Re: [CPEO-BIF] In the wake of Katrina

[lsiegel@cpeo.org]

Submitted by William Walsh <WALSHW@pepperlaw.com>

I agree that money should be used to "support community participation in
cleanup decisions and the design of the future ... [community]
landscape" and "to train displaced residents to conduct restoration work
safely." 

I think that it bad strategy to link Katrina and Iraq (even if
Haliburton has already gotten some large contracts). Also, the
situations are different. Right now, we still have a disaster unfolding.
The bacteria and other biological levels in New Orleans are off the
charts. It is not out of the realm of possibility for some virulent
disease to spread throughout the region. Unfortunately, by definition,
neither the local residents nor most minority contractors have thousands
of mobile homes, meals ready to eat and cots stockpiled. Some of these
large companies do. 

I would hate to see some biological disaster develop because of
indecision on an emergency cleanup. 

I think the focus for community involvement should not be to second
guess what contractor is hired for the emergency work, but to focus on
long-term cleanup, long-term rebuilding, and how to do both better and
with the appropriate involvement of the respective communities.

Obviously, there will be environmental clean up necessary and the
current sampling of six locations along the water front is not
representative. It is, however, a good sign that out of the hundreds of
chemicals sampled at the six sites, only lead at one location exceeded
the health-based benchmark. I suspect that most underground storage
tanks have cut off valve to prevent infiltration and the basic laws of
physics tell me that have 20 feet of flood waters sitting on top of a
landfill will drive water down, not necessary into the flood waters. So
I am neither optimistic nor overly pessimistic about the level of
chemical contamination. 

William J. Walsh
Pepper Hamilton LLP

-- 


Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org
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