Another perspective...
JONESTOWN MASSACRE: The Unrevealed Story
USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), Jan, 1999 by Jeff A. Schnepper
The testimony of Rev. Jim Jones' mistress opens a Pandora's box of sex, lies, drugs, politics, and murder.
IN NOVEMBER, 1978, the world was stunned by dramatic pictures and stories about Rev. Jim Jones and the mass suicide of hundreds of people in Jonestown, Guyana. While the deaths were real, the stories were fabrications created to cover up the theft of more than $26,000,000, planned mass murder (not suicide), and the fiscal rape of the treasury of San Francisco by corrupt politicians.
Jones' second in command, Teresa Buford, was a survivor of the massacre. Her confession, revealing the true nature of what happened, details Jones' blueprint for creating his own nation, funded by U.S. taxpayers' dollars stolen as part of San Francisco's corrupt political system. Buford's allegations have been supported by Charles Garry, Jones' first lawyer, eight boxes of notes and correspondence found by The New York Times, and newly unsealed records turned over to the California Historical Society. In my research, all discrepancies between what she alleged and what was reported in 1978 have been resolved by independent documentation supporting her position. I believe Buford. This is her story.
Terri Buford was Jones' mistress and financial manager of the Peoples Temple in California. The daughter of a former naval commander and spy, Buford reveals the mind control and brainwashing techniques used by Jones and his followers to manage the members of the Peoples Temple. That was just the beginning, however. Jones' objective was power. Using the Temple as a base, he manipulated its members to vote for and support local California candidates. Membership in Jones' church reached 20,000 in California by the early 1970s and his church had 13 buses used to transport large groups on short notice to any political rally or demonstration he supported. In the successful 1975 San Francisco mayoral campaign of George Moscone, Temple members went from precinct to precinct, voting over and over. Officials at the polling places never confiscated the voters' yellow registration forms. There were more votes cast than registered voters. When Moscone's opponent, John Barbagelata, complained about voter fraud, Jones sent him a box of candy with a bomb. Though the bomb misfired, Barbagelata muffled his complaints.
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Four hundred voter registration books disappeared and never were recovered, as the entire voting list of the 1975 election vanished without a trace. Timothy Stoen, then Jones' righthand man, was moved from Ukiah, Calif., to San Francisco as Assistant District Attorney and put in charge of the Voter Fraud Unit. In effect, the prosecutors were responsible for investigating themselves. The 1975 fraud resulted in not one conviction.
Those government officials he could not influence with his ballot power, Jones owned through drugs and blackmail. Buford was the head of Jones' "diversions" unit, formed specifically to blackmail politicians whose sexual activity was photographed or tape recorded. Allies were rewarded handsomely with financial and sexual favors. Millions of dollars then were stolen from the government of San Francisco by Jones and the Temple through the scheme of signing up adopted children for government benefits endorsed by politicians elected with phony balloting in rigged elections. These benefits were paid to the Temple by politicians empowered and owned by Jones. The children were put on the streets with $100-a-day quotas to be met by begging or suffer severe beatings for their failure.
Temple staff members were placed in key positions in the government to ensure the continued flood of new money. In Ukiah, Jones-controlled workers served in the Department of Social Services, Juvenile Hall, the Public Health Department, and the Offices of County Government. In effect, the entire local government was on Jones' payroll. In San Francisco, Jones himself was rewarded with the job of heading the city's Housing Authority.
Jones arranged free government housing for his Temple members. Properties that were in tax delinquency as well as repossessed, foreclosed, Veterans Administration, and HUD homes were kept apart from the city's public auction block and diverted to the Peoples Temple's holdings. Through Jones' Housing Authority position, he and his staff amassed a huge fortune in city properties, all considered tax-exempt due to the religious classification the Temple enjoyed. Jones was attempting to create a pseudo-religious empire modeled on the merger of religion and politics.
San Francisco Mayor Moscone and politician Harvey Milk were murdered in 1978, nine days after Jones' death. Temple member Bonnie Malman had been sent by Jones to have sex with Moscone long before he was mayor. She became his secret lover and a spy for Jones. Milk originally had been a Temple supporter who had been involved with Buford in the many sordid sex schemes involving California politicians. He saw Guyana as an experiment that "didn't work." Milk disassociated himself from the Temple and believed that Jonestown political forces were plotting his death to silence him. He was right.
2.25.2007
Crying crocodile tears...
