Monday, December 14, 2009

Dallas Demanded Clean Up in Past-What About Now?

Here's a piece of Dallas history from the Dallas Business Journal (2001) which tells exactly why the city of Dallas sued the US Navy for destruction of the soil, groundwater, and buildings at the Dallas Naval Air Station: http://dallas.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/2001/09/03/daily8.
html. Or, if this link doesn't work - story is from 2001 - Google "US Navy+Dallas clean up." This is worth a search.
My take on the article:
Dallas's attorney represented the city well; and I was impressed with the strength of his arguments. He carefully enumerated the Navy's environmental crimes.
Notice the reference to hiding/mislabeling hazardous waste. Very important.
I noticed there was nothing in the lawsuit that said clean up "if possible," or if the cost does not exceed x amount, or if citizens must use groundwater for drinking water. It says, I believe, "clean up to residential standard."
Clear language to me.
The elder Pres. Bush in Parade magazine yesterday said in politics one should not question the motivations of the opposition; and one should not take a disagreement personally. I liked that idea, but when I read the Navy had hidden facts (not to mention waste), I did take it perhaps too personally.
And yes, my continued meager work for the clean up of the Naval Station is personal in the sense that right and wrong, fair and unfair are-if nothing else-personal according my value system. Would I oppose someone by name about it? No, and how could I or anyone? The Navy is named in articles and in the lawsuit as an organization, but "unnamed" in terms of responsible individuals. Being a member of a powerful government entity offers protection and anonymity. Certainly citizens opposing the Navy have no protection except what's given by the Constitution. We have the right to have grievances addressed, but no opportunity to hide within a large organization; and we have no lawyers standing ready to represent us. Interesting contrast...and it points to the importance of large-scale, organized, financed citizen involvement. Citizens balance government, and we must do so with fairness and self-control.
When government disappoints and even violates our idea of what a just authority should do, passionate feelings may result; but, in the end, each person has to deal with that in a responsible way.
So, would you say the Navy has fully and responsibly lived up to its end of the deal in the area of clean up? At both facilities? At Mountain Creek Lake?
Big D drove a hard, fair bargain back in 2001 and it's time to get what we went to the courthouse for...a far better clean up of TCE, PCE, VOC groundwater than we have now.

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FROM THE AIR!

FROM THE AIR!
Dallas Naval Air Station on MCL

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B24 Bomber-1942- from DALLAS NAS

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Photos are from US Navy, Historical "Oak Cliff" web-site, Lake Cliff Park web-site, and Rose Mary Rumbley's lovely "Oak Cliff Tours" website, the Dallas Observer (Mt Creek Lake) and WFAA news. Thanks to all who promote and support Oak Cliff with such excellence, beauty, and affection.