Season's Greetings by Julie Dermansky

Photo Credit:  Julie Dermansky

"My Toxic Reality"

"My Toxic Reality" by Hilton Kelley, 2011 Goldman Prize winner, USA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=109&v=fQTy9blQ4es

construction in neighborhood

Valero sending their construction trucks through the neighborhood.
Valero could be a good neighbor and conduct themselves on a daily basis in a way which respects the human beings who reside on the other side of the fence; but they dont.

it's going to be a hot one today

it's going to be a hot one today, with morning temperature readings in the lower two hundreds

dangers of high frequency sounds

From time to time high frequency noise emanates from nearby plants and becomes more than just a nuisance to residents; it becomes a public health issue. 

Over many years, the LDEQ dismissed this known offsite effect as a local jurisdiction issue, and local officials claimed lack of personnel and lack of monitors to enforce. The plants claim weekend staffing issues.

Currently, local ordinances tend to only address the loudness of noise level measured in decibels and not the pitch or frequency of noise measured in hertz (Hz).

According to the American Hearing Research Foundation " Generally noise induce hearing loss occurs at a pitch of about 2000 - 4000 Hz". 

The dangers of high frequency sounds should be addressed by both local officials and the Louisiana DEQ. Both State and Parish officials could develop ordinances to protect the public's hearing. At the very least any noise monitors in the community should include frequency measurements, and those measurements should be posted in real time to a publicly accessible website. 

This is an issue the residents of St Bernard have been begging for help with. There is no lack of knowledge of the source of the noise. It is a well documented offsite affect.  There seems to be alot of attention on the worker's hearing protection but none for the human beings who reside just on the other side of the fence.

In this article link below, about the Sonic Attack in Cuba, "the incident has brought up questions over how quickly sound waves can cause hearing loss without warning signs.

http://www.healthline.com/health-news/sonic-attack-hearing-loss#3

"Dr. Darius Kohan, director of otology and neurotology at Lenox Hill Hospital/Manhattan Eye, Ear, and Throat Hospital, said that it’s possible for sound to irreparably damage the ear without a person knowing their hearing is being impacted."

What are we waiting for?

Its Hurricane Season, Are Your Canals Ready?

Its the most active time of Hurricane Season and the Lake Borgne Basin Levee District has failed to maintain its storm drainage canals. State Senators and Legislators alike are well aware. Yet nothing is changing.

The Lake Borgne Basin Levee District became part of the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East in 2006 by an act of the State Legislature and is governed by a Board of Commissioners appointed by the Governor.

Perhaps Governor John Bel Edwards can help us prevent flooding

Negligent would not be strong enough word if it is true that the LBBLD has made deliberate decisions to purposely not maintain an integral component of the flood protection plan.Yet, the LBBLD still collects property tax dollars dedicated to the maintenance of these canals. Citizens did not authorize the Flood Authority to re-direct our tax dollars to other components.

The claim of lack of funding is no excuse, because these trees shown in photos below have been growing in the canals for well over a year, if not two years. The trees could have been removed during the fall and winter months when levee grass does not need as much mowing. Instead, the Flood Authority has allowed the overgrowth to continue and to develop islands and mud flats in the drainage systems they are responsible to maintain. It will likely require a very long, laborious, and costly dredging program to bring the canals up to par.

 Lake Borgne Basin Levee District storm drainage canal at Despaux Drive

Lake Borgne Basin Levee District storm drainage canal at Missouri Avenue (yes there is a storm water canal under there somewhere)

LBBLD storm drainage canal facing Valero Energy tank farm

Yes, Virginia, there is a canal under there at Chalona and St Bernard Highway and also under the growth at Val Reiss and Chalona below. Not to mention mosquitoes (Zika, West Nile, Yellow Fever)

.  Maybe the Governor's Office can help.

Our children deserve safe and healthy places to play

Update May 2017


St. Bernard Parish Recreation Parents

· 9 hrs ·

I didn't do a hard count, but it seemed like about 50 people attend the parish president's town hall tonight (a few people came and left). So for the 1800 plus of you that didn't make it... here is a 30,000 ft view recap.
1) Valero has "committed" approx 75K towards a park for Versailles. This would be located in the boundaries of their [oil spill] zone. The Versailles board is currently looking at options in conjunction with parish government.

Update June 2017
FB Post

In a community where local officials knew or should have known the tank farm had numerous issues before the hurricanes of 2005, it is no surprise that some would misrepresent an industrial solid waste buffer area as a safe site selection for recreational baseball. To purposely bring children, women of child bearing age, and the elderly (grandparents) to this location is just wrong.  

Reposted from October 2016

Before making any decisions [on new ballpark locations], an independent laboratory should conduct environmental and health risk analysis for heavy metals, PAHs, and other toxins in the soil, ground water, and air. 

All soils at parish playgrounds and ball parks should be screened for lead, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, mercury, and nickel, and, depending on the results, additional testing and soil removal should be conducted. Initial screenings cost as little as $10 per sample.

St Bernard Parish Recreation ball park proposal for area of Murphy Oil spill in close proximity to the solid waste surface impoundments, located just east of this site recommendation.


Notice the oil booms in the earthen conveyance ditch.  As an existing solid waste unit, the facility receives a waiver from the State required buffer zone between the solid waste units and its property line. There is another State required buffer zone between solid waste units and nearby churches. The waiver or exemption does not mention future site selections for a recreation sports park.

this is the same area where oily waste water can be held for WWTP malfunctions or rain events

North of Judge Perez between Jacob and Despaux and Judge Perez and Missouri

Our children deserve safe and healthy places to play.