---- Mark Lovelace wrote:
February 23, 2007
Free Public Workshop Offered:
Bankruptcy 101:
Understanding the Palco Chapter 11 Case
Friday, March 2nd, 6pm to 8pm
Fortuna River Lodge
A coalition of environmental, labor, and forestry organizations are presenting a free public workshop to help the community understand the Pacific Lumber Company's bankruptcy. The workshop will be held at the Fortuna River Lodge on Friday evening, March 2nd, from 6 to 8 pm. The event is being sponsored by the Humboldt Watershed Council, the Alliance for Sustainable Jobs and the Environment, and other partners.
The purpose of this workshop is to help the public understand what Chapter 11 is, how the reorganization process works, the specifics of the Palco case, and some of the possible outcomes. The event will feature a presentation by Peter Clapp, an attorney with many years' experience in corporate bankruptcy law. Mr. Clapp will explain the details of the process, what's at stake, who the parties are, and some of the significant issues which have emerged so far.
This educational workshop is designed to be useful to anyone with either a financial stake or an interest in the Palco bankruptcy, including workers, retirees, contractors, and community members. The presentation will be followed by a facilitated question-and-answer session to allow attendees to further explore the Chapter 11 process and specific relevant issues.
For more information, please contact:
Mark Lovelace, President
Humboldt Watershed Council
(707) 822-1166
sheds@humboldt1.com
February 23, 2007
Free Public Workshop Offered:
Bankruptcy 101:
Understanding the Palco Chapter 11 Case
Friday, March 2nd, 6pm to 8pm
Fortuna River Lodge
A coalition of environmental, labor, and forestry organizations are presenting a free public workshop to help the community understand the Pacific Lumber Company's bankruptcy. The workshop will be held at the Fortuna River Lodge on Friday evening, March 2nd, from 6 to 8 pm. The event is being sponsored by the Humboldt Watershed Council, the Alliance for Sustainable Jobs and the Environment, and other partners.
The purpose of this workshop is to help the public understand what Chapter 11 is, how the reorganization process works, the specifics of the Palco case, and some of the possible outcomes. The event will feature a presentation by Peter Clapp, an attorney with many years' experience in corporate bankruptcy law. Mr. Clapp will explain the details of the process, what's at stake, who the parties are, and some of the significant issues which have emerged so far.
This educational workshop is designed to be useful to anyone with either a financial stake or an interest in the Palco bankruptcy, including workers, retirees, contractors, and community members. The presentation will be followed by a facilitated question-and-answer session to allow attendees to further explore the Chapter 11 process and specific relevant issues.
For more information, please contact:
Mark Lovelace, President
Humboldt Watershed Council
(707) 822-1166
sheds@humboldt1.com
2.23.2007
ER - Dioxin listing a done deal
Despite the fact that the Water Board admitted they had violated thier process, they stood by thier flawed decision. No surprise. This is what bureaucracy does. If they make a mistake, staff compiles a cover argument that will protect them and they stand by the decision rather than risk getting sued themselves. Now everyone in Humbodt County - and the State will be paying the price for Baykeeper's self-motivated ploy.
Harbor District Chief Executive Officer David Hull runs through a presentation to the State Water Board, Tuesday afternoon detailing why the state should reconsider its October 2006 decision to list Humboldt Bay as impaired for dioxin under section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act. Nathan Rushton/The Eureka Reporter
Dioxin listing a done deal
by Nathan Rushton, 2/21/2007
Disappointment, but not surprise.
That is how an official from one of the primary agencies described the unsuccessful last-ditch effort by several area government agencies to pressure the state into reconsidering its decision to list Humboldt Bay as impaired for dioxin.
The listing matter was discussed during a State Water Resources Control Board meeting in Sacramento Tuesday.
Since Humboldt Bay was added to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s nationwide list of impaired waterways during the State Water Board Oct. 25, 2006, meeting, numerous agencies, including the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District, Humboldt County, the city of Arcata and several bay oyster producers, have been vocal and have lobbied the State Water Board to reconsider its decision on a variety of grounds.
Agencies have claimed the listing was a “failed process” that surprised nearly every bay stakeholder group and agency because the State Water Board approved its staff’s last-minute listing recommendation reversal following the review of 14 tissue samples of fish and shellfish that showed dioxin levels that exceeded state criteria, which had been submitted by the environmental advocate group Humboldt Baykeeper.
