.. I love the Midland Daily News online! You get to give your opinion right now... and of course I did - Act could help frustrated homeowners. Some people though, I just can't figure. For instance *this one guy says... the 'same cast of charactors' exists over on 'the other side' too! Duh! That's why it's controversial. I'll bet his home wasn't deemed a 'facility' by MDEQ. Do you suppose he knows what 'due process rights' really are? We were told we were guilty of owning a 'facility' even though nobody ever tested our property. Doesn't he know that this is still the United States of America and residents are still innocent until proved guilty? I suppose he also supports the 'Reverse Robin Hood Decision' made last week by the U.S. Supremes!
*this one guy says: The individual's name was removed per his request.
Thursday, June 30, 2005
eminent domain and House Bill 4617...
How appropriate for us that our House of Representatives approved House Bill 4617 yesterday so soon after the U.S. Supreme Court decided it is okay for the rich to take property from the poor. Yes! Thank God John Moolenaar and his cohorts in the Michigan House are still close to the ordinary people. Obviously the majority of the Supremes sit so far above their public that they are out of touch with reality. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor tells the story best in her dissent: "The beneficiaries are likely to be those citizens with disproportionate influence and power in the political process, including large corporations and development firms ... government now has license to transfer property from those with fewer resources to those with more." If this isn't 'stealing from the poor for benefit of the rich,' I don't know what is.
Let's encourage our Michigan Senators and Governor Granholm to protect the residential rights of ordinary homeowners by supporting our 'Homeowners Rights Bill' that has already been overwhelmingly approved by the House.
Along with total approval of House Bill 4617, it's time to encourage Governor Granholm to sign the "Hands Off My Home" Pledge being circulated by The Castle Coalition.
Yes folks, there are lots of people in our country ready to protect our homeowners' rights! Let's hope our Senate & our Governor are among them.
Just an 'aside' - Look aside to your right on the monitor. I call my newest version of the 'granni-bashing' Lone Tree gang... Freedom of Speech. Oh yes! One of their BIGGEST gripes? They don't want to hear how healthy I am! So I won't say that anymore. Instead: Along with my many retiree neighbors who are ALSO happy and healthy in the Tittabawassee River floodplain, I remain, Shirley (granni39) Salas!
Let's encourage our Michigan Senators and Governor Granholm to protect the residential rights of ordinary homeowners by supporting our 'Homeowners Rights Bill' that has already been overwhelmingly approved by the House.
Along with total approval of House Bill 4617, it's time to encourage Governor Granholm to sign the "Hands Off My Home" Pledge being circulated by The Castle Coalition.
Yes folks, there are lots of people in our country ready to protect our homeowners' rights! Let's hope our Senate & our Governor are among them.
Just an 'aside' - Look aside to your right on the monitor. I call my newest version of the 'granni-bashing' Lone Tree gang... Freedom of Speech. Oh yes! One of their BIGGEST gripes? They don't want to hear how healthy I am! So I won't say that anymore. Instead: Along with my many retiree neighbors who are ALSO happy and healthy in the Tittabawassee River floodplain, I remain, Shirley (granni39) Salas!
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Our Homeowners' Rights bill passed...
..in the Michigan House of Representatives today. The vote was 77-29 in favor! Hooray for the good guys!
...and Jeremiah Says.. Meeting consensus: Too many meetings. Does this mean that a whole group of people with a biased agenda did NOT verbally attack one honest woman because the mass media did NOT acknowledge the act?
...and Jeremiah Says.. Meeting consensus: Too many meetings. Does this mean that a whole group of people with a biased agenda did NOT verbally attack one honest woman because the mass media did NOT acknowledge the act?
We Went to the 'MDEQ/CAP' Meeting Yesterday...
...and it ran smoothly until the end, which I'm convinced was by plan - not by accident. Strangely enough, throughout the meeting, the Lone Tree entourage had to use microphones to project their delicate little voices. Strangely enough, they waited until there were NO TV CAMERAS around to capture the vicious verbal attack on this one 'elderly woman' - as they have me labeled. Following is the email I sent this morning to everybody on Cheryl Howe's MDEQ/CAP email list.
As some of you know, I attended subject meeting yesterday, June 28. The meeting seemed to be orderly until the last five minutes, at which time a litigant/environmental extremist shouted he wanted to hear no more from Shirley. That would be me. At that point the pack mentality kicked in and they all yelled at me… with their various complaints, mostly that they didn’t want to hear how healthy my family and I are after living on the Tittabawassee River floodplain 45 years.
Funny thing is, I was responding to an attack one of the litigant/environutz made concerning the AKT Peerless representative. I did not feel a need to say anything about my health to this group. They know who I am… obviously!
I was so stunned by the viciousness of the Lone Tree/River WATCH gang that I was unable to respond appropriately to the news reporter who wanted to talk with me after the meeting. Here is my take on the meeting and usefulness of future meetings of any kind.· Facilitator handled things well.
