vision2020
Re: Re: WSU Toxic Waste
At 01:02 PM 6/25/98 -0800, you wrote:
>
>
>IMPRESSIONS ON THE JUNE 24, '98 HEARING ON THE PROPOSED WSU TOXIC
>WASTE INCINERATOR: The meeting brought out a vocal crowd, first of
>all. The turnout was impressive, especially considering the fact that
>most of the WSU and Uof I populations are out of town.
and...
>question. The fact that the hearing was held just after the end of
>the Spring academic semester when major portions of the public
>interested in a healthy enviroment are in Seattle, Boise and elswhere
>is but one reason that many attending the hearing agreed that the
>process, for whatever reason, is not functioning correctly.)
Who is it, exactly, that is missing from the Palouse at the moment?
---Who's missing? Well, gee, about 8-9,000 UofI students, about
18,000 WSU students, and significant percentages of the faculties of
both institutions. It is often necessary for faculty members to leave
town during the summers to do research, look for research grants, or
simply pursue other interests. Also it should be clear that since
public schools are also in recess, their families often schedule
their vacations or other summer activities at this time. It's obvious
that this is a traditional "lull" time.
Both U of I and WSU are having difficulty in attracting adequate
numbers of students to their campuses. I really don't believe that
scheduling hearings on projects that might very well affect the
healthfulness of the environment in which most students spend 9-10
months out of the year is helpful. Would all students inform
themselves and attend such hearings? Certainly not. But a significant
number would. And these would be instrumental in carrying the word
back to less activist members of the student body. TL
Why do you think that they are better qualified to
comment on the proposed facility than the people who have been, are,
and will continue to be, members of this community?
---Who said they were?
Many members of the community that "are and
will continue to be" members of the community were in attendance last
night. I was among them. All members of the community are absolutely
qualified and have a duty to speak out on this matter. I'm certain
that many more "year round" community members whose jobs happen to
depend on WSU are hesitant to speak out publicly in opposition to
these plans.
My contention is merely that the process of inclusion in making this
decision is not helped by the de-facto exclusion of any community
members. I believe scheduling this hearing when significant portions
of the community's population aren't able to participate was
ill-advised at best.
Also if you've seen any of the documents concerning this incinerator,
it's clear that any technical or scientific expertise would be
welcome in de-ciphering it. A few professor/grad student types would
certainly come in handy here as well. TL
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