Improper procedures, inadequate solicitation of data and a lack of thorough review of too little data were also listed as reasons for reconsidering the listing the state and federal governments have called a done deal.
The four-member State Water Board patiently listened to the rehashing of arguments its staff had already rejected and addressed at length in an eight-page response letter to the environmental consultant Geomatrix, which was hired by the Harbor District earlier this month to petition the listing.
Geomatrix Principal Geologist Edward Conti told the board that removing Humboldt Bay from the list would allow a more “technically and procedurally acceptable” process, which he said would instill confidence in the public that it was inclusive and transparent.
State Water Board member Arthur Baggett said he could reconsider the listing if there were any major errors of law or fact.
“I don’t see that,” Baggett said.
An EPA representative confirmed for the State Water Board that the state had complied with the legal requirements for the listing and that the federal agency had already approved the state’s recommendation for the listing in November.
As well as not budging on reconsidering the listing, State Water Board staff told the board that delisting Humboldt Bay as impaired for dioxin would require “a higher level of proof.”
Although the combined 2004-06 listing cycle ended in October, the deadline for submitting data in support of delisting the bay or maintaining its current impaired status ends Feb. 28.
Harbor District legal counsel Russell Gans called the listing process “troubled” and added that the “indiscriminate” listing of the entire bay as impaired was similar to deeming a 16,000-room hotel as contaminated because a pollutant was detected on the shirt sleeve of a few patrons.
Another Geomatrix consultant read into the record a letter signed by 5th District Supervisor Jill Geist, who conveyed by proxy her frustration of the listing she said showed “significant shortcomings” and a “rush to judgment.”
Representatives from Humboldt Baykeeper, as well the California Coastkeeper Alliance, the organization representing several environmental “keeper” groups throughout the state, lined up in support of the listing.
While he commended State Water Board staff for their diligent work, Humboldt Baykeeper Program Director Pete Nichols called the Harbor District’s “show of force” at the meeting disconcerting and evidence of their willingness to waste taxpayer’s dollars on an already proven health issue.
Nichols said he will continue with the group’s efforts to characterize the contaminated sites around Humboldt Bay, but added he will look to work collaboratively with the Harbor District and other stakeholders in the future to get the clean up moving forward.
“We want to do both,” Nichols said. “But it would take a change of attitude on their part.”
At the conclusion of Tuesday’s meeting, Harbor District Chief Executive Officer David Hull said he was disappointed, but that he was shifting energy and directing Geomatrix to prepare for the 2008 listing cycle to meet next week’s deadline.
“I am pretty confident that we are going to have a lot of information in the record this time — something that they didn’t have when they made this decision,” Hull said.
Although he said it is odd to only have a three-month window to gather the necessary delisting data that the state will take two years to review, Hull said it is indicative of the effort that should have been done for their last decision.
State Water Board staff announced a workshop meeting has been scheduled for staff to discuss with the public the “lessons learned” during the 2004-06 303(d) listing process in preparation of finalizing the 2008 listing cycle.
Copyright (C) 2005, The Eureka Reporter. All rights reserved.
Harbor District Chief Executive Officer David Hull runs through a presentation to the State Water Board, Tuesday afternoon detailing why the state should reconsider its October 2006 decision to list Humboldt Bay as impaired for dioxin under section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act. Nathan Rushton/The Eureka Reporter
Dioxin listing a done deal
by Nathan Rushton, 2/21/2007
Disappointment, but not surprise.
That is how an official from one of the primary agencies described the unsuccessful last-ditch effort by several area government agencies to pressure the state into reconsidering its decision to list Humboldt Bay as impaired for dioxin.
The listing matter was discussed during a State Water Resources Control Board meeting in Sacramento Tuesday.
Since Humboldt Bay was added to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s nationwide list of impaired waterways during the State Water Board Oct. 25, 2006, meeting, numerous agencies, including the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District, Humboldt County, the city of Arcata and several bay oyster producers, have been vocal and have lobbied the State Water Board to reconsider its decision on a variety of grounds.
Agencies have claimed the listing was a “failed process” that surprised nearly every bay stakeholder group and agency because the State Water Board approved its staff’s last-minute listing recommendation reversal following the review of 14 tissue samples of fish and shellfish that showed dioxin levels that exceeded state criteria, which had been submitted by the environmental advocate group Humboldt Baykeeper.
Improper procedures, inadequate solicitation of data and a lack of thorough review of too little data were also listed as reasons for reconsidering the listing the state and federal governments have called a done deal.
