  Themax Member Username: Themax Post Number: 100 Registered: 09-2005 Posted From: 69.246.123.118 |
from Sen. Car Levin: As you know, the St. Clair - Detroit River corridor is an integral part of the Great Lakes System. Unfortunately, this area has struggled for years with pollution and other environmental problems, including several large chemical spills in recent years. In October 2004, Senator Debbie Stabenow, Representative Sandy Levin and I asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate the longstanding problem of chemical spills, and on July 7, 2006, the GAO released its report, "Clean Water: Better Information and Targeted Prevention Efforts Could Enhance Spill Management in the St. Clair-Detroit River Corridor", which analyzes the effectiveness of the reporting, response and prevention efforts regarding chemical and oil spills in St. Clair River, Detroit River, and Lake St. Clair. The report identified a number of serious concerns about the accuracy of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) data concerning oil and chemical spills, as well as deficiencies in EPA's procedures for preventing and responding to spills. The report recommended that the EPA update its spill inspection, enforcement and notification processes. On July 7, 2006, Senator Stabenow, Representative Levin and I sent a letter to EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson to bring his attention to this study and urge him to take immediate action to determine which facilities are even regulated, to create a spill prevention program for hazardous substances, and to provide additional resources for inspections. This report highlighted the weaknesses in how we currently collect information is currently collected on spills and how that information is relayed to others in the St. Clair-Detroit River corridor. Having accurate data is an important step toward prevention. It is important to ensure that all of our citizens have access to clean, safe water, and I will continue to work toward that goal. The full text of the GAO report and the text of our letter to EPA Administrator Johnson can be found on my website at [http://levin.senate.gov/newsro om/release.cfm?id=258355]. Sincerely, Carl Levin | ||
Mikeg Member Username: Mikeg Post Number: 144 Registered: 12-2005 Posted From: 69.136.155.244 |
The "bad" news: In a study requested by US Senators Levin and Stabenow and Rep. Levin, the GAO found that the EPA's record-keeping on spills in the St. Clair and Detroit Rivers needs improvement. The good news is buried in the next-to-last sentence of Sen. Levin's breathless press release. Michigan has invested over $1 million to install spill detection monitoring systems that will be operational in the St. Clair and Detroit Rivers in 2007. So exactly where did Bush mess up? Other than having nominated the person who heads the EPA, exactly what does Bush have to do with this non-story? | ||
Mountainman Member Username: Mountainman Post Number: 91 Registered: 02-2006 Posted From: 153.90.110.121 |
No real ties to Bush here. Though trying to tie him to anything negative, with the vain hope of impeaching the moron may be a great idea. He may have already completely tanked the economy. Aren't republicans suppose to at least good at running the economy? Mind you, their suppose to stink at enviro-issues, and it was Nixon who established the EPA. Regardless, the current administration is reponsible for placing inept individuals in key administrative positions in America. Like follows like, right? The Katrina debaucle wasn't necessicary caused by Bush, after all he didn't stear the hurricane into NO. But he put the wrong people in the wrong places. So, I guess in this same sense ..... Bush is a screw-up in this case. | ||
Danny Member Username: Danny Post Number: 4567 Registered: 02-2004 Posted From: 141.217.173.164 |
 Kanye West said that George Bush doesn't care about the enivorment. | ||
Mtm Member Username: Mtm Post Number: 28 Registered: 06-2006 Posted From: 68.43.29.171 |
Folks, please realize that EVERYTHNG that every government agency does or says is controlled by the Administration and the budget process. If the bucks aren't put up the programs die and there's nothing the agencies can do about it. Also, every bit of information that agencies release to the public is screened by the administration. Just remember the WTC coverup: "EPA Misled Public on 9/11 Pollution White House ordered false assurances on air quality, report says" http://www.commondreams.org/he adlines03/0823-03.htm | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 2447 Registered: 08-2004 Posted From: 4.229.105.182 |
Here in St. Clair Shores the EPA has been working on removing the PCB's from the Lange and Revere canals and the storm drains. This process has now taken 5 years, and they're still not done. I'm sure the homeowners are pretty tired of all the studies etc... What I don't understand is that they still haven't identified the SOURCE of the problem. They just keep talking about sealing the drains and removing top soil. But never have they identified the source. For all we know there's leaking electrical transformers buried underneath Harper Ave./10 1/2 mile (the farthest inland that they have been able to determine where the source of the polution is). Until now it has all been beaurocratic babble... | ||
1953 Member Username: 1953 Post Number: 913 Registered: 12-2004 Posted From: 4.165.63.28 |
