Fraggle145
3/8/2007, 06:17 PM
Dear all,
I know that some of you may not agree with my politics as has been seen in recent debates of global climate change, however i ask that you please hear me out on an important issue that is going on in our state senate.
As you may have heard in the recent news the Senate recently voted to classify manure as non-hazardous wastes, the bill will now move to the house (though there is talk of a revote in the Senate??). You can find details of the recent vote and lots of news articles if you want more info.
As an environmental scientist I can not stress or say forcefully enough how bad this will be for our state's waters. This carries with it direct implications not only for those systems, but also for human health.
My speciality is studying the toxic golden algae that has currently invaded Lake Texoma along with other lakes in Oklahoma (and previously Texas). I also study the effects of pollution by the common plant nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus (the process of eutrophication) and other pollution-driven problems in Oklahoma's fresh waters (again with a focus on Texoma). The current golden algal blooms and other harmful and noxious algal blooms embody the direct results of excess plant nutrients through sewage effluents (point source pollution) and agricultural and urban runoff (non-point pollution).
Whether by intention or not, classifying manure (particularly from high-production farms) as non-hazardous wastes will lead to the continuation, and even more seriously, to an increase in the amount of these nutrients entering our state’s waters.
The threat of these manures lies not only in the nitrogen and phosphorus that they contain, but in the numerous other chemicals, such as antibiotics and other drugs, plant and animal hormones, and heavy metals contained in manures that can wreak havoc on aquatic ecosystems.
The tremendous long-term economic costs of water quality degradation, is well documented in other systems throughout the globe and it is important that the quality of Oklahoma’s water resources must be preserved for our current and future generations.
In the end, manures are indeed hazardous wastes and an attempt to reclassify manures as non-hazardous is a dangerous step in the wrong direction, a mistaken step against the future well-being of Oklahoma’s fresh waters.
thanks for your time in reading this. If you agree with me please take the time to contact as many state senators and representatives as you can and let them know that you are concerned. I can supply you their emails if you pm me.
Edit: I decided just to include the emails. Here they are, should you decide to something.
Senators' emails:
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
Representatives' emails:
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
I know that some of you may not agree with my politics as has been seen in recent debates of global climate change, however i ask that you please hear me out on an important issue that is going on in our state senate.
As you may have heard in the recent news the Senate recently voted to classify manure as non-hazardous wastes, the bill will now move to the house (though there is talk of a revote in the Senate??). You can find details of the recent vote and lots of news articles if you want more info.
As an environmental scientist I can not stress or say forcefully enough how bad this will be for our state's waters. This carries with it direct implications not only for those systems, but also for human health.
My speciality is studying the toxic golden algae that has currently invaded Lake Texoma along with other lakes in Oklahoma (and previously Texas). I also study the effects of pollution by the common plant nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus (the process of eutrophication) and other pollution-driven problems in Oklahoma's fresh waters (again with a focus on Texoma). The current golden algal blooms and other harmful and noxious algal blooms embody the direct results of excess plant nutrients through sewage effluents (point source pollution) and agricultural and urban runoff (non-point pollution).
Whether by intention or not, classifying manure (particularly from high-production farms) as non-hazardous wastes will lead to the continuation, and even more seriously, to an increase in the amount of these nutrients entering our state’s waters.
The threat of these manures lies not only in the nitrogen and phosphorus that they contain, but in the numerous other chemicals, such as antibiotics and other drugs, plant and animal hormones, and heavy metals contained in manures that can wreak havoc on aquatic ecosystems.
The tremendous long-term economic costs of water quality degradation, is well documented in other systems throughout the globe and it is important that the quality of Oklahoma’s water resources must be preserved for our current and future generations.
In the end, manures are indeed hazardous wastes and an attempt to reclassify manures as non-hazardous is a dangerous step in the wrong direction, a mistaken step against the future well-being of Oklahoma’s fresh waters.
thanks for your time in reading this. If you agree with me please take the time to contact as many state senators and representatives as you can and let them know that you are concerned. I can supply you their emails if you pm me.
Edit: I decided just to include the emails. Here they are, should you decide to something.
Senators' emails:
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
Representatives' emails:
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]