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| BULLETIN CEEI STATEMENT NOVEMBER 2004 |
CEEI Statement November 30, 2004
CEEI was founded 14 years ago when it was determined that most the news media would not publish the official polluted stream lists produced by the states themselves to comply with the Clean Water ACT (CWA). Idaho for example had maintained that only 34 streams qualified to be listed per the criteria of the CWA. (Fish could not reproduce nor humans swim because of chemicals or bacteria content). The media still withholds this information because they fear advertising and subscriber retaliation. ( CEEI conducted a poll in 1996 and found that out of a sample of 1000 interviews 99.9 % didn’t know that Idaho had any polluted streams. This is in the heart of the Rockies).
It turned out that Idaho had 962 303(d) streams that were polluted. Federal Judge Dwyer simply then ordered Idaho to submit to the EPA the higher number because of evidence supplied by the Idaho Sporting Congress. CEEI developed a new way to look at the environment by listing the entire 303(d) list of 23,000 streams (the entire country) and all the associated information that has surrounded the CWA. These listings are on the net at LINK "http://www.apsrs.org".since 1995.
The report to Congress didn’t mention that only 19% of the streams in the US had been surveyed or the fact that most streams are incubators of Giardia . ( an intestinal disease transmitted by livestock but affects humans).It didn’t mention the most of the waterways in the east were also polluted by airborne mercury produced by coal fired generating plants. It was also determined that state committees usually vetted these stream lists by farmers and rancher interests who realized that pesticides , fertilizers, and mining chemicals were bound to show up in these lists of polluted streams. Added to this maze is the fact that mercury tho broadcast from every COAL Fired power plant in the country does not get on these lists and neither does Giardis
Ask your Congress man and Senator if he thinks the EPA is doing a good Job. ask you newspaper why they have never published these lists in 30 years that are at www.apsrs.org ?
The CWA report in 1992 complied by the EPA had a total of 22,000 streams as reported to Congress . .Today the official lists report almost 30,000 streams. CEEI believes with all the factors above cited, the official numbers, are more likely to be around 200,000 to 400,000. that are missing from current EPA lists. CEEI simply doesn't know. and nether does the EPA.
The problem that CEEI has had with this list was that it presents a woefully short and distorted view of the status and the true picture of the nations waterways and water resources. We know that organizations like the Heinz Center in DC surveyed many areas of concern about eco system health and found that the Clean Water Act simply was not producing surveys that could be used. They made the statement that "it maybe that all water ways maybe polluted in the country right now with chemicals" The State of the Nations Eco Systems.( 2002.) { "data not adequate for public National reporting").
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of Riverkeepers believes most streams particularly on the eastern
seaboard ( East of all those coal fired generating plants) are at risk. And the fish caught in them should be released and not consumed as most of them contain high levels of mercury..
It is CEEI's current mission to produce the ESEW web site that will increase the awareness of students of the magnitude of the polluted streams in the US as an indicator of environmental health, and the status of habitat for hundreds of species.and the species them selves that have not yet made the official lists. on the ESEW.org web site.
With the advent of the ACIA on November 8th 2004, and their Arctic Climate Assessment Status Report, changes the total paragrim.. The country faces climate and habitat problems for humans.now as well. The species that are at risk have been identified by the WCU and the UN now numbers 15,000, and 185 Alaskan Arctic communities are going to be moved soon. CEEI's new web site will be focusing on those species that are now at risk ( including humans) is being determined by 8 nations. belonging to (ACIA ) at HYPERLINK "http://www.esew.org" .
This report ACIA demonstrates a wealth of knowledge and the shear magnitude of such evidence indicates that even if we start right away to clean up the air, it will be 1000 years to restore the plant's equilibrium and within 50 to 100 years most of the glacier ice and snow will be gone. And the sea levels will rise possibly 4 to 6 feet during this century.
The CEEI mission is now to use all its web sites programs and 11 more on the drawing board to advance, the awareness of current environmental knowledge with factual support data as well as other reports, photos, news articles, surveys, observations by native peoples, retired experts, students, scientists, bird watchers. In short by all people that are concerned about their future on the planet. |
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National Geographic Image Collection/Annie Griffiths Belt |
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