AN OPEN LETTER TO APT ENVIRONMENT REGARDING THE JANUARY 1994 DNAPL FINAL MEETING

I've waited twenty-one years to see even one professional report flat out stating that there is free phase DNAPL on the Uniroyal/Chemtura site and it needs to be removed. Well apparently I'm not the only one who has been waiting for just such a report. Ironically and contrary to my expectations two have surfaced and contrary to my expectations they were produced by a M.O.E. hydrogeologist (Jaimie Connelly) and by hydrogeologist Wilf Ruland. That they have surfaced six years after the fact (ie. May 2 & 15, 2008) is more than a little disturbing. It speaks to an ongoing coverup of the extent of Dense Non Aqueous Phase Liquid (DNAPL) on the Chemtura site.

Twenty-one years ago APTE vice-president Sylvia Berg refused to make a formal response to the M.O.E.'s December 10, 1993 letter accepting Conestoga Rovers' DNAPL Investigation report. This acceptance by the M.O.E. was critical to then Uniroyal's alleged compliance with the November 4, 1991 Control Order. The CRA report was wholly unacceptable as described by both Wilf Ruland and APTE (Al Marshall, Sylvia Berg & Glenys McMullen) in writing. Sylvia then went on to defend the Ministry's position on DNAPLS contrary to her own very recently written collaberative critique. She strongly advised the APTE co-ordinators to do nothing. Richard Clausi and I presented the various reports and critiques to the APTE co-ordinators who for numerous reasons preferred the word of vice-president Berg to doing serious study of the reports on their own. The results have been catastrophic for the Elmira cleanup. Unknown to me and Richard at the time (and Esther Thur a week later) Susan Bryant and Sylvia Berg were in possession of the Uniroyal-M.O.E. October 7, 1991 Settlement Agreement and its' Indemnity to Uniroyal for known on-site contamination ie. DNAPLS. Susan and the three other Environmental Appeal Board parties received this agreement directly as she was representing APTE at those hearings. The public only received a fluffy media release from the Ministry of Environment which carefully did not talk about the Indemnity.

Richard and I made no demands or ultimatums whatsoever to APTE as they were friends and colleagues. To say we were perplexed by Sylvia Berg's intrangience and refusal to discuss or debate this huge issue is an understatement. It was Richard and I who insisted upon a formal sitdown with the co-ordinators to discuss what we felt was a huge mistake and in fact has so turned out. At a minimum all we expected of APTE was their public support of the critique written by Sylvia, Glenys and myself as well as a statement criticizing the M.O.E.'s December 10/93 formal acceptance of CRA/Uniroyal's DNAPL plans. I was the least aggressive, most fact based of Richard and I. Unfortunately Richard did bring up a recent letter from Pat Potter of Dunnville asking what Sylvia Berg was doing thanking Uniroyal in a letter to the then Canadian Chemical Producers Assocn (CCPA). While I agreed with Pat's concerns I still had 100% trust in Sylvia Berg's integrity. Much to my surprise when the co-ordinators backed Sylvia's do nothing "plan"; Sylvia immediately demanded that I be removed as an APTE representative at the Uniroyal Public Advisory Committee (UPAC). But for that incredibly petty and nasty position I (and Richard) wouldn't have resigned then and there from membership in APTE.

Hindsight is indeed 20-20. I expect that the remaining APTE members may still have regrets as I do about how things turned out. That being said you were betrayed by your president and vice-president. They accepted a grotesquely flawed October 7/91 Settlement Agreement without getting input from either the co-ordinators (including Richard & Esther) or from the membership at large. Since then they have taken extraordinary means to coverup their sellout, being co-opted or even naiviety; whichever term you prefer. From inducing Rich Clausi, Esther Thur (an original APTE founder) and myself leaving APTE to years later Pat Mclean and Susan Bryant manipulating my exit from the Chemtura Public Advisory Committee (CPAC) over the then again ongoing DNAPL Investigation to ensuring via the office of CPAC Chair held by Pat McLean that the Jaimie and Wilf DNAPL letters of May 2 & 15, 2008 never were publicly released or discussed; Susan (Sylvia is apparently long gone from Elmira) has continued the coverup of her and Sylvia's original behaviour. While Susan was in India in late 1993 and early 1994 again hindsight has shown that she was in league with Sylvia from the early days.

There will be a book coming out in the future written by former Record reporter Bob Burtt. While I like and respect Bob, I've long known that he has been dazzled by Susan Bryant, as I was, for decades. I am attempting to give Bob all the relevant documents based upon his questions to me around APTE, Varnicolor, Uniroyal, the Environmental Hazards Team etc.. and I have confidence in his sincere attempts to write the truth as he sees it. My fear is that similar to January 1994, when the facts are difficult or conflicting, that personality will win the day. If that occurs I may be forced to set the record straight and have my own book written. This will be to let future generations know that there is no limit to corporate degenerate behaviour specifically including co-opting of citizen activists as well as promoting internal discord within legitmate citizen groups. It is shameful and disgusting but it is the truth and has happened here in Elmira.