Happy anniversary, world!
Another beautiful day in a beautiful place here in St. Augustine, Florida (notwithstanding torrential thunderstorms)
On May 17, 1983 – 27 years ago today – the U.S. Department of Energy declassified the world’s largest mercury pollution event, in response to the November 11, 1982 FOIA request that Appalachian Observer publisher Ernest F. Phillips and I filed with DOE.
The rest, as they say, is history. Oak Ridge and other “dark satanic mills” of the nuclear weapons industry are being cleaned up and will one day be historic places with national parks.
Even the angry authoritarian bombbuilding soreheads in Oak Ridge are secretly glad that we uncovered their environmental crimes – there have been thousands of good jobs at good wages in the cleanup.
It takes a village to expose and to clean up pollution, whether in Oak Ridge, Tennessee or St. Augustine, Florida.
Environmental racism must be reported and prosecuted.
Every day, wake up knowing that you can make a difference in people’s lives, and strive to make our town and our planet better places.
See my May 2000 Oak Ridger column, below.
No comments:
Post a Comment