People seriously need to cool their jets with the Bush bashing. He's no Washington or Lincoln, but the country should still be here when he leaves in 2008. | ||
Messykitty Member Username: Messykitty Post Number: 17 Registered: 03-2006 Posted From: 24.21.198.33 |
All of this, and now my toilet is broken. What is it with this president? My toilet always worked under the Clinton administration. Seriously, focus on the real problems with this administration if you want to be taken seriously. Iraq, abuse of power, the ballooning defecit, etc. | ||
Treelock Member Username: Treelock Post Number: 147 Registered: 03-2005 Posted From: 68.77.166.98 |
Environmental protection — or rather the willfull lack thereof — IS a "real problem" with this administration, just as much as the others you mention. Bush has been a disaster in this area, just as he was as governor of Texas, which took the mantle of the nation's worst air quality thanks to his policies. That said, I've always heard that the overwhelming majority of chemical and oil spills on the St. Clair River come from the Canadian side, where there is apparently a lot of industry. | ||
Pacypacy_ Member Username: Pacypacy_ Post Number: 223 Registered: 05-2006 Posted From: 136.181.195.84 |
You admit this problem has been around for years....decades! All the Levin's are dinosaurs, in terms of political life where were they in the last 30 years on this issue? But now (sigh) once again it's President Bush's fault, right. Stab-it-now, is a hairbrain who has to take off her shoes and socks to count up to 20. Hopefully, she'll be history soon. | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 2451 Registered: 08-2004 Posted From: 4.229.81.150 |
Pacy, perhaps you can regale us with whatever wisdom you have about Stabenow.... Just like her predecessor Abraham, we rarely hear much about her... Only that she probably has a better chance to survive November than Granholm. The only person running against her that I know of is Keith Butler... that homophobic Preacher and former Detroit City Council member (now there's a feather in your political cap!). | ||
Messykitty Member Username: Messykitty Post Number: 19 Registered: 03-2006 Posted From: 24.21.198.33 |
Sadly, those who I am politically allied with will continue to stomp their feet and whine about every little boo-boo rather than focus on the greater problems. This attitude only solidifies the view by many in this country that we are a bunch of Chicken Littles. It's really no wonder that the balance of power lies where it does. Sigh. | ||
Angry_dad Member Username: Angry_dad Post Number: 77 Registered: 02-2006 Posted From: 205.188.116.137 |
http://www.dangerousdebbie.com / Any Senator that gives a speech with a sign next to her (color co-ordinated to her outfit) saying "Dangerously Incompetent" deserves to be removed from office. There was no photo-shop, she did this to herself. | ||
Mountainman Member Username: Mountainman Post Number: 93 Registered: 02-2006 Posted From: 153.90.110.17 |
1953, Pacypacy_, you both represent the passive complacency many people have with the present government. To simply say that things will be all the same when Texas-family moron leaves office is rather downplaying the problems. We can all point toward the Bush administration and say, hey we're losing jobs and economic power. That's the ground level stuff. The deficit is massive, and has pretty much grown to its epic porportions under his inept administration. Ask those former residents of N.O. if the country is the same for them now that his adminsitration is "cleaning" up the disaster wrought by the infamous hurricane. The horrid effects of his administration are just beginning to trickle down to the ground level. The level that we, as the average person, can see. Michigan's problems, and hence Detroit's, can be directly corelated to his administration's mismanagement of the economy. Be complacent, fine. Be aware of your fate however, and the fate of those around you. America will no longee be the pre-eminent nation in the world, if this fool keeps calling the shots | ||
Karl Member Username: Karl Post Number: 3256 Registered: 09-2005 Posted From: 72.25.177.194 |
Mountainman, Messykitty and others - sorry, you're outta touch. Most recent reports show $$$$ gushing into the Fed at a rate 40% higher than at the same time during the Clinton administration - and that's after the tax cuts, or as a result of the tax cuts, however you wanna spin it. The deficit has been cut and times are good. Maybe we should try more of Bush's "tax the rich" by cutting their taxes again and letting even more tax revenue pour in? Sorry to let the sun shine in on your pity party. | ||
Mtm Member Username: Mtm Post Number: 29 Registered: 06-2006 Posted From: 68.43.29.171 |
"The deficit has been cut and times are good." Sorry but tell that to the seven families in our subdivision with houses for sale for ages. Or tell that to the families that we see as we drive up north who are selling not only their homes but also their cars, their boats, almost anything else. Tell that to the folks who have lost their jobs or the retirees who have seen their savings tank because of the "sucking" stock market. It's not just MI. We've been more obvious because of our industrial base but the pain f the economy is truly starting to be felt throughout the country. |
