Apex Fire Sparks Gov, State Rep to Action
This month's chemical fire at a hazardous waste storage facility in Apex has spurred North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley and state Rep. Nelson Dollar to take action to address public safety.
Easley yesterday appointed a task force to examine current regulations for such facilities and to recommend changes, including legislation if necessary, to better protect citizens and the environment, according to a statement from his press office.
"Hazardous waste storage and disposal facilities must be operated safely for the good of the public and the environment," said Easley. "We cannot allow firefighters to risk their lives by rushing into a facility when they do not know what is stored there. This task force will make sure our emergency responders and the public know where these facilities are located and what is in them."
Chairing the task force will be Doug Hoell, director of the Division of Emergency Management, and Dempsey Benton, chief deputy secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Other members include Leah Devlin, state health director; Win Mabry, Mecklenburg County health director; Drexdal Pratt, director of the N.C. Office of Emergency Medical Services; Bradley Harvey, head of the Raleigh Regional Response Team; Johnny Teeters, chief of the Greensboro Fire Department; Marty Zaluski, director of Emergency Programs for the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services; Viney Aneja, N.C. State University professor of environmental technology; David Thompson, executive director of the N.C. Association of County Commissioners, and S. Ellis Hankins, executive director of the N.C. League of Municipalities.
Easley asked the task force to prepare a report for him by Dec. 15.
Meanwhile, state Rep. Nelson Dollar, who represents the Apex area in the General Assembly, is crafting legislation to institute electronic reporting requirements for such facilities. I write about his efforts and other aspects of the fire's aftermath -- including the growing controversy over the lack of comprehensive off-site testing of homes and businesses for toxic chemicals -- in this week's Independent.
"A grocery store can tell you how many boxes of corn flakes they have on their shelves," Dollar, a Republican who's up for re-election in November, told me. "We should know what hazardous materials are being stored in these facilities."
Dollar also wants to ensure local municipalities are informed about regulatory penalties against nearby facilities. He points out that Apex officials were unaware the state fined EQ $32,000 earlier this year for improper waste handling.
posted by Sue Sturgis @ 1:10 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
It is sad that you fell into Nelson Dollar's campaign ploy. His district is mostly Cary with only two precincts in Apex. The EQ plant is not in his district. This is a publicity stunt two weeks before the election. Nelson Dollar is a radical right wing Republican who has voted against every meaningful piece of environmental legislation. Now he expects to be painted as a hero for the environment? Give me a break. Nelson is a day late and a dollar short.
What's your point, no eq? That when "right-wing Republicans" propose doing something helpful, it shouldn't be reported on? Please, if you know of any "left-wing Democrats" or Greens or whatever who have proposed doing something constructive in response to this tragic situation, do let me know. I'd be happy to report on that, too -- just as I reported here on my blog about Democratic Gov. Mike Easley's creation of the hazmat task force.
Please know that Rep. Dollar did not contact me to promote his efforts as a "publicity stunt." I heard about his work from Apex Mayor Keith Weatherly, and got in touch with him myself. He was good enough to return my call, even though I was working on assignment for a newspaper with a decidedly left-wing slant.
And since you've been generous enough to take the time to critique my work, allow me to return the favor. I find it disturbing that you're posting comments on my blog impugning a public official's integrity but are not willing to sign your name. Is that an example of your courageous organizing? I also find it disturbing that your "NO EQ" Web site offers no explanation of who you are, other than referring to yourself as a "citizens action group."
Do you really think shadowy, anonymous organizations are the most constructive approach to this extremely serious situation? Because I don't.
Thanks so much for posting.
The problem is that if I post my name to the web site, I could be fired from my job. Yet, I am an Apex resident. I played hockey that night at Dream Sports and walked through the cloud of toxic gas. I was forced to evacuate my family from my home and I felt that I had to prevent EQ from rebuilding near my home. Again, my employment is the only reason why I have to stay anonymous. I'm sorry that you think my "shadowy" organization is not constructive, but my voice has captured many of the feelings of my neighbors and received positive responses from the Apex Mayor and Town Leadership.
I'm relieved that you didn't just report a Nelson Dollar press release. But, he does have a horrible environmental record and to date has run only a hate campaign against gays and immigrants. His legislation smelled like an opportunistic attempt to capitalize on the Apex emergency since Dollar is losing in the polls to his challenger.
I'm sorry you're in such a difficult situation due to your job. However, I still think it's going to be difficult for an organization whose leader has to remain anonymous to get much accomplished. If I were you, I'd at least include a "who I am" page on the site explaining the situation.
I must confess, it irks me when a partisan of any stripe criticizes an official from another party who does what he wanted them to do all along as engaging in a "publicity stunt." First of all, Rep. Dollar had nothing to do with the disaster occurring near the elections. If he had done nothing in response, he'd undoubtedly be critized for that.
It's true that Dollar belongs to a party that's often hostile to environmental protection. However, the legislation he's proposing is not so much about protecting the environment per se as protecting first responders -- and I pray that's not a partisan issue.
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