Alert #33
Officials to celebrate weakening of Delaware Coastal Zone Act: Port Penn, DE. May 17, 1999. The Governor of Delaware is holding a luncheon to celebrate adoption of regulations fundamentally weakening the 1971 Delaware Coastal Zone Act. This has been an objective of Governor Carper since he took office in 1992. Former Governor Russ Peterson, Delaware affiliates of the Sierra Club and the Audubon Society, and other Delaware organizations initially opposed weakening the Act, but eventually cooperated with Carper. (Green Delaware has continued its defense of the Act, testifying against the proposals repeatedly and issuing occasional Alerts.) Where: Cauffiel House, 1016 Philadelphia Pike When: Thursday May 20, 1999, eleven o'clock AM Please join us if you can. If not, send an email to Governor Carper (ssnyder@state.de.us) Background information from previous Green Delaware publications: Let's compare the Act to the "Agreement:" The ACT says "... construction of industrial plants in the coastal zone ... is declared to be against public policy." The AGREEMENT says "the regulatory process should be designed to that each heavy industry facility can obtain permits to add new products, change existing products, increase production capacity, add new processes and modify existing processes.... Such a regulatory process has been developed. Among it's provisions: Industry may increase pollution in the Zone in return for "offsetting." For example, a refinery could put out more air pollution in return for promising to plant trees. This is called "environmental improvement." We think it's a scheme to let state agencies "shake down" industries in return for allowing more pollution. "Environmental indicators" chosen and interpreted by the State (read "Industry") are to be monitored. How this would protect the Coastal Zone from industrial pollution is unclear. A "technical advisory committee" is already at work developing "indicators." Its 17 members include one identified as an "environmental advocate" and many major polluters. We note the extraordinary betrayal of the welfare of human beings seen in the failure ... to clarify that trash incineration is a form of heavy industry and not allowed in the Delaware Coastal Zone ... it seems that the committee did not regard human beings un-connected with the chemical industry as "stake holders"... we note another betrayal of the public in the failure to define utility thermal power plants as "heavy industry".... Note: The Delaware DNREC, ignoring a law passed in 1998, seems poised to issue a permit for an incinerator in the Coastal Zone. Look for more details in upcoming Green Delaware News. (C) Alan Muller
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