CHEMTURA / M.O.E. CREDIBILITY CONTINUES TO PLUMMET

The list of seemingly neverending hits to their credibility goes like this. GP1 & 2 "scraping" of one pit only versus a real cleanup (excavation) of both pits. Blatant falsehoods at last year's GRCA Annual General Meeting claiming CPAC approved the "scraping" while a Chemtura rep (Jeff Merriman) was present. Wilf Ruland and Jaimie Connelly 's (M.O.E.) DNAPL letters of May 15, 2008 and May 2, 2008. These letters clearly showed both of them had views and concerns contrary to CRA/Chemtura's, despite Chemtura's claims of "concensus". These letters were also sucessfully suppressed for six years. The Minutes of the last two DNAPL technical meetings namely June and October 2008 were also suppressed and only released recently. They confirm again, contrary to Chemtura's position, that both Wilf and Jaimie held firm in their positions that more needed to be done regarding DNAPL source removal/reduction.

I am aware that George Karlos (M.O.E.) has been pressuring CPAC for a long time regarding my so called behaviour. Apparently one inadvertent e-mail booboo that I was guilty of and apologized for wasn't satisfactory to George. CPAC accepted it but George kept on trucking until the CPAC Chair had had enough of George's whining and put an end to the serious lobbying to have me removed. At the August 28/14 CPAC Graham Chevreau read a report on behalf of SWAT which took the M.O.E. to task for their longtime and ongoing failures to deal properly with the Chemtura site in Elmira. This was followed by the CPAC Chair going to Council on September 2/14 and also reporting on the Ministry's failures here in Elmira. Dr. Dan's comments were reported in the Elmira Independent, Woolwich Observer and K-W Record.

There have also been major credibility issues for the M.O.E. relating to Dioxins and DDT downstream in the Canagagigue Creek. Ditto concerns that neither Chemtura nor the M.O.E. have ever investigated off property contamination on the east side of Chemtura. The discovery of a surface water drain draining the wetlands both on and off Chemtura's property into the Canagagigue Creek decades after the Elmira crisis occurred has been shocking. The further discovery that this drain which runs parallel to Chemtura's property for a few hundred yards (20 feet away) is also used to top up the downstream Martin swimming pond is beyond shocking. Shame on both Chemtura and the Ontario Ministry of the Environment.