As some of you know, I attended subject meeting yesterday, June 28. The meeting seemed to be orderly until the last five minutes, at which time a litigant/environmental extremist shouted he wanted to hear no more from Shirley. That would be me. At that point the pack mentality kicked in and they all yelled at me… with their various complaints, mostly that they didn’t want to hear how healthy my family and I are after living on the Tittabawassee River floodplain 45 years.
Funny thing is, I was responding to an attack one of the litigant/environutz made concerning the AKT Peerless representative. I did not feel a need to say anything about my health to this group. They know who I am… obviously!
I was so stunned by the viciousness of the Lone Tree/River WATCH gang that I was unable to respond appropriately to the news reporter who wanted to talk with me after the meeting. Here is my take on the meeting and usefulness of future meetings of any kind.· Facilitator handled things well.
- DEQ handled things appropriately.
- Official Lone Tree behaved appropriately… until the last five minutes.
- Tittabawassee River Voice and Midland Matters not only behaved appropriately, but even agreed with some of the points suggested by Lone Tree.
- I actually felt a ‘town hall’ type of meeting would be an acceptable form of Dow/MDEQ/Resident communication until the verbal attack on me.
- I no longer feel town hall meetings are an option. The litigant/environmental groupies obviously would take over at any meeting where there is not structure and specific guidelines, not to mention perhaps, a bouncer! ‘Those people’ have been together for three years, as one of them reminded us at the meeting. They are a well-honed tool of the Lone Tree Council and will jump on command.
- Lone Tree and their pack are agreeable as long as we (non-litigants) agree with them (litigants and wannabes).
- Lone Tree’s Rhiddick said they do not trust any communication put out jointly by Dow and DEQ.
- Such joint communication is trusted by most residents involved in this fiasco.
- Lone Tree may have some reasonable people in their group but they created a monster in recruiting for their multi-faceted attack on Dow Chemical and most of the residents along the Tittabawassee River floodplain.
- It is only in the past few months Lone Tree has decided to include the whole ‘watershed’ in their desire to make this dioxin debacle a career opportunity for themselves. After all, we ALL want our rivers cleaner and our wildlife healthy.
Monday, June 27, 2005
Mr. Chester wrote...
'The cumulative impacts of this additional dredging heighten our concerns for habitat loss.'... in his reason for NOT dredging the Ottawa River. Read all about it in this article at monroenews.com: Dredging plan could be sinking Remember this as Mr. Chester continues to exude his 'superiority' over our little piece of Michigan here along the Tittabawassee River floodplain. What will happen to the wildlife we now enjoy in our backyards if 'King Steve' has his way with us? For somebody who so strongly advocates the precautionary principle, he also seems to be an avid user of situational ethics, eh?
God bless and keep Dr. Vernon Stenger, a pioneer in working with and controlling dioxin, who died last week at the tender age of 97. Dr. Stenger was a scientist at Dow and a musician with the Midland Symphony. He was also a friend of our own Howard Vasold, a fellow musician, who was involved with the Saginaw Symphony Orchestra.
God bless and keep Dr. Vernon Stenger, a pioneer in working with and controlling dioxin, who died last week at the tender age of 97. Dr. Stenger was a scientist at Dow and a musician with the Midland Symphony. He was also a friend of our own Howard Vasold, a fellow musician, who was involved with the Saginaw Symphony Orchestra.
Friday, June 24, 2005
Here's a Big ol' Update on the Tittabawassee River Floodplain!
Forgive me... or don't. I've been busy buying and planting perennial flowers in all that beautifully landscaped flower bed area in my yard. We bought all of our flowers at Leaman's Green Applebarn, a locally owned Centennial Farm. Need flowers? Stop in at Leamans. Jaye will be holding an open house at the barn next week. Check it out. BTW, Jaye has lived across the road from us all her life and admits to having spent loads of time in and around the river during her growing up years. Dioxin doesn't seem to have had an adverse effect on her. She currently has at least three jobs... mom & grandmother (a brand new grandbaby) - working owner of the Green Applebarn (selling artsy-crafty stuff, apples, cider, donuts & cookies and perennial flowers in season) - and minister at the Freeland United Methodist Church. There it is... that hormesis effect again!
A reminder: Tuesday, June 28, 2005, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., DEQ Community Advisory Panel, Horizons Center, 6200 State St., Saginaw. This is not your OLD CAP... it will be facilitated by a neutral party, neither DEQ nor Dow. This will be the first CAP sponsored by both Dow and Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, recognizing the actual resident stakeholders in the dioxin issue. The CAP was originally attended and supported only by environmental extremists, litigants against Dow Chemical, and others looking for a quick buck from a big corporation. The MDEQ & Dow will present a proposal for a Community Advisory Committee. Read their proposed CAC Charter here. The CAC is proposed to be limited to 16 members: 4 from the Midland area, 4 from the Tittabawassee River/upper Saginaw River area, 4 from lower Saginaw River/Bay City area, and 4 “community-at-large” members for a minimum of two years with a rotating membership structure. Unfortunately it sounds like DEQ wants to make a career job out of this Chicken Little - 'the sky is falling' - issue.
