outspoken. The nuttier I appear- leftist whacko treehugging luddite - the more interest I get. I average about 50 unique hits a day, but when I raved like an SUV-burnin' ecoterrorist that number tripled.
Being unique is the path to success in this game. I've written a couple posts about EPA negligence regarding the ozone depleting fungicide methyl bromide and its phase out under the Montreal Protocol. I've only found two other bloggers out there doing so. I got slammed repeatedly in emails from EPA officials and a corporate CEO. That is a story to watch, these folks don't like having attention drawn to them when they are trying to screw you.

Leftyblogs is only great if you can write a headline. For example, "Canned Cheese, Hybrids and the Rightwing Bastards That Make Them" will most assuredly get more notice than "GM to Build More Hybrids."

Posting YouTube videos on Black Bear Speaks has so far only been successful when the vids are of Keith Olbermann or Bill Maher. I plan to make my own videos eventually and post about them, so I created a navbar link to my YouTube page. When I finally have the time to become a vlogger I'll be ready. Right now you can only see all the videos that I've "favorited" on YouTube, mostly 9/11 videos about the controlled demolition of the three WTC buildings... and Keith and Bill.

One more thing. If you join Technorati, make certain you use the Technorati Tag Generator. It's really handy and speeds up the process of adding tags to every single post. I have a post-it stuck to my monitor as a reminder.

People Who Deserve Your Support

Here's some cool sites that GLIN just sent out to it's listserv. I really like the look and feel of the Wildlands League site, the logo is top notch and the design is really well done.

St. Lawrence River Institute of Environmental Sciences
www.riverinstitute.com

Inland Seas Education Association (ISEA)
www.globalfreshwater.org

Great Lakes Inventory and Monitoring Network
www.nature.nps.gov/im/units/glkn

Wildlands League
www.wildlandsleague.org

Lake Superior Conservancy and Watershed Council
www.lscwc.org

These are all excellent resources, I will add them to the left column here on Black Bear for future reference. Check them out.

Eco-Bloggers: Here's a Link to Michigan's New Renewable Fuels Commission Site

My friendly fellow eco-bloggers, allow me to steer you in the direction of Govenor Granholm's newly formed Michigan Renewable Fuels Commission. There is a public survey on the site, you can give them a piece of your mind. I've already provided them with the Bear's opinion - mainly legalizing hemp production in MI. Notice, Govenor, that I have already stolen your logo and intend to use it for my own gratification.

DEQ Recognizes Consumers Energy BC Cobb as a Clean Corporate Citizen

Consumers Energy's BC Cobb Electric Generating Complex was added to Michigan's Clean Corporate Citizen (C3) Program today, becoming the 140th member of the voluntary program recognizing environmental stewardship across the state. All I can say is, "you've got to be fucking kidding."

The DEQ wants you to know that "the BC Cobb Plant is located on 300 acres at the mouth of the Muskegon River in west Michigan. The facility has been recognized by the Wildlife Habitat Council for their commitment to environmental stewardship and increasing native biodiversity in the marsh, river delta, field, and woodland areas that surround the generating complex. The site received further recognition by the Michigan Association of Environmental Professionals for closure of an existing 62-acre coal fly ash landfill. The solution included installation of a 70-foot deep clay retaining wall around the perimeter of the landfill and a synthetic cover on top to keep stormwater and ash from migrating into nearby waters of the state. The large open area constructed as a result of the project is being considered for public recreational use. In addition, they designed an ash pond series-flow treatment system which has proven to work well while providing habitat for waterfowl.

The plant burns approximately 1 million tons of blended eastern and low-sulfur western. Active programs are in place to reduce used-oil waste, reduce solvent use, reduce the use of chemical additives in condenser and non-contact cooling water, and to reduce thermal emissions in discharge waters."

To qualify for a Clean Corporate Citizen designation, candidates must adopt a facility-specific environmental management system and active pollution prevention initiatives, and have a consistent record of compliance with applicable environmental requirements. Clean Corporate Citizens are eligible for certain regulatory benefits under the state's environmental programs, including expedited permit approval.

