Sierra Club/EPA/Superfund

[Toni Hardy <rogntonihardy@aol.com>]

     First, I have been an off-and-on Sierra Club member for 30 some years, but I am turning in my current membership due to what I see as political, opportunistic game-playing by the Spokane-based Lands Council, the "local" Sierra Club affiliate in the Coeur d'Alene Basin.  I (and members of my grass-roots citizens' group) have written The Lands Council for several years, expressing our serious and deep concerns with the lack of responsible CERCLA response cleanup in our area in general, with the Union Pacific Railroad plan in particular.  To date, our serious issues remain largely ignored, although recent testing (kept hidden from the public to due a news gag) reveals lead levels below 30 feet, with no "bottom" in sight.  (This is a huge issue, and I will address it later or tomorrow.)

    I was referred to The Lands Council through John Stauber, the author of "Toxic Sludge is Good For You," after I read a Derrick Jensen article in The Sun magazine about 2 years ago.  Stauber referred me to Jensen who referred me to John Osborne, the head of The Lands Council.  I wrote Dr. Osborne, and I wrote his then assistant, Michelle Nanni.  I expressed the deep concerns about the secrecy surrounding the Union Pacific removals plan, and I sent them information about testing our group had done (at our own expense) in areas not covered by EPA/Government agreements.  

     To make a long story short, The Lands Council never answered my letters(nor those of my fellow citizens, also Sierra Club and former Lands Council members. I continued to "feed" information and wrote,as did my husband, a geologist with 30 years experience working in oil exploration, so he is familiar with polluters and consequences, to The Lands Council.  They did not answer, nor did they explain their early endorsement of the ecologically and environmentally flawed "proposed recreational trail plan" which in reality is a carefully (and secretly) negotiated plan that allows UnionPacific Railroad to avoid CERCLA cleanup responsibility.  The Lands Council endorsed a plan that encourages "fiber optic and other utility corridor revenue," with total disregard for the "edge effects" this trail plan will create on wildlife in remote areas adjacent the ncill.  This flawed plan, endorsed by The Lands Council, is really based on using the proposed trail (all 72-miles of which provides entry to the waterways, wetland, lateral lakes) as a means to gain access to the areas for cleanup (grant money, etc.)  The "fight" for control of these waterways is between the State of Idaho and the Coeur d'Alene Tribe, and EPA is, I believe, trying to "manipulate" both Governments so they, EPA, can "run" the cleanup and control the water quality issues.  
     
     This is a huge issue, and I feel betrayed and abandoned by Th Lands Council.  They chose, I believe, to play politics and try to manipulate cleanup issues for their own benefit.....Our lead levels (up to 30,000 ppm near my land) are far more serious than the 1-2,000 ppm in the Spokan area.  We have been sold out by slick environmental opportunism, and I believe that EPA has a very direct hand in the process.  I hope this makes sense, because it is very condensed.  I am glad to offer any more information to whomever wishes to listen.....because you won't find any of this in the media...