Shellfish Politics in Washington DC: Is Gregoire the right package for the EPA?

Currently taking place in Washington DC is the annual "Walk on the Hill" where shellfish growers, lobbyists and their attorneys meet with congressional leaders and agencies to press their case for expanding the shellfish industry. Festivals of wine and oysters as well as use of the Acadiana Restaurant are annual lobbying events.

"Simmable, diggable, fishable"

For who?

Bill Dewey from Taylor Shellfish

teaching then Governor Gregoire

what "diggable" is to the shellfish industry.

Perhaps the most significant effort being put forth will be to get Washington's outgoing Governor Gregoire nominated to head the EPA. She's a woman who used to be Washington's Attorney General who also headed Washington's Department of Ecology. Isn't it a perfect package? It is, but it takes more than a package mailed from the northwest to run the agency created to protect human health and the environment.

It takes more than a package

of sound bites to get things done.

As was so well put in 2012 by another writer describing Governor Gregoire's progress on improving the waters of Puget Sound after five years of effort: "Swimmable, diggable, fishable" makes a nice sound bite — and certainly a level below which one wouldn't want the health of the Sound to sink — but it would hardly constitute recovery." [click here for full article]

Being reactive - or inactive - does not make for sound leadership of an agency where being proactive is critical.
Pointed out in a December 2011 press conference, while head of the Department of Ecology it took the shellfish industry dressing "her down" in the late 1980's to get the agency she was then responsible for (the Department of Ecology) to act on increasing pollution levels in the waters of Puget Sound.

When asked at a 2012 press conference what actions she would take on the proposed coal terminals in Washington through which hundreds of tons of coal would be exported to China, the largest producer of CO2 in the world, she chose carefully crafted political answers learned while Attorney General to say "nothing." This after having been cheered by NOAA head Janet Lubchenco as being a "strong leader" addressing CO2 emissions. And supporting "green" technologies.

Oysters shipped from Washington continue to cause significant numbers of illness from Vibrio parahaemolyticus, something the state's Department of Health under then Governor Gregoire was responsible for controlling. This despite the FDA expressing strong concerns over the shellfish industry's inability to control outbreaks from Vibrio years ago. The shellfish industry's response was to express concern about "undue economic impacts to shellfish producers."

These are not indicative of being a strong leader acting for the long term health of the people and the environment. It is a person reacting to political pressures from industries.

It takes more than a package.
Running an agency the size of the EPA, whose responsibility is to protect human health and the environment, takes more than a package of soundbites shipped from the northwest. And a few oysters.

 

No doubt the shellfish industry feels different, given her support for lessening regulatory oversight of that industry, allowing it to expand wherever they would like in those "swimmable, diggable, fishable" waters. No doubt it will also be a topic of conversation January 30 at the Acadiana Restaurant over raw oysters. Let's hope nobody gets sick.

NOAA is Duped in Huge Geoengineering Experiment to Reduce CO2 in Ocean

Phytoplankton Bloom in August of 2012

West of Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands)



Circled area in the middle may be the bloom

created from dumping over 100 tons of dust/iron. 

In the boiling concern of rising CO2 levels in the Pacific Ocean, NOAA has found itself involved in the middle of what some may consider a multi-million dollar deception. A NOAA spokesman claims they had no idea the 20 monitoring buoys they provided were being used to support geoengineering experiment not approved by anyone. Over 100 tonnes of "finely ground dust" containing iron was dumped into the waters of the Pacific Ocean. Having taken place off the coast of the Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands), it is claimed to have resulted in a phytoplankton bloom over 10,000 square kilometers in size (see picture above). [click here for story]

Haida Village Circa 1876



Ancient Haida First Nation Totem Poles Today





The Haida Salmon Restoration Corporation was created by the Haida First Nation to help restore salmon runs on the Haida Gwaii where Haida ancestors lived for over 9,000 years. There, remains of their past culture are still seen on the island shorelines of Haida Gwaii, placed before their population was decimated by smallpox, reduced almost 95% by the late 1800's.

Russ George with Planktos, Inc



Haida First Nation members were approached by Russ George, a USA entrepeneur who proposed "fertilizing" the Pacific Ocean with 100 tonnes of iron dust to help stimulate a phytoplankton bloom. As phytoplankton absorb CO2, this bloom would result in "carbon credits" and also help provide a food source, krill, for salmon. The former would be sold and the latter provide sustenance for the Haida, both helping to offset the multimillion dollar cost. A Canadian credit union was approached who agreed to loan over $2 million to support the plan. [click here to hear an audio report from CBC]

Bill Dewey, Govenor Gregoire, NOAA Director Lubchenco



In Washington, NOAA and the Governor are rushing towards solutions which address CO2, ocean acidification and its impact on the shellfish industry. What happened in Canada should serve as a cautionary lesson. On one level, Mr. George made an exponential leap in faith on "ocean fertilization" which had been discredited over 3 years ago, being called ineffective. [read Nature's "Ocean Fertilization: Time to Move On" here] On another level, charlatans have existed for centuries, aware of monetary opportunities and very persuasive in extracting money from your pocket, especially effective when an urgency to act is included.

When state legislators are told "you have to act now" by the outgoing Governor they should be cautious and ask questions. [read Croscutt article here on legislation being introduced]  Perhaps asking NOAA if they have any extra buoys in order to establish baseline monitoring information would be a good place to start.

 

NOAA Ocean-monitoring Buoy

off of La Push.