Learned something important at the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, consent agendas are a rubber stamp item with no comments. They take about 1 minute each. Yikes.
I got there at 9:15, public comment was #15 and already in progress. Natalie B was the last speaker making a beautiful plea for the Love of Water on World Water Day.
I quickly filled out a form and handed it to the clerk, it was accepted and the Proclamation Declaration for a Clean, Safe, Healthy environment delivered on behalf of the over 89,000 petitioners, residents, Cal Poly and Cuesta students, farmers, businesses and 4 local municipalities calling for our Board to do their job and keep SLO Clean, Safe and Healthy is officially on the public record.
It is officially calling for a response on or before April 19, 2016. Now it begins.
Keeping SLO Clean-Safe and Healthy means refusing to approve any permits with EPA exemptions-from-all-Clean-Safe-and-Healthy-LAWS.
It just stands to reason. If they are exempted they are not safe. If they are safe they would not need an exemption. Exempted means our rights to a Clean, Safe, Healthy environment has been excluded from EPA’s permitting process. And that may be good enough for the EPA but it is not good enough for us. And we must say so.
Doing their job means, on our behalf, the Board must refuse to allow any EPA exempted oil drilling operations to take place in our backyard. Simply put EPA standards do not meet our standards which are clearly defined in the Clean Air, Clean Water, Safe Drinking Water and Resource Conservation and Recovery Acts.
So, it is official. It is on the record. We requested a response on or before April 19, 2016.
Board of Supervisors does not meet on the 5th Tuesday. So, anyone that can attend the B of S meeting the week of April 5, 12, and 19th @ 9 a.m. please do so. “Sign the proclamation, it’s the right thing to do.”
And if you can only make one meeting let it be the 19th. Because frankly, ignoring us, as they have done in the past, is no longer acceptable and we are there for their official answer. We are calling for them to make a motion to vote on the Proclamation then and there.
The Proclamation is simply a renewal of their vows, their oath of office, to uphold, protect and defend our rights and we have a right to know if they intend to honor that promise.
As a last resort you can email the Board. You can include articles, facts, documentation, data, studies that support your reasons for wanting the Board to refuse to accept the EPA’s exclusion of our rights in support of their exemption. An appeal to reason. An appeal to emotion. The Need to be safe is very emotional.
Emails are part of the public record and if need be can be subpoenaed by the court as evidence. If we need to prove we did everything in our power to get the Board to respond to our needs and do their job the emails will do that as will public comment.
1. Frank Mecham fmecham@co.slo.ca.us
- Bruce Gibson bgibson@co.slo.ca.us
- Adam Hill ahill@co.slo.ca.us
- Lynn Compton lcompton@co.slo.ca.us
- Debbie Arnold darnold@co.slo.ca.us
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I hope it does not come to that but we really cannot take a chance or tolerate disrespectful, belligerent behavior from our elected officials who refuse to acknowledge and recognize our concerns and needs. We have waited three years and that is long enough.
While our efforts are local and deals directly with our officials there is also much going on at the State level dealing directly with DOGGR and EPA.
Groups want freeze on oil waste dumping into water reserves
I know this whole process is very disrupting, inconvenient and unsettling but is nothing compared to what will happen if we don’t do it and do it now. Because frankly people if we don’t stand up for ourselves it is for darn sure nobody else will.
So buck up and let’s get this done. We are under siege. Freeport is the first to go. Then oil trains then Diablo and then we are home free. At least until the next round which will be a lot easier because we will have trail blazed how to establish a respectful and congenial working relationship with our elected officials.
Mothers for Peace on constant vigil asking for us to call Senator Monning’s office. It’s easy. And the interns at Monning’s office are very pleasant and polite. So please…………
Contact Senator Monning and register your opposition to California SB 968
(916) 651-4017 http://sd17.senate.ca.gov/send-e-mail
30 organizations oppose this bill because it mandates an analysis of purportedly negative – but not positive – impacts of shutting down the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant.
Read more:
THANK YOU!!!
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Share this with everyone that has a vested interest in keeping SLO Safe.
In solidarity, peace and love
Always,
Jean’ne
SLO Clean Water.org
Instead of thinking outside the box, get rid of the box.
SLO Clean Water 