LET THE EXPERTS GET TOGETHER AND SORT IT OUT

Boy I wish I had a nickel for every time I heard that line above (ie. the title). Between the former CPAC Chair and her ally Susan Bryant, we at the old CPAC were always hearing this proposed solution. It was a feel good exercise which accomplished essentially nothing. CPAC's "expert" was an allegedly "independent" hydrogeologist who worked initially for APTE then on behalf of CPAC via Woolwich Township. Remarkably on every issue he would have "concerns". These would be discussed at CPAC with Chemtura and their consultants (CRA) who would always propose a solution that appeared to us mere lay people as grossly inadequate. Then off to a few private meetings and eureka everybody would come back to CPAC smiling. CRA and Chemtura would have their way as always but with the blessing of CPAC's "expert". It didn't take Dr. Henry Regier as long as I to figure out this was a sham.

Credentialism is a part of the game. Each side hires their own professionals and experts. They are like Doctors in that 1) they are never wrong 2) their motives are always in the public interest 3) All decisions are science and fact based 4) If 2) & 3) are proven inaccurate then refer back to 1). I disagreed with this whole idea from the very beginning. It wasn't experts who started APT Environment. It was Sandra Bray, Esther Thur and Susan Rupert. What has always been needed are citizens with common sense and outrage that a community's water supply can be destroyed and their health endangered, all for the private profit of a corporation.

I had misgivings a year ago regarding the two experts who now sit on CPAC. Twenty years plus of being sold down the river by experts made me very untrusting. Also the Mayor and Council had just made an idiotic move which I had extrapolated into disbelieving their basic motives. Well hindsight and many other decisions since then have restored my faith and confidence in their inherent wish to do right by Woolwich township. Also as I have indicated here in the Advocate many times, the two experts on CPAC namely Ron Campbell and David Marks have proven their honesty and integrity many times over. They can not do it all alone nor should they. Real strength is in the combination of knowledge, credentialed or not, combined with citizens appropriate outrage at government and corporate malfeasance.