About that talk at Delta College earlier this week: The Midland Daily News says EPA talks about Fox River dredging project. The Saginaw News gave Jeremiah's article 'top news' status in the article titled Hydraulic dredge is doubtful here. I chose not to attend this lecture because I considered it a waste of time. However, my friend and neighbor, Howard Vasold, was there. He felt somebody with a logical point of view and actual lifetime experience living along the Tittabawassee River floodplain should be there. Howard said the only people he recognized were newspaper reporters and a couple of Lone Tree Council members. There were a few 'old people' and mostly young people he could only guess were students. Howard told me that when the lecture was over, Michelle Heard-Rhetoric grabbed the microphone to get questions. When the lecturer gave answers, he and much of the audience couldn't hear them... because the guy had a different microphone. He came back loaded down with environutz' propoganda. If anybody is interested, leave a comment or send me an email and I will see what I can do to share some of it.
You know, of course, that the speaker at Delta is an EPA employee. For your information I would like to share this article: EPA Data Not Reliable, Business Lobby Says, By Cindy Skrzycki, in the Washington Post. Yes, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce may be a lobby, but one that is our friend. They represent people that keep our economy growing... they provide jobs. These are our representatives!
...and somehow I missed this article Wednesday in the Midland Daily News: Homeowner Fairness Act. Remember that hearing we attended - where I had the privilege of representing the TRVoice? That was the House Government Operations Committee and Tuesday they voted for House Bill 4617. They broadened this bill to include all hazardous contaminants, thus protecting homeowners everywhere in Michigan from the fiasco that occurred here in our area. According to MDN, Moolenaar said the bill would not affect The Dow Chemical Co.'s dioxin remediation agreements with the state.
Happy, smiling & HEALTHY in the Tittabawassee River floodplain, I am your neighbor, Shirley.
A reminder: Tuesday, June 28, 2005, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., DEQ Community Advisory Panel, Horizons Center, 6200 State St., Saginaw. This is not your OLD CAP... it will be facilitated by a neutral party, neither DEQ nor Dow. This will be the first CAP sponsored by both Dow and Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, recognizing the actual resident stakeholders in the dioxin issue. The CAP was originally attended and supported only by environmental extremists, litigants against Dow Chemical, and others looking for a quick buck from a big corporation. The MDEQ & Dow will present a proposal for a Community Advisory Committee. Read their proposed CAC Charter here. The CAC is proposed to be limited to 16 members: 4 from the Midland area, 4 from the Tittabawassee River/upper Saginaw River area, 4 from lower Saginaw River/Bay City area, and 4 “community-at-large” members for a minimum of two years with a rotating membership structure. Unfortunately it sounds like DEQ wants to make a career job out of this Chicken Little - 'the sky is falling' - issue.
About that talk at Delta College earlier this week: The Midland Daily News says EPA talks about Fox River dredging project. The Saginaw News gave Jeremiah's article 'top news' status in the article titled Hydraulic dredge is doubtful here. I chose not to attend this lecture because I considered it a waste of time. However, my friend and neighbor, Howard Vasold, was there. He felt somebody with a logical point of view and actual lifetime experience living along the Tittabawassee River floodplain should be there. Howard said the only people he recognized were newspaper reporters and a couple of Lone Tree Council members. There were a few 'old people' and mostly young people he could only guess were students. Howard told me that when the lecture was over, Michelle Heard-Rhetoric grabbed the microphone to get questions. When the lecturer gave answers, he and much of the audience couldn't hear them... because the guy had a different microphone. He came back loaded down with environutz' propoganda. If anybody is interested, leave a comment or send me an email and I will see what I can do to share some of it.
You know, of course, that the speaker at Delta is an EPA employee. For your information I would like to share this article: EPA Data Not Reliable, Business Lobby Says, By Cindy Skrzycki, in the Washington Post. Yes, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce may be a lobby, but one that is our friend. They represent people that keep our economy growing... they provide jobs. These are our representatives!
...and somehow I missed this article Wednesday in the Midland Daily News: Homeowner Fairness Act. Remember that hearing we attended - where I had the privilege of representing the TRVoice? That was the House Government Operations Committee and Tuesday they voted for House Bill 4617. They broadened this bill to include all hazardous contaminants, thus protecting homeowners everywhere in Michigan from the fiasco that occurred here in our area. According to MDN, Moolenaar said the bill would not affect The Dow Chemical Co.'s dioxin remediation agreements with the state.
Happy, smiling & HEALTHY in the Tittabawassee River floodplain, I am your neighbor, Shirley.
