The Oregon DEQ once again is attacking our local air.

 

The DEQ has proposed to extend for a year the legal requirement that Southern Oregon industrial polluters finally clean up their many tons of cancer-causing emissions.

 

A hearing has been scheduled for November 29^th at 3pm in the DEQ office at 221 Stewart (2d floor) in Medford, at which hearing the DEQ will take public comments about a proposed one year delay for major polluters located in Southern Oregon to clean up their toxic pollutants.

 

Such a delay will unfortunately allow major polluters to lobby the Bush administration (which is still in power for another 14 months) to change the anti-toxic rules, thereby possibly threatening the effectiveness of the federal anti-toxics law called MACT, (about which I wrote an op-ed in the July 1 Mail Tribune).

 

There is no valid reason in my opinion for such a delay in enforcement by the DEQ of the anti-toxics law.

 

Please show up on Thursday November 29^th, and tell the DEQ that it is time for them to protect Oregonians instead of out-of-state corporate polluters who make money by poisoning the rest of us.

 

Conde Cox

Jacksonville

Member, Steering Committee, Rogue Valley Citizens for Clean Air (Medford)

Member, Board of Directors, Oregon Toxics Alliance (Eugene)

Member, Bar of the United States Supreme Court