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As a candidate for the Middlesex, Suffolk,
and Essex seat recently vacated by Jarrett Barrios, I have built my
campaign on a demonstrated commitment to social justice and equal
protection under the law for all. Today, the public health of the most
financially disadvantaged communities in our district is being
threatened with environmentally unsound proposals. These include
plans for a new diesel power plant in Chelsea, a new trash facility in
Saugus, and a new sludge facility on the border of Charlestown and
Everett. With air quality already a dire issue in our district, these
proposals collectively comprise a critical threat to the health of our
communities.
In addition to these local plans, the
Department of Energy Resources has recently proposed changes to
biomass electric units eligibility for preferred regulatory status.
By changing the definitions of eligible fuels without legislative
oversight, these regulations will force taxpayers to subsidize a new
toxic threat to their families under the pretense of bringing us
"clean" energy. Simultaneously, the Department has proposed the
elimination of testing for numerous air pollutants. If this proposal
were enacted, destructive toxins--including lead, cadmium, mercury,
and arsenic, as well as others common in municipal and industrial
waste--will be released into our local environment undetected.
Our communities already suffer from the
worst air pollution problems in New England. Diesel exhaust compounds,
carcinogenic toxic soot, and industrial smokestacks poison the air
that we all breathe each day. Despite lower than average smoking
rates, our communities suffer disproportionately high rates of lung
cancer and heart disease. We have seen a 100% increase in childhood
cancer and asthma, and children in these areas are 500% more likely
than their peers to never develop their full lung capacity. Children
under four in Chelsea are 54% more likely to be hospitalized with
respiratory problems than in surrounding communities. The thought of
constructing a new diesel power plant within Chelsea's town limits
should sicken any responsible lawmaker.
These risks to public health are simply
unacceptable. Furthermore, from a policy standpoint, I am at a loss
to understand how diesel would even be considered as a viable option
at a time when we should be concentrating upon clean, efficient,
environmentally responsible solutions to our energy needs. Rather than
plan more incineration projects, lawmakers and the Department of
Energy Resources must develop strict criteria for evaluating
alternative energy resources and give preference to cleaner sources,
including wind and solar power.
I am sorry to say that there is clearly a
nexus between the economically depressed conditions in Chelsea,
Saugus, and Everett and the new sources of pollution now being imposed
upon them by outsiders. No responsible lawmaker could stand by and
allow this abuse to happen. Instead of entrenched politicians, our
communities need an advocate in the State Senate who understands these
issues and is truly committed to environmental justice. If elected, I
will provide an independent voice for the disenfranchised, to empower
our communities to protect their own environmental futures.
Jeff
Ross |