Monday, June 20, 2005
Bill's Response to Today's MDN Article
.... Plaintiffs: Let dioxin suit move forward: Reader Opinions:
Dow's testing provides more data and facts. It's a sad day for science when the collection of facts earns a so called 'admonishment' from regulators. Summer of 2005 is deja vu of Spring 2004 for our dioxin issue. We have the plaintiffs trying to rev up a groundless lawsuit, MDEQ trying to showcase their lousy CAP, Lone Tree Council trying to parade their vision of the environmental world upon our communities (remember, they're the ones who use lots of skull and crossbones) and MDEQ giving their favorite (and only?) scientist another shot in July at the bully pulpit. For those who still view the Dow-MDEQ Framework as a huge step forward, think again. The voices of sound science and resident stakeholders are being drowned out by a repeat of emotional voices for clean up NOW! and facts later.
Bill Egerer, Midland Matters, June 20, 2005
...and while I'm here, here's an email I received yesterday. Seems the Blogger comment system only allows 300 words for comments so he emailed the comment.
Sun 6/19/2005 10:44 AM
Shirley and Frank,
Thanks for posting your photos and story about your 'molecule cover' landscaping.
Your new landscaping looks great!! It s a wonderful golden anniversary gift for both of you. If the gift is a Dow payoff, you've certainly worked overtime to get it. With the thousands of hours you ve spent exposing the extremists' real agenda, I suppose that Dow payrate would average under $1 per hour.
I think your decision to accept remediation illustrates a couple good points of the Framework that's currently built on more marketing hype and politics than good science. Those points are:
#1 Your private property rights were recognized and allowed to drive the remediation decision.
#2 The State of MI and/or Dow Chemical did not force you and Frank into decisions or cookie cutter clean up plans.
#3 Private sector contractors executed the plans instead of government departments.
#4 You and Frank as the land owners, property tax payers, residents in the Freeland community, direct users of the local air, water and soil were the primary decision maker of the final remediation plans.
#5 - You didn t need the State, local government officials, Dow reps or business groups leading you around and making the decisions for you.
You've done so much to give the silent majority a voice of sanity, expose the extremist's corrosive agenda and try to get science to replace emotion on this issue. Other residents and our local communities are in debt for all your efforts to actively engage in leadership on the dioxin issue. You've given us thousands of words and pictures on your website to tell our story .
Enjoy your new landscaping; be sure to plant your flowers to keep up your hormesis dose of dioxin for good health and above all, KEEP ON BLOGGING.
Your Midland Friend
Bill
Dow's testing provides more data and facts. It's a sad day for science when the collection of facts earns a so called 'admonishment' from regulators. Summer of 2005 is deja vu of Spring 2004 for our dioxin issue. We have the plaintiffs trying to rev up a groundless lawsuit, MDEQ trying to showcase their lousy CAP, Lone Tree Council trying to parade their vision of the environmental world upon our communities (remember, they're the ones who use lots of skull and crossbones) and MDEQ giving their favorite (and only?) scientist another shot in July at the bully pulpit. For those who still view the Dow-MDEQ Framework as a huge step forward, think again. The voices of sound science and resident stakeholders are being drowned out by a repeat of emotional voices for clean up NOW! and facts later.
Bill Egerer, Midland Matters, June 20, 2005
...and while I'm here, here's an email I received yesterday. Seems the Blogger comment system only allows 300 words for comments so he emailed the comment.
Sun 6/19/2005 10:44 AM
Shirley and Frank,
Thanks for posting your photos and story about your 'molecule cover' landscaping.
Your new landscaping looks great!! It s a wonderful golden anniversary gift for both of you. If the gift is a Dow payoff, you've certainly worked overtime to get it. With the thousands of hours you ve spent exposing the extremists' real agenda, I suppose that Dow payrate would average under $1 per hour.
I think your decision to accept remediation illustrates a couple good points of the Framework that's currently built on more marketing hype and politics than good science. Those points are:
#1 Your private property rights were recognized and allowed to drive the remediation decision.
#2 The State of MI and/or Dow Chemical did not force you and Frank into decisions or cookie cutter clean up plans.
#3 Private sector contractors executed the plans instead of government departments.
#4 You and Frank as the land owners, property tax payers, residents in the Freeland community, direct users of the local air, water and soil were the primary decision maker of the final remediation plans.
#5 - You didn t need the State, local government officials, Dow reps or business groups leading you around and making the decisions for you.
You've done so much to give the silent majority a voice of sanity, expose the extremist's corrosive agenda and try to get science to replace emotion on this issue. Other residents and our local communities are in debt for all your efforts to actively engage in leadership on the dioxin issue. You've given us thousands of words and pictures on your website to tell our story .
Enjoy your new landscaping; be sure to plant your flowers to keep up your hormesis dose of dioxin for good health and above all, KEEP ON BLOGGING.
Your Midland Friend
Bill
Lawsuit? The Henrys Just Don't Get It, Do They?
..Here they are again... in the Midland Daily News... Plaintiffs: Let dioxin suit move forward... whining that they want to get their lawsuit against Dow Chemical going again. They're whining that they're willing to wait for the Supreme Court ruling on the medical thing... but they want to get on with the residential value thing. They are whining because they 'accepted that moving the two proposed classes of Tittabawassee flood plain residents forward in tandem would save court costs.' They're whining about the 'the ongoing, state-mandated interim response activities Dow is conducting along the flood plain.' They're whining that those of us who are not plaintiffs should not be in contact with Dow because we are potential plaintiffs.