The four-member State Water Board patiently listened to the rehashing of arguments its staff had already rejected and addressed at length in an eight-page response letter to the environmental consultant Geomatrix, which was hired by the Harbor District earlier this month to petition the listing.
Geomatrix Principal Geologist Edward Conti told the board that removing Humboldt Bay from the list would allow a more “technically and procedurally acceptable” process, which he said would instill confidence in the public that it was inclusive and transparent.
State Water Board member Arthur Baggett said he could reconsider the listing if there were any major errors of law or fact.
“I don’t see that,” Baggett said.
An EPA representative confirmed for the State Water Board that the state had complied with the legal requirements for the listing and that the federal agency had already approved the state’s recommendation for the listing in November.
As well as not budging on reconsidering the listing, State Water Board staff told the board that delisting Humboldt Bay as impaired for dioxin would require “a higher level of proof.”
Although the combined 2004-06 listing cycle ended in October, the deadline for submitting data in support of delisting the bay or maintaining its current impaired status ends Feb. 28.
Harbor District legal counsel Russell Gans called the listing process “troubled” and added that the “indiscriminate” listing of the entire bay as impaired was similar to deeming a 16,000-room hotel as contaminated because a pollutant was detected on the shirt sleeve of a few patrons.
Another Geomatrix consultant read into the record a letter signed by 5th District Supervisor Jill Geist, who conveyed by proxy her frustration of the listing she said showed “significant shortcomings” and a “rush to judgment.”
Representatives from Humboldt Baykeeper, as well the California Coastkeeper Alliance, the organization representing several environmental “keeper” groups throughout the state, lined up in support of the listing.
While he commended State Water Board staff for their diligent work, Humboldt Baykeeper Program Director Pete Nichols called the Harbor District’s “show of force” at the meeting disconcerting and evidence of their willingness to waste taxpayer’s dollars on an already proven health issue.
Nichols said he will continue with the group’s efforts to characterize the contaminated sites around Humboldt Bay, but added he will look to work collaboratively with the Harbor District and other stakeholders in the future to get the clean up moving forward.
“We want to do both,” Nichols said. “But it would take a change of attitude on their part.”
At the conclusion of Tuesday’s meeting, Harbor District Chief Executive Officer David Hull said he was disappointed, but that he was shifting energy and directing Geomatrix to prepare for the 2008 listing cycle to meet next week’s deadline.
“I am pretty confident that we are going to have a lot of information in the record this time — something that they didn’t have when they made this decision,” Hull said.
Although he said it is odd to only have a three-month window to gather the necessary delisting data that the state will take two years to review, Hull said it is indicative of the effort that should have been done for their last decision.
State Water Board staff announced a workshop meeting has been scheduled for staff to discuss with the public the “lessons learned” during the 2004-06 303(d) listing process in preparation of finalizing the 2008 listing cycle.
Copyright (C) 2005, The Eureka Reporter. All rights reserved.
2.19.2007
ER - HCAOG DISCUSSION GETS HEATED
"...“It’s an attempt by a mid-level bureaucratic political whore to bitch-slap me in public because he doesn’t like the way I vote,” Rodoni said." (well, ok the i-t-c-h was bleeped out)
HCAOG DISCUSSION GETS HEATED
by Nathan Rushton, 10/4/2006
It was a seemingly innocuous agenda matter scheduled for Tuesday’s meeting of the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors to discuss who should represent the board at the Humboldt County Association of Governments.
Responsible for how state transportation funding is spent in the county, HCAOG’s eight-member board of directors — made up of a representative of each of the incorporated cities and the county — wields considerable power.
But fueled by the contentious issue of the Hoopa Valley tribe’s long-standing, but unsuccessful, efforts to become a member of the HCAOG board of directors, the supervisors’ meeting turned into a political struggle that threatened to disrupt the relative calm of the board, which has generally found agreement on almost every issue.
Board chair John Woolley said he scheduled the matter to seek clarification as to who should represent the board in light of HCAOG’s bylaws, which state it is the board’s chairperson who should fill that position.
What he got from 2nd District Supervisor Roger Rodoni, who has been the board’s delegate for 10 years, was a caustic charge that the matter was arranged by Woolley to get rid of him, which he described as a “low move” that would forever change the atmosphere of the board.
“It’s an attempt by a mid-level bureaucratic political whore to b***h-slap me in public because he doesn’t like the way I vote,” Rodoni said.
