[CPEO-MEF] Navy ships to be dumped in Bangladesh

[Lenny Siegel <lennysiegel@gmail.com>]

OBAMA's EPA ALLOWS TOXIC NAVY SHIPS TO BE DUMPED IN BANGLADESH
Ships Likely to be Scrapped on Beach by Unprotected Workers in Violation 
of Law

Basel Action Network Media Release
August 27, 2009	

27 August 2009 (Norfolk, Virginia.) - Last night, the ship ANDERS 
(former M/V PVT. JAMES ANDERSON, JR), sailed out of Norfolk, Virginia 
with the likely destination being the infamous shipbreaking beaches of 
Bangladesh. According to the Environmental watchdog group Basel Action 
Network (BAN), the export marks the first time the U.S. government has 
allowed a U.S. flagged ship in the service of the government to be sent 
to South Asian beaches since the Clinton Administration called for a 
moratorium on such exports in 1998. The moratorium followed a Pulitzer 
Prize winning expose published by the Baltimore Sun highlighting the 
inhumane and environmentally devastating conditions in the South Asian 
shipbreaking yards.

The ANDERS and her sister ship BONNY (M/V 1ST LT. ALEX BONNYMAN) which 
is expected to likewise sail later today, were allowed to be sold, 
re-flagged and exported by the U.S. Maritime Administration and the U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) despite the fact that these 
transactions were likely in violation of the Jones Act, regarding U.S. 
flagged ships, and because the ships are of the vintage that contain 
high concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in their 
construction, were likely in violation of the Toxic Substances Control 
Act (TSCA). TSCA forbids the export or the "distribution in commerce" of 
PCBs. The Basel Action Network (BAN) had previously sent a series of 
letters to the EPA and MARAD warning them of the imminent and likely 
violations of U.S. laws and called specifically upon the EPA to at least 
require the ships to be tested for PCBs prior to export. But to the 
great surprise of the environmental watchdog organization, that had 
worked with the EPA in numerous instances in the past, the Obama 
administration refused to act.

...

For the entire release, see
http://www.ban.org/ban_news/2009/090827_toxic_navy_ships_to_be_dumped.html

--


Lenny Siegel
Executive Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
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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