Isn't it about time this tail quit trying to wag the dog???! Don't the Henrys realize that filing frivolous lawsuits is a big waste of taxpayers' money... and a drain on our already overburdened judicial system? Don't the Henrys realize that the majority of residents do NOT want to be included in their frivolous lawsuit.. and many of us just want to know the results of the University of Michigan study on effects of dioxin in the environment before we make any decisions on the subject? Don't the Henrys realize that if they and their environmental extremist leaders from the Lone Tree Council hadn't made a big fuss about all that big bad dioxin issue, their home values wouldn't have decreased... if indeed they have! Don't the Henrys realize that the majority of people in the Tittabawassee River floodplain have lived here for generations and still are among some of the healthiest people in the United States?
If the Henrys and their environutty friends hate the area so much, why don't they just sell their places to Dr. Shaheen and move off to some other country that is chemical-free... perhaps join Greenpeace in setting up their own country somewhere in the rainforest or perhaps the arctic? I reiterate... The majority of people in the Tittabawassee River floodplain do NOT want to sell our homes... or sue Dow... or be called a 'facility.' Furthermore, we are healthy, happy, and kicking!
...and about that guy giving a speech at Delta College... just an FYI... I do NOT plan to waste my time listening to this guy. I recommend you don't either. If you want to know more about his topic, just Google it. I've heard there was no community involvement whatsoever in the situation he plans on talking about.
Isn't it about time this tail quit trying to wag the dog???! Don't the Henrys realize that filing frivolous lawsuits is a big waste of taxpayers' money... and a drain on our already overburdened judicial system? Don't the Henrys realize that the majority of residents do NOT want to be included in their frivolous lawsuit.. and many of us just want to know the results of the University of Michigan study on effects of dioxin in the environment before we make any decisions on the subject? Don't the Henrys realize that if they and their environmental extremist leaders from the Lone Tree Council hadn't made a big fuss about all that big bad dioxin issue, their home values wouldn't have decreased... if indeed they have! Don't the Henrys realize that the majority of people in the Tittabawassee River floodplain have lived here for generations and still are among some of the healthiest people in the United States?
If the Henrys and their environutty friends hate the area so much, why don't they just sell their places to Dr. Shaheen and move off to some other country that is chemical-free... perhaps join Greenpeace in setting up their own country somewhere in the rainforest or perhaps the arctic? I reiterate... The majority of people in the Tittabawassee River floodplain do NOT want to sell our homes... or sue Dow... or be called a 'facility.' Furthermore, we are healthy, happy, and kicking!
...and about that guy giving a speech at Delta College... just an FYI... I do NOT plan to waste my time listening to this guy. I recommend you don't either. If you want to know more about his topic, just Google it. I've heard there was no community involvement whatsoever in the situation he plans on talking about.
Saturday, June 18, 2005
Thank you Dow Chemical and Murin Contracting...
and Annette from AKT Peerless.
'Ya mean I have to purchase and plant my own flowers?
Here's to my extremist environmentalist critics out there who say I am paid by Dow. Well, I wasn't. Now, thanks to the 'framework,' the 'interim remediation' process, MDEQ's dictatorial methods, and my husband Frank's insistence, you can consider the new landscaping my 'paycheck' for expressing my personal beliefs about the so-called dangers of dioxin... if there is any in my backyard.
I must admit I'm excited about it now! Murin is local to the Freeland area and that is why we chose them out of the three approved contractors. I'm glad we did. They did an excellent job and all the people are great! They did a fantastic job, don't you think? See the whole Remediation Album here. As I say at top of the album, 'To avoid dissolution of our 49-3/4 year marriage, I agreed to allow 'remediation.'' ...and I'm glad I did. Now I'm going shopping for some flowers! ...and I still don't know if there is or was any dioxin out here in the backyard... and furthermore, I don't care!
Happy, healthy, and still kicking, Shirley
'Ya mean I have to purchase and plant my own flowers?
Here's to my extremist environmentalist critics out there who say I am paid by Dow. Well, I wasn't. Now, thanks to the 'framework,' the 'interim remediation' process, MDEQ's dictatorial methods, and my husband Frank's insistence, you can consider the new landscaping my 'paycheck' for expressing my personal beliefs about the so-called dangers of dioxin... if there is any in my backyard.I must admit I'm excited about it now! Murin is local to the Freeland area and that is why we chose them out of the three approved contractors. I'm glad we did. They did an excellent job and all the people are great! They did a fantastic job, don't you think? See the whole Remediation Album here. As I say at top of the album, 'To avoid dissolution of our 49-3/4 year marriage, I agreed to allow 'remediation.'' ...and I'm glad I did. Now I'm going shopping for some flowers! ...and I still don't know if there is or was any dioxin out here in the backyard... and furthermore, I don't care!