Woolley responded by saying that he wasn’t there to criticize Rodoni’s votes.
“I am just saying that this board took a stand and the representative — on the membership (issue) only — is looking at a different position right now,” Woolley said.
In January, the board unanimously approved, with Rodoni absent, to send a letter to HCAOG in support of its directors amending its bylaws to allow the Hoopa Valley tribe to gain a seat on HCAOG.
“I believe the issue of membership is really a board, not an individual, requirement,” Woolley said.
But Woolley said he had no intention of dictating to Rodoni or any other representative on the policies or issues facing the board, and “looking over that shoulder” of how a representative votes is not an effective use of government.
No action was taken to replace Rodoni.
First District Supervisor Jimmy Smith said he didn’t want to see the matter go sideways and asked that a subcommittee of Rodoni and 5th District Supervisor Jill Geist be formed to look at the issues and to come up with answers.
That motion was passed by a unanimous vote.
Smith said he hoped the HCAOG board would look at the matter more comprehensively and develop a strategy for establishing criteria that welcomes new members that meet the test.
Asked by Smith whether he would support the development of those criteria, Rodoni said that if the tribe came to the board as an equal, then it would be different.
“With the way it is right now, I would say no,” Rodoni said. “Those issues have not been addressed and those have not been settled to the point that everyone can agree.”
As sovereign nations, Rodoni said tribes don’t have to play by the same rules as other forms of elected governments.
In an interview following the meeting, HCAOG Executive Director Spencer Clifton said there has always been a political conflict over whether individuals representing a board can vote their conscience or if they should represent their board’s will.
But if each of the eight HCAOG directors had to go back to their respective boards for direction on each vote, Clifton said it would paralyze the agency.
Clifton said that when HCAOG’s charter was drafted, it was with the understanding that the board’s chair changed annually and that it allows the chair the flexibility to be the representative or to appoint a designee.
Although he said he doesn’t play favorites, Clifton said HCAOG has relied on representatives who have the transportation experience and background to make decisions and that the learning curve of bringing on a new member could occupy half of the time they serve.
“That is a significant issue for me,” Clifton said.
Copyright (C) 2005, The Eureka Reporter. All rights reserved.
HCAOG DISCUSSION GETS HEATED
by Nathan Rushton, 10/4/2006
It was a seemingly innocuous agenda matter scheduled for Tuesday’s meeting of the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors to discuss who should represent the board at the Humboldt County Association of Governments.
Responsible for how state transportation funding is spent in the county, HCAOG’s eight-member board of directors — made up of a representative of each of the incorporated cities and the county — wields considerable power.
But fueled by the contentious issue of the Hoopa Valley tribe’s long-standing, but unsuccessful, efforts to become a member of the HCAOG board of directors, the supervisors’ meeting turned into a political struggle that threatened to disrupt the relative calm of the board, which has generally found agreement on almost every issue.
Board chair John Woolley said he scheduled the matter to seek clarification as to who should represent the board in light of HCAOG’s bylaws, which state it is the board’s chairperson who should fill that position.
What he got from 2nd District Supervisor Roger Rodoni, who has been the board’s delegate for 10 years, was a caustic charge that the matter was arranged by Woolley to get rid of him, which he described as a “low move” that would forever change the atmosphere of the board.
“It’s an attempt by a mid-level bureaucratic political whore to b***h-slap me in public because he doesn’t like the way I vote,” Rodoni said.
Woolley responded by saying that he wasn’t there to criticize Rodoni’s votes.
“I am just saying that this board took a stand and the representative — on the membership (issue) only — is looking at a different position right now,” Woolley said.
In January, the board unanimously approved, with Rodoni absent, to send a letter to HCAOG in support of its directors amending its bylaws to allow the Hoopa Valley tribe to gain a seat on HCAOG.
“I believe the issue of membership is really a board, not an individual, requirement,” Woolley said.
But Woolley said he had no intention of dictating to Rodoni or any other representative on the policies or issues facing the board, and “looking over that shoulder” of how a representative votes is not an effective use of government.
No action was taken to replace Rodoni.
First District Supervisor Jimmy Smith said he didn’t want to see the matter go sideways and asked that a subcommittee of Rodoni and 5th District Supervisor Jill Geist be formed to look at the issues and to come up with answers.
That motion was passed by a unanimous vote.
Smith said he hoped the HCAOG board would look at the matter more comprehensively and develop a strategy for establishing criteria that welcomes new members that meet the test.
