October 5, 1998
1) Mobile County Ranks12th In Toxic Spills
2) President's Former Scientific Advisor Coming to B'ham
3) New EPA Calls On Industry Air Pollution Reductions
4) Lt. Governor's Race - Follow the Money $$$
5) Want to Cleanup Governement? Common Cause's Website
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1. Mobile County Toxic Spills - According to a Mobile
Register computer
analysis of 1997 U.S. Department Transportation (DOT) records,
there were 10
unintentional or accidental spills involving hazardous cargo of
more than 10
gallons. The DOT considers hazardous cargo to be anything that
can pose a
substantial hazard to health or the environment when improperly
handled.
This record placed Mobile 12th in a national survey (Jefferson
County had one
more incident, but the ranking was based on population and traffic).
Statewide, Alabama also ranks 12th nationally with the number
of spills and
9th per capita. The state had 41 releases in 1997.
2. Dr. John Gibbons to Speak at Birmingham Southern
- Dr. John Gibbons,
former Science Advisor to the President of the United States and
an
internationally recognized physicist will be speaking to Birmingham
Southern's Greening the Campus and Broadening the Classroom on
Saturday
October 17th at 10:00. The public is welcomed. Dr. Gibbons was
the
President's advisor up until April of 1998. As the President's
chief
scientific advisor (sounds like he had Spock's job from Star Trek
<g>) Dr.
Gibbon's advised the President on cutting edge science and technology
issues
such as global warming. For more information about the conference
please
call 205-226-7739 or e-mail me at pkbyington@aol.com
3. Alabama Ordered to Reduce Air Pollution - Last week
EPA ordered Alabama
and 21 addtional states to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides
- NOX. Under
these new tougher pollution rules, Alabama has until 2007 to cut
this smog
causing pollutant by 27%. The stricter regulations are aimed at
reducing
wind-borne air pollution in the Northeast.
The reaction to the new standards have been mixed with opposition
coming from
Gov. Fob James and ADEM. In the Northeast the decision has been
hailed as a
victory for their region. The New York Times called the new rules
"A Victory
for Cleaner Air" on their editorial page.
4. Follow the Money - The Lt. Gov. Race - So whose winning
the money chase
in the Lt. Governor's race and who is paying the bill? According
to the
Birmingham News, state senator Steve Windom has 1.63 million in
the bank
compared to state senator Dewayne Freeman's $887,000. Here is
a breakdown of
each candidate's major contributors.
Steve Windom of Mobile - Has received large amounts of money
from business
and insurance companies. A sampling - $166,000 from the Business
Council of
Alabama's PAC, $150,000 from PAC's operated by ALFA insurance
and affiliated
with the Alabama Farmers Federation, $75,000 from SouthTrust PAC,
$66,000
from the Automobile Dealer's Association PAC's.
Dewayne Freeman of Huntsville - In Freeman's corner - Various
Democratic
Party PAC's who have contributed more than $200,000. Labor Unions
including
the State Employees PAC - $125,000 and the AFL-CIO - $26,000.
Alabama Power
Co's PAC also has given Freeman $26,000.
5. Common Cause Website - If you think the numbers above
are obscene, check
out Common Cause, a national organization advocating campaign
finance reform.
Their website is:
Please share BEN with friends and fellow conservationists.
If you have any questions about BEN, contact Pat Byington at
205-226-7739 or pkbyington@aol.com
