Newsletters

May 2010 - BP, Casinos, Bioreserve

WELCOME TO GREEN FUTURES !
MAY, 2010

“Gaming corrupts our disposition and teaches us a habit of hostility against all mankind.”

- Thomas Jefferson

“The economy is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the environment.”

-Senator Gaylord Nelson

BP LIED, THE GULF DIED –

Think most folks now realize that BP doesn’t have a clue on how to stop their catastrophic leak?

Think most folks now also realize that Obama and his administration are equally clueless?

We had great hopes when we saw the anti-environment Bush era ending and a bright, articulate guy with not much experience on environmental issues, but with some great environmental sound-bites, taking over the oval office. Oops …fooled again!

Like Bush, Obama is “owned” by BIG OIL/GAS. Barely a year in office he announced his support for “clean” coal …an oxymoron if we ever heard one. Obama didn’t stop there. He next endorsed “green and clean” (his words, not ours) nuclear power, and expanded offshore deepwater oil drilling off our coasts and in the Arctic.

“And part of what my religious faith teaches me is to take an intergenerational view, to recognize that we are borrowing this planet from our children and grandchildren,” …so said Barack during the presidential campaign.

Well, good luck to Sasha and Malia when they’re adults. We have “borrowed” their planet and trashed it. We trust their dad will warn them to stay away from the Gulf coast, “clean” coal emissions, nuclear power plants, radioactive waste depositories, etc., etc.

Looking at information on local oil spills (miniscule compared to the disaster in the Gulf) we see that these past spills have broad environmental consequences that last for years.

The North Cape oil spill occurred in Rhode Island on January 19, 1996. Lobster fishing has not fully recovered.

The Barge “Florida” Falmouth spill occurred September 16, 1969. Hydrocarbons are still present in Falmouth salt marsh sediments.

More recently the Bouchard Barge #120 spill occurred in Buzzards Bay on April 27, 2003. Some rock cobble and sand still contain traces of #6 oil.

It is way past time for the Obama administration to take charge in the Gulf and tell BP what they have to do.

From the get-go Washington has failed to provide oversight. For months BP has been trying “by gosh and by golly” methods to try to shut off the flow. Despite the fact they don’t know what they are doing, BP has refused offers of assistance from Norway and other countries that have deepwater oil production expertise.

BP is only concerned with the price of its stock. Should we expect more? It’s the government that should be concerned about its citizens and their environment.

BP lied about the amount of oil gushing into the Gulf; although they initially said otherwise, they had no idea how to stop it; they ran the offshore facility and drilling rig without proper safeguards; took dangerous short-cuts to increase production; are still lowballing the amount of released oil …and the effects of that oil …on the Gulf. They should be charged criminally.

Obama, don’t just say it when you’re at a news conference in Louisiana …really take control! While you are at it, kill what could eventually be our own local “BP type” disaster …the ill-conceived Hess LNG project.

Yes, we know …like BP’s Deepwater Horizon the foolish Hess plan to import and store 4.4 billion cubic feet of natural gas in an urban area will be “state of the art” and “failsafe” …too.

CASINO MANIA GRIPS FALL RIVER –

No one ethnic group has a corner on the greed market. Greed is an equal opportunity vice.

Fall River Mayor Flanagan and his administration are breaking promises and taking legally questionable short-cuts in an attempt to be first in line should the legislature allow casino gambling in Massachusetts.

We are not opposed to adults giving their money to Indians and their Malaysian backers.

We do object to being lied to and the less than transparent way this whole procedure was negotiated, behind closed doors, and announced.

Since we’ve recently issued a few “Info” and “Action Alerts” on this topic, we won’t repeat ourselves here. There will be more on this issue in next month’s e-newsletter.

Stay tuned.

Reminder- Casinos do not make good neighbors. Opponents are gathering.

In our case, the threat the present Fall River/Freetown Indian gambling plans pose to the environmental integrity of the Freetown State Forest segment of the Southeastern Massachusetts Bioreserve is just wrong. The fact that we, and other environmental groups, have been lied to and snookered is disgusting. Shame on the present city administration!

All those opposed, for whatever reason, to the horrendous plan for a "destination resort" casino on the 300 acres, originally set-aside for the UMass Biotech Center, are invited to a meeting by Citizens for the Common Good.

June 3, Thursday, 7 p.m. at the Calvary Temple Assembly of God, 4321 North Main St. (just slightly south on N. Main St. from Exit 8 off Route 24) Fall River, Ma.

SPRING IN THE BIORESERVE –

About the best time of the year to view new life out there in your natural world.

Wild flowers are blooming, baby birds are leaving their nests, turtles and other reptiles are laying their eggs, and forest babies are viewing their world for the first time.

Here are some pics from the Southeastern Massachusetts Bioreserve. All were taken during the past two weeks.

Click on our “Calendar” for organized activities that will get you out into your natural environment.