Feeling good
The CAC meeting today was excellent. It was packed - the mayor, the editor of the local paper, and various business owners and lots of plant managers were there. I bonded with several managers. One of them was really pissed off about the Chronicle reports - he said that they'd get less of a bad rap if they went around shooting people instead of running their plants. Even though I'm not a full member yet, I made lots of comments that seemed appreciated. The moderator said that this town is still trying to answer the critical question: Is it safe to live here?
I spieled about the long-term residents issue noted below, since the companies stand by it fiercely, but when I asked about data that can actually be used to verify the theoretical results (e.g., how does the actual rate of cancer of people who have lived here for several decades compare with the theoretical calculations - is there a strong correlation?), one of the managers said that no such data is available.
So the most necessary research has not been done! Why??
I also proposed a fix for dry chart-based talks, since no one had brought the issue up, but everyone concurred that invited guests need to be more stimulating.
Also, I said that we ought to compare chemical emissions data from our region with that of similar areas (e.g., refinery-oriented, etc.) around the US (such as New Jersey).
Also, we should compare chronic disease data of this region with that of other places (Manhattan has an extremely high rate of cancer, even though there are few or no plants there - two of the managers said that benzene becomes trapped in the high-rises, but I didn't pay attention to the rest of what they said).
The Chronicle series did seem to be a bit one-sided - that is, they didn't take into account the efforts made by corporations around here to keep things safe and clean. I noted that the series seemed disjointed from the reality of life here. Houston is a growing, very wealthy city, and the industry on the east side is probably a big reason for that. More restrictions mean higher costs and smaller profits for plants and this translates into fewer jobs and/or lower income for residents.
In the end, the moderator thanked me (a first!) for coming and a manager gave me a copy of a chart from a study that might interest me.
Alright, I feel like my concerns/interests are turning into something that can benefit other residents, while sympathizing with plant administrators in the process!
I spieled about the long-term residents issue noted below, since the companies stand by it fiercely, but when I asked about data that can actually be used to verify the theoretical results (e.g., how does the actual rate of cancer of people who have lived here for several decades compare with the theoretical calculations - is there a strong correlation?), one of the managers said that no such data is available.
So the most necessary research has not been done! Why??
I also proposed a fix for dry chart-based talks, since no one had brought the issue up, but everyone concurred that invited guests need to be more stimulating.
Also, I said that we ought to compare chemical emissions data from our region with that of similar areas (e.g., refinery-oriented, etc.) around the US (such as New Jersey).
Also, we should compare chronic disease data of this region with that of other places (Manhattan has an extremely high rate of cancer, even though there are few or no plants there - two of the managers said that benzene becomes trapped in the high-rises, but I didn't pay attention to the rest of what they said).
The Chronicle series did seem to be a bit one-sided - that is, they didn't take into account the efforts made by corporations around here to keep things safe and clean. I noted that the series seemed disjointed from the reality of life here. Houston is a growing, very wealthy city, and the industry on the east side is probably a big reason for that. More restrictions mean higher costs and smaller profits for plants and this translates into fewer jobs and/or lower income for residents.
In the end, the moderator thanked me (a first!) for coming and a manager gave me a copy of a chart from a study that might interest me.
Alright, I feel like my concerns/interests are turning into something that can benefit other residents, while sympathizing with plant administrators in the process!