Asked by Smith whether he would support the development of those criteria, Rodoni said that if the tribe came to the board as an equal, then it would be different.
“With the way it is right now, I would say no,” Rodoni said. “Those issues have not been addressed and those have not been settled to the point that everyone can agree.”
As sovereign nations, Rodoni said tribes don’t have to play by the same rules as other forms of elected governments.
In an interview following the meeting, HCAOG Executive Director Spencer Clifton said there has always been a political conflict over whether individuals representing a board can vote their conscience or if they should represent their board’s will.
But if each of the eight HCAOG directors had to go back to their respective boards for direction on each vote, Clifton said it would paralyze the agency.
Clifton said that when HCAOG’s charter was drafted, it was with the understanding that the board’s chair changed annually and that it allows the chair the flexibility to be the representative or to appoint a designee.
Although he said he doesn’t play favorites, Clifton said HCAOG has relied on representatives who have the transportation experience and background to make decisions and that the learning curve of bringing on a new member could occupy half of the time they serve.
“That is a significant issue for me,” Clifton said.
Copyright (C) 2005, The Eureka Reporter. All rights reserved.
2.17.2007
NCJ - BAYKEEPER LAWSUIT
BAYKEEPER LAWSUIT: Meanwhile, a tad inland from the bay, the environmental watchdog Humboldt Baykeeper has filed the first part of a two-part lawsuit against Union Pacific Railroad Company, accusing it of failing to adequately clean up contaminants from its "Balloon Track" site near Eureka's waterfront.
The Balloon Track was home to a railroad maintenance, switching and freight yard, built in the 1880s and now defunct. It's where Rob and Cherie Arkley, of Security National, propose to build their Marina Center, a mixed-use and retail development featuring a Home Depot as the "anchor" store. The Arkleys' purchase of the site from Union Pacific is pending. In the meantime, they're pursuing zoning changes on the site which would allow building to proceed. Most of the parcels that make up the site are currently zoned for public facilities.
Some people like the Arkleys' plan. Others balk at the proposed zone change, and want the property to be completely cleaned up of old railroad gunk and soaked-in contaminants — a process that could entail extensive excavation and earth removal — and returned to some semblance of the tidal marshland it once was, or at least to open space.
Humboldt Baykeeper's Pete Nichols alleges that cleanup at the site hasn't gone far enough to prevent pollution from seeping into the groundwater and eventually into the bay. And if the zoning is changed from public to commercial, he says, less cleanup will be required: The worst stuff can be cleaned up, and the rest paved over. Whereas, if it were going to be a park, for instance, it would have to be scoured more deeply to make it safe for human contact.
Security National spokesman Brian Morrissey says the company is planning to do more clean-up at the site, and will cap it to prevent leakage into the ground. And, the company plans to take out extra insurance to cover unforeseen costs that might exceed the up to $2.5 million estimated cost of the cleanup. Morrissey said Tuesday afternoon that he didn't think the lawsuit would delay the Arkleys' plans to purchase the property. He also said that, while he hasn't seen the lawsuit, he also hasn't seen "any facts or data to suggest that Union Pacific is not in compliance with the law."
In a Sunday Times-Standard story, North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board senior engineer Tuck Vath was quoted as saying that Union Pacific had done "everything we asked of them, so far."
Nichols disagrees, and says Baykeeper will file the second part of the lawsuit in June.
— Heidi Walters
The Balloon Track was home to a railroad maintenance, switching and freight yard, built in the 1880s and now defunct. It's where Rob and Cherie Arkley, of Security National, propose to build their Marina Center, a mixed-use and retail development featuring a Home Depot as the "anchor" store. The Arkleys' purchase of the site from Union Pacific is pending. In the meantime, they're pursuing zoning changes on the site which would allow building to proceed. Most of the parcels that make up the site are currently zoned for public facilities.
Some people like the Arkleys' plan. Others balk at the proposed zone change, and want the property to be completely cleaned up of old railroad gunk and soaked-in contaminants — a process that could entail extensive excavation and earth removal — and returned to some semblance of the tidal marshland it once was, or at least to open space.
Humboldt Baykeeper's Pete Nichols alleges that cleanup at the site hasn't gone far enough to prevent pollution from seeping into the groundwater and eventually into the bay. And if the zoning is changed from public to commercial, he says, less cleanup will be required: The worst stuff can be cleaned up, and the rest paved over. Whereas, if it were going to be a park, for instance, it would have to be scoured more deeply to make it safe for human contact.