Do we have that much surplus money in the local budget to afford a brand new ball park?  Especially after investing about $22 million in Val Reiss?

If we are going to develop a brand new ball park, shouldn’t we explore all options?  Other sites include the ball field next to the communication towers, or acquisition of vacant land along St Bernard Highway between Octavia and Plaza or between Lena and Corinne.  The Octavia-Plaza site is for sale, was a former trailer park, and has access from both highways (Judge Perez and St Bernard).

Funding sources could include the $3 million Murphy oil spill Cy Pres fund, the Chalmette Refining settlement funds, grants and donations. These funds should also be considered for improvements to our existing playgrounds and ball parks, such as Violet park, or for the development of a skate board park. 

Before making any decisions, an independent laboratory should conduct environmental and health risk analysis for heavy metals, PAHs, and other toxins in the soil, ground water, and air. 

All soils at parish playgrounds and ball parks should be screened for lead, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, mercury, and nickel, and, depending on the results, additional testing and soil removal should be conducted. Initial screenings cost as little as $10 per sample. 

calling all people who care

If the EPA Sits On Its Hands, Citizens Will Get to Their Feet

States, the Feds, and the EPA aren’t the only ones who have power to protect the environment

By Jonathan Hahn | Feb 15 2017

http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/green-life/if-epa-sits-its-hands-citizens-will-get-their-feet




What can environmental groups and all people who care about the environment and public health do in response?


States, governments, and the EPA aren’t the only ones who have the power to protect the environment. Citizens can take action, too. The nation’s environmental statutes have citizen suit provisions such that aggrieved citizens can bring enforcement actions—essentially stepping into the shoes of the federal government.


“The citizen suit provisions [of The Clean Air Act] have two prongs,” says Richard L. Revesz, the Lawrence King Professor of Law and Dean Emeritus at New York University School of Law, where he directs the Institute for Policy Integrity. “Citizens can sue polluters for violating the environmental standards that apply to them. If the EPA or a state doesn’t bring enforcement actions against a polluter [that is] emitting more air pollution than is permitted under the regulation, some affected individual can bring a suit to compel a source to comply with its regulatory obligations. The second is that EPA under the statute has various non-discretionary duties. That is, it’s required by statute to take certain actions, and if it doesn’t do them, that’s another possible reason for citizen litigation. Citizens can then sue to compel EPA to carry out a non-discretionary duty under the statute.”

economic development and safe, healthy environment not mutually exclusive

Dan Rather

· December 8, 2016 ·

There is no gated community when it comes to the environment. No wall high enough to stop dirty air. No guards who can check the IDs of the storms and droughts ...that will increase with intensity when it comes to the devastating effects of climate change. There are many social problems that the rich and powerful can wilfully disregard by separating themselves from the poor and powerless - but the environment isn't one of them. I really don't understand the motivations of those who seem eager to pollute the one Earth we all must call home. Never have. Never will.

And yet, from all accounts, Donald Trump's pick of Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to head the Environmental Protection Agency could easily turn the name of the group he might soon lead into a mockery. The EPA is the cop on the beat to make sure our air is safe to breathe and our water safe to drink. Its role, in the age of climate change, is more vital than ever. You could argue that its mission now is one of national - and global - security for life as we know it. It was created by a Republican president - Richard Nixon - at a time that now seems utterly foreign, when the health of the planet was largely a bipartisan concern. But Pruitt is not of the legacy of Teddy Roosevelt - or even Nixon. He has, at seemingly every turn of his public, life worked hard to lessen if not destroy the very regulations and initiatives he will now be tasked to oversee - on soot-free air, water free of poisonous chemicals, and of course the crisis of climate change.


There will always be some friction between the needs of human beings, living in a modern world, and environmental protection. However modern science, technology and philosophies over how we move, generate power, conserve resources, even what we eat, can provide solutions for reducing the negative shadow our species casts over so much of life on Earth. By being bold and creative, we can be more prosperous and healthy. As Pope Francis said recently, we are "stewards not masters" of our planet. For the life of me, I can't see how anybody could find that statement controversial or objectionable unless you are so blinded by shortsightedness. It is a political trope to talk about the world you want for your children and grandchildren, but with the environment that is not spin. It's real. Deadly real. And we need leadership that understands that.

which way are we going

Thomas Friedman The first law of Petropolitics

http://foreignpolicy.com/2009/10/16/the-first-law-of-petropolitics/

The first law of Petropolitics :  the price of oil and the pace of freedom always move in opposite directions

“. …the higher the oil prices rise, the more free speech, free press, free and fair elections, an independent judiciary, the rule of law, and independent political parties are eroded… the higher the price goes, the less petrolist leaders are sensitive to what the world thinks or says about them …the lower the price of oil the more petrolist countries are forced to move toward a political system and society that is more transparent, more sensitive to opposition voices, and more focused on building the legal and educational structures that will maximize their people’s ability…. “

which way are we going?

refineries delayed maintenance

deferred maintenance for profit margin

leads to higher accident risk for workers

and potential for unplanned shutdowns which tend to adversely affect neighboring community

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-refineries-labor-analysis-idUSKBN14I0FA

pattern of visible flaring continues