Recently I received questions from a concerned Northport resident regarding land value, livestock permits, economic value, and air and water quality; in reference to the EPA/Teck Upper Columbia Studies and Clean-up. I forwarded those questions along to our EPA Project Manager, Laura Buelow. Laura, Kay Morrison, (Community Involvement Coordinator), and Marc Stifelman, (EPA Toxicologist), responded... Continue Reading →
SUPERFUND: THE SHORTCUT THAT FAILED
Excerpt from Jane Shaw's 1996 paper: "Superfund: The shortcut that failed" "Even EPA Administrator Carol Browner, supervisor of the program in the Clinton administration, has criticized the program as one that "frequently moves too slowly, cleans up too little, has an unfair liability scheme and costs too much." - Carol Browner, EPA Administrator of Superfund... Continue Reading →
NEW HARVARD CROHN’S/COLITIS STUDY- Volunteers Needed
New BWH/Harvard Crohn's & Ulcerative Colitis study on Northport residents underway; VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! In 2011 the results of a community lead health survey conducted in Northport, WA caught the attention of Dr. Josh Korzenik, the Director of the Crohn’s and Colitis Center at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Through BWH, one of Harvard... Continue Reading →
THE HEAVY FALLOUT ZONE
The Perfect Storm by: Jamie Paparich Northport is a small town in northeast Washington, located approximately 12 miles from the Canadian border. The town has approximately 375 residents, many of them born and raised there, as were their parents and grandparents. It is a wonderful little town, situated along the Columbia River in a beautiful valley.... Continue Reading →
TECK FINED 3.4 MILLION FOR POLLUTION
Teck Resource's Trail smelter fined $3.4 million on pollution charges On Monday, Feb. 29th, in Rossland, B.C. a judge fined Teck Resource's Trail smelter 3.4 million dollars for 13 accidental toxic spills they released into the Columbia river from November 2013 thru February 2015. Teck was fined for over a dozen violations under... Continue Reading →
TECK SMELTER AVOIDING RESPONSIBILITY
Teck, a Canadian smelter, tries to rewrite U.S. Superfund laws to avoid liabilityby: Jamie Paparich, Feb. 24, 2016 Teck smelter, one of the world’s largest lead and zinc smelting plants, is located in Trail, B.C. Canada. Since 1906 the Canadian smelter’s processing of ore creates discharge, or waste, that contain dangerous heavy metal toxins. The... Continue Reading →