Security National spokesman Brian Morrissey says the company is planning to do more clean-up at the site, and will cap it to prevent leakage into the ground. And, the company plans to take out extra insurance to cover unforeseen costs that might exceed the up to $2.5 million estimated cost of the cleanup. Morrissey said Tuesday afternoon that he didn't think the lawsuit would delay the Arkleys' plans to purchase the property. He also said that, while he hasn't seen the lawsuit, he also hasn't seen "any facts or data to suggest that Union Pacific is not in compliance with the law."
In a Sunday Times-Standard story, North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board senior engineer Tuck Vath was quoted as saying that Union Pacific had done "everything we asked of them, so far."
Nichols disagrees, and says Baykeeper will file the second part of the lawsuit in June.
— Heidi Walters
NCJ - BAYKEEPER WARNS U.P.
BAYKEEPER WARNS U.P.: Local watchdog Humboldt Baykeeper notified the Union Pacific Railroad Company last week it intends to sue unless UP cleans up its "Balloon Track" property in Eureka -- home of the proposed "Marina Center"/Home Depot development that got its first hearing at the Eureka City Council Tuesday night, after the Journal's press time. The property, notes Humboldt Baykeeper in a news release, used to be "an undeveloped tidal marsh" before train tracks were looped through it and a maintenance, switching and freight yard installed in the late 1880s.
Pollution from the operations has been seeping into the tidally influenced groundwater, the bay and nearby slough ever since, says Pete Nichols, program director for Humboldt Baykeeper. UP has been under a clean-up and abatement order since 1998, Nichols says, "and they haven't completed the monitoring or really complied with the order yet."
Nichols says a proposal to change the zoning of the Balloon Track property from public use to commercial use would result in a lesser quality clean-up. "If it's zoned commercial -- if it's not going to be residential -- you don't have to consider the impacts to public health. You can just pave it over. Union Pacific polluted this for a hundred years. It should clean it up. It shouldn't just be limited to commercial use because it's polluted."
A Union Pacific official referred inquiries about the threatened lawsuit to the Association of American Railroads. The only person allowed to talk about it over at AAR, Kirk Marckwald, was out of the office and will be unreachable until he gets back at the end of this week.
Pollution from the operations has been seeping into the tidally influenced groundwater, the bay and nearby slough ever since, says Pete Nichols, program director for Humboldt Baykeeper. UP has been under a clean-up and abatement order since 1998, Nichols says, "and they haven't completed the monitoring or really complied with the order yet."
Nichols says a proposal to change the zoning of the Balloon Track property from public use to commercial use would result in a lesser quality clean-up. "If it's zoned commercial -- if it's not going to be residential -- you don't have to consider the impacts to public health. You can just pave it over. Union Pacific polluted this for a hundred years. It should clean it up. It shouldn't just be limited to commercial use because it's polluted."
A Union Pacific official referred inquiries about the threatened lawsuit to the Association of American Railroads. The only person allowed to talk about it over at AAR, Kirk Marckwald, was out of the office and will be unreachable until he gets back at the end of this week.
Baykeeper and CATs say that they were forced to bring suit
Media Release 07/05/06: Humboldt Baykeeper, Californians For Alternatives to Toxics File Suit over Dioxin "Hot Spot"
Dioxin Levels near Former Simpson Timber Plywood Mill Confirm Systemic Problem Around Bay
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Map of the PCP and Dioxin Sites (680 kb pdf file)
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(Eureka, CA) Humboldt Baykeeper and Californians for Alternatives to Toxics (CATs) filed suit in federal court today. They are asking the court to order Simpson Timber Company and Preston Properties to clean up toxic contamination at the old Simpson Plywood mill, currently the site of Flea Mart by the Bay, on Del Norte Street in Eureka.
The site was contaminated with the wood preservative pentachlorophenol (“penta”) more than twenty years ago, when Simpson used penta to treat the marine plywood made at the mill site. Penta – a known carcinogen in its own right – is widely known to be contaminated with the much more toxic dioxin, the same toxic chemical found in Agent Orange.
Baykeeper and CATs say that they were forced to bring suit because dioxin-laden soil was still on site, impacting Humboldt Bay and the Eureka Marsh. Simpson and the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board (Regional Board) have been negotiating clean-up of the site for over fifteen years.
