Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Vice Mayor Crowley on Environmental Justice Ordinance

Posted by The Dean of Cincinnati

Photo courtesy of here.

Dear Cincinnati Beacon:

I thought your readers may be interested that, after four long years of hard work, and against aggressive opposition, the City of Cincinnati has finally passed an “Environmental Justice Ordinance”. This ordinance is the first of its kind where a municipality is using their police powers to enforce Environmental Justice in the form of an “environmental justice permit”.

Any industry that wants to operate in Cincinnati that meets the definition of a “proposed project” will be required to have an environmental justice permit in order to operate. A permit will be denied if the project would cause a public nuisance, which is defined as significantly interfering with public health by 1) causing an excess cancer risk; 2) causing an excess risk of acute health effects; 3) causing an excess risk in the event of an accident; or 4) constituting an Air Pollution Nuisance as defined in OAC 3745-15-07.

This groundbreaking legislation was passed by City Council on June 24, 2009. However the fight is far from over. The next round is to ensure the funding is in place for Cincinnati’s 2010 budget to support the legislation. And of course, we are still facing grave opposition from some sectors of the business community.

Thankfully, I have a great group of citizen/environmental activists who have shown their true tenacity and perseverance through all the compromises and delays that have occurred along the way.

I invite your readers to share in this victory for Environmental Justice for Cincinnati, Ohio. This is an issue of national interest, not just for Cincinnati.

The USEPA just released the National-Scale Air Toxics Assessment report, the governments’ latest snapshot of air pollution across the nation. The report (http://www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/nata2002/index.html) shows that the excess risk of developing cancer due to toxic chemicals in the air in Hamilton County is 4.7 times higher than what the USEPA recommends. The EPA’s comprehensive evaluation of air toxics in the U.S. shows that local industry emissions account for about 25 percent of the average overall cancer risk.

Although this ordinance doesn’t solve all our air quality problems, it will offer the citizens of Cincinnati an added measure of protection from industrial activities that pose significant health risks-protection that we currently do not enjoy.
If anyone is interested in this legislation you can contact my office at (513) 352-2453 and ask for my Legislative Assistant Michelle Dillingham.

-David C. Crowley, Vice Mayor of Cincinnati

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ParatrooperJJ says:
30 Jun 2009  at  01:36 pm | #

Another nail in the coffin for industry in Cincinnati.  Council is bound and determined to drive all business out of the city aren’t they?

Jones says:
30 Jun 2009  at  09:46 pm | #

And just where in the h#ll is the money going to come from to support & maintain this endeavor???

Oh, that’s right. Cutting 100 police patrol officers this year & perhaps another 100 next year should suffice in the start up funding. Oh, they might be able to garner a couple more thou by cutting household collections, skimping on snow removal & not run ambulances out for someone who broke a fingernail. Just more bullsh#t from City Hall. They’ll do anything & everything to run out industry, the trades & the law-abiding people.

Fine. Whatever. I’ll sell my stack of bricks to CMHA-Section 8 & get the freak out of Hamilton County. Eventually, all that will be left are criminals, freeloaders & the entitlement class. City Hall won’t have a pot to piss in & tossing it out the window won’t be a problem, as the thugs’ll bust out the windows. They won’t have to worry about money because there won’t be anyone left to foot the bill except those who foster & sympathize with the criminals & freeloaders. Will they pay the bills? Aw, heeeellll naw!

There’s a budget crisis & now there’s an Environmental Justice Program. Another budget line item will have to suffer because of this folly. When in the h#ll are taxpayers going to see a small shred of justice in this damned cow town?

Jones says:
30 Jun 2009  at  09:57 pm | #

This ordinance is the first of its kind where a municipality is using their police powers to enforce Environmental Justice in the form of an “environmental justice permit”.

Oopsie!  Forgot this one. What in the heck is Crowley talking about using police powers?  Where has he been the past few days? Sunning his buns in Hilton Head? There won’t be any police powers to deal with this business!  Neighborhoods are going to be hard pressed to get a police car to respond to gun shots or teens out after curfew fighting in the street disturbing sleeping residents, let alone go to a vehicle chop shop that’s reeking of lacquer, polymers, oils, booze & weed because someone sniffs the air & it isn’t to their liking.

Memo to Crowley: Retire. You’ve done OK in your position. It’s time to go. There won’t be any coppers to handle this nonsense. They’re going to start cutting at the backbone of the Police Department - our neighborhood patrol officers.

.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) says:
30 Jun 2009  at  10:28 pm | #

What in the heck is Crowley talking about using police powers?  Where has he been the past few days? Sunning his buns in Hilton Head? There won’t be any police powers to deal with this business!  Neighborhoods are going to be hard pressed to get a police car to respond to gun shots or teens out after curfew fighting in the street disturbing sleeping residents, let alone go to a vehicle chop shop that’s reeking of lacquer, polymers, oils, booze & weed because someone sniffs the air & it isn’t to their liking.

Wow, you really are a complete numbskull, aren’t you?

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/467323/police-power

Stan says:
30 Jun 2009  at  10:32 pm | #

They don’t call him Job Killer Crowley for nothing!

Bobby says:
01 Jul 2009  at  12:50 am | #

So the critics are saying it will harm business… yet the status quo is harming our health. I don’t believe this will destroy jobs, but lets play a hypothetical to entertain the viewpoint of paratrooperJJ. I would rather be alive and jobless… than in the hospital with cancer dying the most painful death. Fortunately it won’t come to that.

Cleaner air will attract more people. Or rather, retain more people. This is gold for federal projects too. I don’t know if anyone has noticed… but environmentally progressive projects tend to go to environmentally progressive cities. Coupled with the fact that Cincinnati is the only metro city to have tax abatements for LEED shows we’re continuously going in the right direction.

Howard Konciov says:
01 Jul 2009  at  01:00 pm | #

Dear all,

Last week the City of Cincinnati made history as the first municipality in the USA to enact a Municipal Environmental Justice Ordinance.

Despite the continued “sky is falling” moronic oppositional rhetoric on almost all things environmental by the Chamber of Commerce.  A rhetoric which was again embodied by the opposition of Council members Ghizz, Berding, & Monzel and also at the 11’th hour with/by frantic procedural motions by Charterite Chris Bortz..

And as entertaining as this all is/was, and, once again, it could be Vaudeville, it is important to recognize that this effort was substantive and that it was led by David Crowley supported by:

  1. Roxanne Qualls
  2. Cecil Thomas
  3. Gregg Harris
  4. David Crowley, &
  5. Laketa Cole

Of special note & new to this coalition was Gregg Harris, who did great work. Councilmember Qualls, Thomas & Cole also deserve your gratitude.

On a negative note, Chris Bortz doesn’t and he needs to hear from you [352-3255].

This effort was 6 years in the making.  Well done!!

Sincerely,


Howard M. Konicov

MSES/MPA                             IU School of Public & Environmental Affairs;
Bachelor of Arts in Economics   Washington University in St. Louis

Former EAC Chairman             2002-2003

Executive Director                 The Synthesis Foundation

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