Happy, healthy, and still kicking, Shirley
Friday, June 17, 2005
Our crew from Murin Company...
..arrived yesterday - early, smiling & raring to go!
Click the pic to see these handsome fellows up close!
I took pictures before & during the work... will take more today... and will take some 'after' pix as well! These guys are great. Unfortunately we were rained out in mid-afternoon. This didn't slow them down much. Here is the album... so far. Day 4 starts here - I want to keep it chronological. Look for today's accomplishments tomorrow. You will be amazed!
If you need any landscape work done... Murin does Landscape Contracting, Materials & Services, Hydro-seeding. Call Ted Murin at 989.781.1850.
Click the pic to see these handsome fellows up close!
I took pictures before & during the work... will take more today... and will take some 'after' pix as well! These guys are great. Unfortunately we were rained out in mid-afternoon. This didn't slow them down much. Here is the album... so far. Day 4 starts here - I want to keep it chronological. Look for today's accomplishments tomorrow. You will be amazed!
If you need any landscape work done... Murin does Landscape Contracting, Materials & Services, Hydro-seeding. Call Ted Murin at 989.781.1850.
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Unreliable EPA Data...
..I first read about it at the Washington Post online, titled: EPA Data Not Reliable, Business Lobby Says: Following is a direct quote from that article. Who could say it better?"
In filing a petition at the EPA a year ago, the chamber noted, for example, that a numerical value for a benzene compound differed by a factor of more than 10 billion from one EPA database to another. Such discrepancies, it said, have led to 'serious mistakes and erroneous conclusions' affecting estimates of how chemical exposure affects human health, what prevention measures are necessary and how much solving the problem should cost. It also charged that EPA's peer reviews did not uncover the mistakes."Murin Company begins remediation work in our yard today. Look for more about this tomorrow. If these guys are as good as they are prompt, I will recommend them highly!
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
Looks Like Another Busy Summer in the Tittabawassee River Floodplain...
..Points of Interest This Week:
- U of M Community Update: U-M dioxin results rolling out, but only to property owners is the Midland Daily News version. I was unable to attend that meeting but some of my friends were there. Here's what Bill Egerer had to say about it...
Science prevails in media reporting of U of M meeting last week. Dr. Garabrant conducted another community information meeting in Freeland last Thursday evening. The topic was the release of individual test results for soil samples.
Copy of the letter template discussed at the meeting is available at: http://www.sph.umich.edu/dioxin/Results%20Letter%20-%20soil.pdf
For a variety of reasons, the attendance was very low, but Eldon Graham and Norm Skelly were scientists in the audience keeping tabs on the reports. Media from several newspapers, radio and 2 TV stations attended. In fact, if one takes the whole room attendance and subtract the U of M team; the CAP members and the media, the remaining folks averaged about 1 scientist for every 5 lay people.
Media seemed craving for something of “sizzle”, but the meeting content, Q&A and atmosphere were pretty “matter of fact”. Following the meeting, Len/Cheryl were greeting Eldon and Norm. Media wanted a story from the community and was drawn to our small discussion circle. Norm and Len were interviewed and covered in the Fox66 10PM news segment with good quotes. The radio, newspaper and other outlets either reported basic facts, Dr. G’s quotes or carried nothing.
This is a win; no emotional hype, Dr. G got his message out and the media actually talked to a scientist!!
Granted, our opponents were noticeable MIA as they and MDEQ “boycott” giving the Exposure Study any attention; not wanting to acknowledge it’s importance to the public policy debate.
So THANKS to Eldon and Norm for attending and helping to get science in the spotlight. - There was an editorial in The Saginaw News, by Russ Harding. I missed it then but caught it at mackinaw.org. In case you missed it too, here it is... Dioxin Agreement Needs Sound Science and Protection for Property Owners - Thank you for your continuing support, sir!
- DEQ Community Advisory Panel Meeting on June 28, 2005... I received this information in email yesterday from Cheryl Howe, MDEQ. Read the full invitation here. Put this date on your calendars. These CAP meetings were begun as a way for 'the community' to communicate with the MDEQ. Unfortunately, at that time, 'the community' consisted of Lone Tree Council and assorted hand-picked residents... all indoctrinated by and/or in agreement with... the environmental extremist, pseudo-scientific viewpoints. It's time to have a few residents and resident scientists attending these meetings.
- Coincidentally, I read in the Midland Daily News yesterday that the Lone Tree Council has scheduled the next in their series of lectures. Read the Midland Daily News...Viable solutions for rivers is topic of next Lone Tree Council speaker series for more details. This meeting is scheduled for Wednesday June 22nd 2005 at 6:30 pm in the Lecture Theatre, Delta College Campus. Park on the east side of the building J wing. We need a strong turnout for this meeting also. The speaker, like Linda Birnbaum, is an EPA employee. With all due respect, I do not criticize the intelligence of these U.S. government employees, but it is important for you to know there has been controversy as to reliability of their data.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce recently reopened a previous complaint about this unreliability. Read: Chamber Renews Call for EPA to Correct Database Errors - A bit of Personal Stuff: Power Outage in Freeland - Some of today's blog was 'ready to go' yesterday afternoon. Unfortunately, due to summertime weather patterns, we had no power for awhile so I took advantage of the downtime and joined the husband in a bit of errand-running.