Most recently, Simpson has filed a report with the Regional Board requesting no further clean-up of the site. Pete Nichols, Director of Humboldt Baykeeper said, “Simpson recently asked the Regional Board to sign-off on their proposal that no further action be taken to clean-up the site.” Nichols added, “After fifteen years of talk, it is quite clear that the Regional Board is not going to make Simpson find and remove the bulk of the contamination.”
The 2003 report to the Regional Board, produced by SHN Consulting, claimed that SHN had removed contaminated soil along the drainage ditch leading to Humboldt Bay and that, “the primary areas of concern were removed.” But, Nichols noted, “Simpson and SHN never tested the ditch area for dioxin, even though the law requires it.”
In April, Baykeeper consultants sampled mud from the same ditch Simpson and SHN said they had cleaned up. Baykeeper found dioxin at levels tens of thousands times higher than the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers safe. The sampling also revealed high levels of dioxin in Bay sediments, where the ditch empties.
According to the EPA, dioxin is one of the most potent carcinogens known and causes a range of birth defects in children who are exposed when they are in the womb, including diabetes, and sexual and behavioral abnormalities. The suit alleges that the parties have created a human health risk from the dioxin contamination around the site and environmental harm to Humboldt Bay, the Eureka Marsh, and groundwater under the site.
Patty Clary of CATs said, “Humboldt Bay is one of the most important mariculture centers on the west coast, and this contaminated site is directly adjacent to the only public fishing pier on the Bay.” CATs has been fighting for years with the Regional Board to require dioxin sampling at all penta-contaminated sites. "Penta remains toxic in the environment for many years, but dioxin is worse in every way, persisting as a hazard for generations unless we clean it up,” Clary stated.
Dioxin Levels near Former Simpson Timber Plywood Mill Confirm Systemic Problem Around Bay
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Map of the PCP and Dioxin Sites (680 kb pdf file)
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(Eureka, CA) Humboldt Baykeeper and Californians for Alternatives to Toxics (CATs) filed suit in federal court today. They are asking the court to order Simpson Timber Company and Preston Properties to clean up toxic contamination at the old Simpson Plywood mill, currently the site of Flea Mart by the Bay, on Del Norte Street in Eureka.
The site was contaminated with the wood preservative pentachlorophenol (“penta”) more than twenty years ago, when Simpson used penta to treat the marine plywood made at the mill site. Penta – a known carcinogen in its own right – is widely known to be contaminated with the much more toxic dioxin, the same toxic chemical found in Agent Orange.
Baykeeper and CATs say that they were forced to bring suit because dioxin-laden soil was still on site, impacting Humboldt Bay and the Eureka Marsh. Simpson and the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board (Regional Board) have been negotiating clean-up of the site for over fifteen years.
Most recently, Simpson has filed a report with the Regional Board requesting no further clean-up of the site. Pete Nichols, Director of Humboldt Baykeeper said, “Simpson recently asked the Regional Board to sign-off on their proposal that no further action be taken to clean-up the site.” Nichols added, “After fifteen years of talk, it is quite clear that the Regional Board is not going to make Simpson find and remove the bulk of the contamination.”
The 2003 report to the Regional Board, produced by SHN Consulting, claimed that SHN had removed contaminated soil along the drainage ditch leading to Humboldt Bay and that, “the primary areas of concern were removed.” But, Nichols noted, “Simpson and SHN never tested the ditch area for dioxin, even though the law requires it.”
In April, Baykeeper consultants sampled mud from the same ditch Simpson and SHN said they had cleaned up. Baykeeper found dioxin at levels tens of thousands times higher than the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers safe. The sampling also revealed high levels of dioxin in Bay sediments, where the ditch empties.
According to the EPA, dioxin is one of the most potent carcinogens known and causes a range of birth defects in children who are exposed when they are in the womb, including diabetes, and sexual and behavioral abnormalities. The suit alleges that the parties have created a human health risk from the dioxin contamination around the site and environmental harm to Humboldt Bay, the Eureka Marsh, and groundwater under the site.
Patty Clary of CATs said, “Humboldt Bay is one of the most important mariculture centers on the west coast, and this contaminated site is directly adjacent to the only public fishing pier on the Bay.” CATs has been fighting for years with the Regional Board to require dioxin sampling at all penta-contaminated sites. "Penta remains toxic in the environment for many years, but dioxin is worse in every way, persisting as a hazard for generations unless we clean it up,” Clary stated.