Sunday, April 22, Earth Day, from 3-6 pm
Paddy O’Fegan’s, 204 N. Halsted (corner of Halsted and Lake), Chicago, 60611
Dave Ehrlich Campaign Kick-Off and Fundraiser
Reply
Presentation on wastewater management
April 1st: “After the Flush” at the Southside Hub of Production 4 – 6 pm. Learn about wastewater management from a former operating engineer at MWRD.
The Southside Hub of Production is at 5638 S. Woodlawn.
Costs and Benefits of Reversing the Chicago River
Kari Lyderson has written a very thoughtful article about the factors that have to be taken into account when we plan to separate the Chicago River from the Mississippi River watershed. My position is still that this needs to be done. But we must be aware of the economic and environmental issues involved. There are costs to doing this and we have to find a way to take care of them.
Green Party Petitions Turned In
The petitions for our three Green Party candidates were turned in Monday, Dec. 5. We had more than double the number of required signatures. Many thanks to all the people who helped collect the signatures. We accomplished a lot in just four weeks with an all volunteer effort.
Happy Holidays.
Help Get Greens on the Primary Ballot for the MWRD
At the membership meeting of the Cook County Green Party on November 5, 2011, three Green Party members were recognized as candidates for the MWRD. They are Julie Samuels, Dave Ehrlich, and Karen Roothaan. All three have great environmental credentials.
Now we need to get the signatures to get them on the ballot. Here is the link to the MWRD Petition – Samuels, Ehrlich, Roothaan.
We have until the end of November to get 710 valid signatures. It is totally doable, but we need lots of volunteers. Call me (312-802-9004) or email me <jjailey@comcast.net>.
As you can see from this website. We greens have many serious proposals for improving the environmental practices of the MWRD.
Run for the MWRD as a Green!
Calling for three good Greens to represent your party in the coming election as candidates for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago.
The Green Party has retained established party status for the MWRD since collectively the three of us who ran in 2010 received 9.2% of the vote. Thus petitioning to get on the primary ballot starts Sept. 6.
We need to run Green Party candidates for the MWRD because the MWRD needs major improvements in its environmental practices as well as in its fiscal responsibility. Slowly and reluctantly the MWRD has decided that it must implement disinfection in two of its plants, but this is just the first step of many that need to be taken. See the campaign website, for the platform that we have run on in 2008 and 2010.
We need to run Green Party candidates for the MWRD also to help promote the Green Party. We need to show people that we have serious candidates proposing serious solutions. We need to maintain the MWRD established party status. We need to respect all those people who have voted for Green Party candidates for the MWRD even though they did not even know any of us.
Candidates need to commit to helping get signatures this fall and participating in the campaign next year through the November election. You don’t need to commit your own money if that is not feasible, but we would like you to help fundraise.
We have one member who has volunteered. Thank you Michael Smith. We need two more at least. If more than three Greens volunteer, we can meet and decide among ourselves what is the best resolution. There is also no reason we couldn’t have a contested primary among loyal greens.
Please contact me if you are thinking about doing this.
Solidarity,
Jack Ailey, 312-802-9004
MWRD Board Finally Votes for Disinfection
Finally. on June 7, 2011, the MWRD Board voted to start planning to institute disinfection at the three plants where this is not done. See the article by Kari Lyderson. The vote was 8 to 1 in favor. The lone vote against was board president Terry O’Brien. Note that he is up for re-election in 2012.
Now the challenge is to get this policy implemented as quickly and economically as possible. It appears that the Stickney plant will be put off for a while. This actually seems reasonable to me. I shall continue to monitor the progress the board makes in implementing their policy.
Disinfection is by no means the only improvement needed in the processes of the MWRD. We Green Party candidates have been calling for plans to remove all contaminants from the effluent.
MWRD Board Postpones Vote on Disinfection
At the request of Commissioner McGowan, the MWRD Board postponed a decision on whether the MWRD would support a policy of disinfection at all MWRD plants until the next Board meeting on June 16th.
There was actually a rather vigorous discussion at the Board meeting which is unusual for the Board meetings I have attended. Most of the commissioners clearly wanted the MWRD to move on and accept the demands of the EPA and the Illinois Pollution Control Board and start planning how to implement disinfection. Clearly the Board President O’Brien and Commissioner McGowan were reluctant to move ahead with this.
I spoke in favor of the Board adopting the policy of disinfecting at all plants. I recognize, as do all serious commentators, that this will be expensive. But the first step is agree that this has to be done. Then we have to go about making the plans on how to do it within the budget constraints every public agency is facing.
Sign petition for disinfection
The Environmental Law and Policy Center has created an online petition asking the MWRD to implement disinfection.
Let’s see if Rahm Emmanuel does better on this than Daley did. It’s not technically under the mayor, but if Rahm says this has to happen, I am sure it will.
Note that two MWRD Commissioners, Debra Shore and Michael Alvarez appeared at a press event calling for disinfection.
MWRD is going to be forced to disinfect
by Jack Ailey
The U.S. EPA is going to force the MWRD to disinfect the effluent from at least two of its three plants according to articles in the Chicago Tribune. American Rivers has listed the Chicago River as one of the most endangered rivers in the country. See the article by Kari Lyderson. The Chicago Tribune is editorializing that the MWRD must start disinfection.
This is something that Green Party candidates have campaigned on in 2008 and 2010. It seems like common sense. The three Democratic Party candidates who won in 2010 all stated that they favored disinfection although one could question how deeply they were committed to this. Before we know it, the next round of elections will be on us. Let’s see who actually works to get disinfection implemented.