Reg V community involvement-superfund sites-Bloomington, IN-Westinghouse

[margo blackwell <dreamingallthisagain>]

Ever since EPA came here in the 1970's, they have put on dog and pony shows making it look like we had community invlovement.  But they always then do what they want, no matter the danger to human health or the environment here.  We got a federal consent decree shoved down our throats.  Not all sites were included, and the "remedy"- an experimental garbage fueled PCB incinerator- which was to have tipping fees paid to burn our garbage from our taxes to Westinghouse, the PRP.  We were repeatedly told we had to have this consent decree to avoid future liability to the City of Bloomington, because of their involvement in the sites....  I was once told by Reg V officials I was not legally allowed to comment on cleanup of a site outside the decree, that EPA was giving us the opportunity as a courtesy...  EPA once called me for a copy of what was called the functional equivalent to a ROD and RI/FS.  It seems to me that we should have had the best because Bloomington was the biggest concentration of PCBs in the world...  and we got the minimum.....  I was not a big fan of government to begin with, but involvement in the PCB disaster here led me to work with groups from sea to shining sea to stop EPA and business from their evil anti-environmental plans.  I found the same everywhere- EPA said enough to calm the people down, or so they thought, and then they mistakenly tried to proceed with ill-conceived plans..  over and over EPA was stopped...  they spent so much money trying to do the wrong things, especially in rpoportion to what people were spending to stop them...  I pointed this out repeatedly-  and they continued to spend the bottom line.  Our bottom line...  and now I want our money back..  all of our tax dollars spent on superfund...  The entire ordeal made me so I will never believe government, let alone trust them..  Reg v once said to me they did not look to the future... and that's part of the problem.  Every bad thing we said would happen here if they did this or that has happened...  and still they do not really listen, let alone act on our needs, concerns, recommendations, and people here have become experts from necessity, and help people all over the world. EPA tried to use force here, and to this day has not learned from the experience.  A former PR chief once wrote a paper to help business people combat people like us here...  in it he said if more info worked, we'd have nuclear plants all over...  and still they are the same...  EPA and government in general has no wisdom, not learning from their experiences, they lack the ability to respond (responsibility) for the good of the whole, and should be disbanded, not to cause harm everywhere they go again..  It's time for peace, time for real people to work together to find solutions not vested in the bottom line, but for the good of the whole, and for better monetary management...