This leaves me feeling uneasy. I don't like the fact that the state is rewarding the coal industry, specifically when it is so obvious that coal plants are the primary contributors to global warming and in light of the mountain top removal programs. Coal power plants consistently poison us with mercury, create acid rain and desecrate large sections of souther forest with mining operations. It's great that CE does nice things for ducks, but what about the land where the coal is coming from? The DEQ may think this is good policy, but I believe this is white-washing of an environmental catastrophe. The federal and state government should be giving companies incentives to stop such activities, not promoting business as usual bullshit.

Meijer donates $450,000 to fight spread of invasive plants

The Nature Conservancy and Meijer stores are joining forces to battle the spread of invasive plants.Leaders of the non-profit organization and the retailer were scheduled to outline the new plan earlier today an event in Grand Rapids, where Meijer is based. The effort is the first of its kind in the country for the Nature Conservancy, according to spokesperson Melissa Soule.

Under the partnership, Meijer is donating $450,000 during the next three years to discourage invasive plants and to protect Lake Michigan’s shoreline. Starting next spring, it will also put special tags on non-invasive plants it sells in Meijer stores and offer video and written materials to educate shoppers about the benefits of planting non-invasive species, whether they are native or introduced.

The 119 tagged non-invasive plants, such as purple coneflower and flowering dogwood, will comprise about 16% of the trees, shrubs and other plants that Meijer sells, according to Soule, who said Meijer will spend about a half-million dollars on educational materials in stores.

More info in the Detroit Free Press

Kudos to Meijer for making a gesture.

If Meijer really wants to help the ecology of the Great Lakes, they could stop building massive shopping centers with enormous parking lots that encourage sprawl. They could power all their existing stores with wind energy. They could expand their organic produce departments in all locations. They could buy locally grown produce. They could start installing outlets in the parking lots for electric vehicles. They could stop selling pesticides. They could stop selling violent video games. They could... Jesus, this list could go on for days. Thanks Hank for the invasive species thang, nice work.

Tags: Michigan Great+Lakes Meijer Invasive Species Nature Conservancy

Grand Rapids Sewage Overflows Until 2019

Sewer overflows into the Grand River after extremely heavy rains are anticipated for another 12 years, but Grand Rapids officials said volumes have decreased 99 percent since the early 1990s when the city first began addressing the issue. The state is requiring all combined sewer overflows from Grand Rapids to be eliminated by 2019.

Read the Muskegon Chronicle Article

Tags: Michigan Great+Lakes Grand+Rapids Sewage

State considers possible wolf hunt before assuming oversight of species

GAYLORD (AP) - Michigan's federally protected population of gray wolves could migrate to state oversight by spring, and a group charged with developing a management plan is divided between allowing the reclusive animal to be hunted or keeping it safeguarded. The Michigan Wolf Management Roundtable is charged with offering advice to update the state's management plan, which was first developed in 1997. Gray wolves will become the responsibility of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources if the federal government delists the animal as a threatened, endangered species in four months.

Read More

Michigan Great+Lakes hunting wolf wolves Grey+wolves Endangered

House Democrats Attempt to Stop EPA Library Closures

WASHINGTON, DC, November 30, 2006 (ENS) - Democratic House leaders today called on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to immediately stop efforts to close libraries across the country pending a review by Congress.

In a letter to EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson, Ranking Members Congressmen Bart Gordon of Tennessee, John Dingell of Michigan, Henry Waxman of California, and James Oberstar of Minnesota expressed their concerns over the current implementation of "library reorganization" plans and the "destruction or disposition" of library holdings.

"It is imperative that the valuable government information maintained by EPA's libraries be preserved," wrote the ranking members.

This letter to the administrator follows a successful effort earlier this fall by the Congressmen to initiate a Government Accountability Office, GAO, investigation of current EPA actions regarding their libraries and informational resources. The GAO, the investigative arm of Congress, has begun its review. The Congressmen write in their letter to the administrator that the EPA is closing libraries and dispersing resources in accordance with an administration budget directive that has neither been approved nor formally enacted by Congress.

Implementation of the library reorganization is proceeding at a rapid pace. Reports of the library closures, information destruction, and property auctions continue to surface despite the objections to the plan raised by EPA professional staff, EPA employee union representatives and the American Library Association. The four Congressmen say they want to ensure that EPA actions do not undermine the integrity and value of the public information available at these libraries.

Background/More Info in the Christian Science Monitor

EPA Libraries Congress Democrats Dingell Waxman Oberstar