Apparently I have critics. Good! That lends authenticity in my humble opinion. Just an FYI - this ol' brawd has been around long enough that I don't have to rely on anybody for my information or opinions. For example,- even though I know a member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, I did not receive the information about that article from him.
- I received the email about the June 28 meeting directly from Cheryl Howe. Thank you, Cheryl.
- I am funded by nobody except my puny pension and a tiny amount from a lifetime of paying into Social Security.. and that's the way I prefer it.
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Nothing to do With Dioxin but...
I can't wait to share this one with you... A Prime Example of MDEQ's Audacity and Pomposity... Gee, does this mean small homeowners no longer have to worry about MDEQ imposing on our lives? Unfortunately, I think not!
Much Ado in the Tittabawassee River Floodplain...
Dr. Garabrant & company - today, June 9 - 6:00 pm - Freeland Elementary School Cafeteria on Powley Drive - be there. Dr. Garabrant's study is an important part of the 'dioxin fix-it' program. This time the discussion is about tests of household dust. Results have been sent out to local study participants. Questions I have... if you are a smoker - or family of smokers - do you have more dioxin in the dust in your home?
The Latest Dow/DEQ Message...
..If you missed the Dow/DEQ message in local newspapers Sunday, you can read it here. They mention conclusions reached at the previous meetings between Dow & DEQ with selected local stakeholders. More meetings are planned for July & August... the meeting times and places will be broadly publicized. They also plan to send out more information sheets and update the public on Dow's current efforts at remediation of priority one residential properties.
I might have mentioned our backyard was designated 'Priority One' by Dow and DEQ, based on the March 2004 Tittabawassee River flood. Since TRVoice's big mission is to get rid of the 'facility' designation, you can imagine our disdain with 'the priority one' label!
Well guess what! DEQ told Dow to remediate. We were properly notified by AKT Peerless. Since we did not contact them, a representative contacted us. Although neither of us is concerned about dioxin in our backyard, Frank insisted we set up an appointment and follow through with the process.
Day 1 - we met with Annette, an environmental engineer and representative of AKT Peerless. It's a miracle I didn't scare her off... my first statement was, I think this whole thing is a waste of time and money because we are not afraid of any dioxin that might be in our yard. I then asked her if Peerless would check to see if we have dioxin in our yard. The answer is no. That's right, remediation and reality do not meet. Of course, DEQ assumes we are 'priority one' residents.
We answered all of her questions and, because she had to get over to another appointment, we set an appointment for the next day again. We have no furnace ducts to clean, because we use a combination of hot water and solar heat. I didn't choose to have the living room carpet cleaned, but Frank felt he should have the one on the lower level cleaned, so she wrote it down.
Day 2 - Annette walked around our yard, inspecting and deciding what sort of remediation must be done. It seems that bare soil is a big scarey deal. After lots of walking and lots of measuring (by Annette), we had a plan. She gave us a packet with remedial actions to be taken at our residence and a list of companies for us to choose from to do the work.
Day 3 - We chose Murin Company in Freeland for the landscaping work. (actually a few days later)
It only seems right to hire locally. Ted Murin has been in business for thirty years. He met with us right away. We gave him his copy of the work to be done and we walked around the yard, identifying areas 'of concern' listed on the paperwork.
Day 4 - Ted, let us know when you are ready to get to work. We will be here with a camera. I'm anxious to show a bit of before, during, and after photos of the remedial work. I've already begun an album. I call this one simply Priority One... Did I mention?... Ted's company is also the landscaper of choice when it comes time for them on the Festival Park project.
The Latest Dow/DEQ Message...
..If you missed the Dow/DEQ message in local newspapers Sunday, you can read it here. They mention conclusions reached at the previous meetings between Dow & DEQ with selected local stakeholders. More meetings are planned for July & August... the meeting times and places will be broadly publicized. They also plan to send out more information sheets and update the public on Dow's current efforts at remediation of priority one residential properties.
I might have mentioned our backyard was designated 'Priority One' by Dow and DEQ, based on the March 2004 Tittabawassee River flood. Since TRVoice's big mission is to get rid of the 'facility' designation, you can imagine our disdain with 'the priority one' label!
Well guess what! DEQ told Dow to remediate. We were properly notified by AKT Peerless. Since we did not contact them, a representative contacted us. Although neither of us is concerned about dioxin in our backyard, Frank insisted we set up an appointment and follow through with the process.
