CPAC MEETING THIS THURSDAY EVENING

This Thursday May 2/13 at 6 pm. the Chemtura Public Advisory Committee will be held in Woolwich Council Chambers on Church St. in Elmira. Whether or not CPAC members can be so devastatingly on their game as they were five weeks ago is difficult to believe. I sat in awe and watched them excavate the ground out from under Chemtura and the Ministry of the Environment. Without rancour or contempt, one after another, they destroyed the whole basis and fabric of the Chemtura/M.O.E. pretend "cleanup" that's been underway for two decades.

On the Agenda this Thursday will be comments from the Ministry of the Environment dealing with Chemtura's "Groundwater Flow and Contaminant Transport Model Update". This is Chemtura's response to CPAC's Resolution passed and later endorsed by Woolwich Council a year ago. Essentially for the first time, Chemtura have agreed to do some off-site source removal via ISCO or In-Situ Chemical Oxidation. They also claim to be intending to triple their off-site pumping and treating of groundwater.

Chemtura will also be presenting their Annual Monitoring Report (2012). In this report they will be doing their usual bragging about how great hydraulic containment (pump & treat) is. Of course this is the same hydraulic containment which they've just admitted can't possibly work by 2028 without off-site source removal and tripling of their pumping volumes. Apparently hypocrisy is not even a challenge for a corporation hell bent on maximizing profits and minimizing honest discourse with local residents.

Citizens will also be treated to a brief discussion of Chemtura's private technical meeting which they are holding with a number of former CPAC members and hangers on. Chemtura have been feeling decidely unwell with their performance at public CPAC meetings and are hoping to do better with their accolytes and co-optees. Recently the Sulco citizens advisory panel (CAP) was treated to a stirring defence of Chemtura's position by an informal proxy for the company; the former CPAC Chair, Pat McLean. She argued strenuously that criticisms of Chemtura should not be in a study praising Sulco's *Responsible Care efforts compared to Chemtura's. Yours truly was invited to attend the technical meeting but declined based on the attendance of numerous "friends" of Chemtura, both amateur and professional. Also if I felt for one second that this was an honest, legitimate exercise versus their typical propaganda and B/S I would reconsider.

There will also be a Report on Chemtura's Responsible Care verification. Yes this is the "do over" that the Chemical Industry Assoc'n of Canada (CIAC) permitted them a few months ago. What a disgrace.

All in all I'm not expecting fireworks but hey you never know. Maybe CPAC will be blessed with the presence of Chemtura supporters and former CPAC members in the audience. I am impressed with their willingness to be more open about their admiration and respect for the company. But for them Chemtura would have had a much more difficult time in selling their nonsense to the citizens over the last two decades plus.