[CPEO-IRF] South Weymouth (MA) West Gate landfill

["lsiegel@cpeo.org" <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

The following is a letter from Dave Wilmot <DCatbird37@aol.com>, circulated
here with permission:




    In the true spirit of Open Public Process- Disclosure/Discussion, I
was pleased this week to receive from Bryan Olson, a copy of the EPA
West Gate Landfill Draft Final Proposed Plan Final Letter and Comments
to the Navy dtd:08-09-06.

    I must assume then that the information I reiterated last week
regarding the upcoming "Early Transfer" of the remaining Navy property
is going forward, and the Navy will be seeking the precedent setting
Covenant Deferral Request allowing transference of military Superfund
sites prior to responsible and proper cleanup remediation.

    This bodes ill for the rural, native American, and in most cases lower
income communities surrounding these contaminated Federal facilities
closing through the BRAC process all across the country.

    Our Department of Defense has chosen to disregard the growing body of
evidence that military released toxins, and mixtures of these toxins,
are serving to further tax an already overtaxed National Public Health
System, with increased future incidence of chronic diseases in this
country.

     I had been laying all the blame on the ill conceived decision making
of the "morally elected" Bush Administration, giving far too much
credence to the Rumsfeld/Cheney brain trust. But, eight years of
attempting to convince my own Democrat elected leaders of the Public
Health menace they've now chosen to allow, has taught me well that
immoral idiocy runs across party lines. I really should be given some
credit for not using the term "idiocy" before now.

      Leaving the toxin-filled West Gate Landfill atop wetlands adjacent
to the lifeless French's Stream is in no way taking appropriate
measures to protect Public Health in our community.

      The EPA's "presumptive remedy" guidance for such landfills is not
keeping up with rapidly expanding scientific discovery regarding
military released toxins. Just this week, the Veterans
Administration approved of granting disability status of service
related development of Multiple Sclerosis to veterans so afflicted.

      As one who developed this same disease, after splashing around as a
tresspasser for some years in the wetlands south of the West Gate
Landfill, the VA's recent findings were of great interest to me.
      Perhaps they should be of interest to my Congressman and Senators as
well, but my pleas to their offices as late, go unanswered.

      I am glad to see the EPA believes that work should be done to pull
the landfill away from the proposed "transit village", but exploring
children are much more likely to head for woods and wetlands than
they are for a train to Boston.

      The Navy proposes erecting fencing and warning signs around the
toxic landfill, but they haven't yet tested the adjacent downstream
wetlands to even categorize the extent and chemical makeup of the
landfill's reach. Given the lifeless, metal flocculent-filled
condition of French's Stream leaving the base, the Navy may well
have to fence off and post warning signs all the way to the North
River's emptying to the sea. Soon, if our Defense Department stays
it's course, we may have to fence off the Atlantic Ocean.

      Failure of our government to address the need of morally responsible
military released toxin cleanup, is as grave an oversight as it's
ignoring global warming and climate change.

      I'm going to leave you now with a couple proverbs from the Bible.
      I only wish my elected leaders would adhere to the Wisdom freely
available to them.

      "Why is there in the hand of a fool
       the purchase price of wisdom,
       Since he has no heart for it?"

       "Much food is in the fallow
        ground of the poor,
        And for lack of justice there is
        waste."

        "A good man leaves an inheritance
         to his children's children...

         God give you guidance.


--------------------------------------------------------------------
mail2web - Check your email from the web at
http://mail2web.com/ .


_______________________________________________
Installation_Reuse_Forum mailing list
Installation_Reuse_Forum@list.cpeo.org
http://www.cpeo.org/mailman/listinfo/installation_reuse_forum