Day 1 - we met with Annette, an environmental engineer and representative of AKT Peerless. It's a miracle I didn't scare her off... my first statement was, I think this whole thing is a waste of time and money because we are not afraid of any dioxin that might be in our yard. I then asked her if Peerless would check to see if we have dioxin in our yard. The answer is no. That's right, remediation and reality do not meet. Of course, DEQ assumes we are 'priority one' residents.
We answered all of her questions and, because she had to get over to another appointment, we set an appointment for the next day again. We have no furnace ducts to clean, because we use a combination of hot water and solar heat. I didn't choose to have the living room carpet cleaned, but Frank felt he should have the one on the lower level cleaned, so she wrote it down.
Day 2 - Annette walked around our yard, inspecting and deciding what sort of remediation must be done. It seems that bare soil is a big scarey deal. After lots of walking and lots of measuring (by Annette), we had a plan. She gave us a packet with remedial actions to be taken at our residence and a list of companies for us to choose from to do the work.
Day 3 - We chose Murin Company in Freeland for the landscaping work. (actually a few days later)
It only seems right to hire locally. Ted Murin has been in business for thirty years. He met with us right away. We gave him his copy of the work to be done and we walked around the yard, identifying areas 'of concern' listed on the paperwork.Day 4 - Ted, let us know when you are ready to get to work. We will be here with a camera. I'm anxious to show a bit of before, during, and after photos of the remedial work. I've already begun an album. I call this one simply Priority One... Did I mention?... Ted's company is also the landscaper of choice when it comes time for them on the Festival Park project.
Sunday, June 05, 2005
Dow dioxin tests upset state...
It's an issue of trust, government scientists say... according to a June 3, 2005 Detroit Free Press article. Although I've read several versions of this news, this is the most complete version. What I don't understand is why it is a 'bad' action for Dow to test soil for dioxin. Actually it was a 'Dow contractor' taking the samples, but the Free Press doesn't bother reporting which contractor!
Sound science has traditionally been practiced by testing and testing again... by more than one group of scientists. It's called peer review. For a simple explanation of peer review I suggest you read Why Peer Review Matters, a well-written, easy to understand article about peer review published by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
It would appear that the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality is above peer review. You might wonder why, since the techniques MDEQ uses to quantify dioxin levels was developed by Dow. This, however, is merely an example of the way DEQ picks and chooses which 'science' they want to use.
A good example of peer review is the University of Michigan study being done by Dr. Garabrant's group. The Scientific Advisory Board is made up of four highly respected scientists.
Dr. Garabrant and the Community Advisory Panel will be in Freeland next week to update us on the study... read their press release. I must apologize to Dr. Garabrant because I will not be able to attend this meeting. I'm counting on Bill and Len to represent us. It seems these CAP meetings are regularly scheduled for the same day of the month as the Saginaw Valley Computer Association. Since I'm president of that organization, I do not feel comfortable with repeated absences.
Sound science has traditionally been practiced by testing and testing again... by more than one group of scientists. It's called peer review. For a simple explanation of peer review I suggest you read Why Peer Review Matters, a well-written, easy to understand article about peer review published by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
It would appear that the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality is above peer review. You might wonder why, since the techniques MDEQ uses to quantify dioxin levels was developed by Dow. This, however, is merely an example of the way DEQ picks and chooses which 'science' they want to use.
A good example of peer review is the University of Michigan study being done by Dr. Garabrant's group. The Scientific Advisory Board is made up of four highly respected scientists.
Dr. Garabrant and the Community Advisory Panel will be in Freeland next week to update us on the study... read their press release. I must apologize to Dr. Garabrant because I will not be able to attend this meeting. I'm counting on Bill and Len to represent us. It seems these CAP meetings are regularly scheduled for the same day of the month as the Saginaw Valley Computer Association. Since I'm president of that organization, I do not feel comfortable with repeated absences.
Friday, June 03, 2005
A 'New' Park Grows in Freeland...
...and Frank & I are watching it as it grows. This dioxin debacle just drags on and on and I'm definitely in it for the 'long haul' so we might as well have fun with it when we can, eh? We stop by periodically and take pictures. Visit Building a NEW Festival Park... and see our latest Yahoo Photo Album.
In the beginning, we didn't know we were not allowed to walk in, so we did. Even though the time was after working hours, it was not long before a fellow representing the contractor stopped by to greet us. He very politely informed us that we should not be there alone for safety reasons. We left. Since then we only take our photographs from outside the perimeter of the park.
Coming soon... my next album - Priority 1 Gets Special Attention. Will also continue updating the Festival Park development.
...still healthy, happy and smiling on the Tittabawassee River floodplain, Shirley
In the beginning, we didn't know we were not allowed to walk in, so we did. Even though the time was after working hours, it was not long before a fellow representing the contractor stopped by to greet us. He very politely informed us that we should not be there alone for safety reasons. We left. Since then we only take our photographs from outside the perimeter of the park.
Coming soon... my next album - Priority 1 Gets Special Attention. Will also continue updating the Festival Park development.
...still healthy, happy and smiling on the Tittabawassee River floodplain, Shirley
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
