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HealthLink's Ongoing Projects
Public Education:
Held
presentations on health dangers from power plant pollution to the
public at large meetings in Boston, Salem, Beverly, Lynn, Swampscott,
Marblehead, Nahant, Gloucester and Manchester-by-the-Sea.
Presented
in-depth information on toxics to governmental, cvic and religious
groups, Boards of Health, local, state and federal officials. Media
Coverage:
Appeared on TV news and local cable TV programs and radio programs to counter industry's misinformation campaign.
Featured
in newspaper articles on front pages and inside - local, Boston, and
national, letters to the editor, editorials, op eds and features.
Campaign for corporate responsibility:
Engaged in protracted negotiations and dialogue with industry.
Challenged plans for new all-coal plant in Salem which will result in more CO2 and mercury Documented failure of environmental stewardship by management at PG&E's annual meeting - received national press coverage.
Air Pollution - Regulatory involvement:
Participated
in meetings with the Department of Environmental Protection, the power
plant industry and citizen organizations to write new air pollution
regulations ending the loophole that exempts old power plants from
modern emission standards.
Publicized hearings held by the DEP -
resulting in the largest public attendance of any DEP hearing in state
history. Coordinated experts and submitted supporting research and
comments in support of stronger regulations.
Advocated for a
healthy human habitat in meetings with representatives of the Governor,
the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs and Secretary Durand, the
Department of Environmental Protection and Commissioner Liss along with
the rest of the Clean Air Now! Coalition.
Solid Waste - Clean up of coal and oil combustion:
Provided
critical community support in settling a suit with PG&E to stop the
40-year practice of dumping toxic waste into unlined ponds on site of
their plants. Secured ongoing public participation and remediation in
toxic cleanup.
Joined in a law suit to force the federal
Environmental Protection Agency to reclassify combustion waste as
hazardous material and thereby insure proper disposal and remediation
of this toxic legacy.
Worked with the residents of Freetown,
MA, where ash from the Salem power plant is disposed, to ban the
continued expansion of unlined landfill sites threatening their
drinking wate.
Trash Incineration
Joined with
citizens across the state to oppose lifting of the ban on expanding
incineration and to promote recycling, reusing, and other trash
reduction means.
Working in opposition to proposed 50% increase of toxic emissions from the RESCO trash burning plant in Saugus. Drinking Water:
Alerted
the cities of Salem and Beverly to the danger to 80,000 people's
drinking water contaminated by the products of coal combustion from
Vitale site.
Studied the Vitale toxic landfill site in Beverly
and currently organizing community support for expanded site
investigations and remediation
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