From: Allan Tweddle allantweddle@msn.com Date: September 10, 2014 10:22:28 AM EDT To: "cclwv@googlegroups.com" cclwv@googlegroups.com Cc: "cclwv@googlegroups.com" cclwv@googlegroups.com, Don GARVIN dsgjr@aol.com, Vivian Stockman vivian@ohvec.org, WVEC Email List paradox@spectrumz.com, John Barry John.Barry@sierraclub.org, Gary Zuckett CAG garyz@wvcag.org, Janet Keating janet.ovec@gmail.com, "Sierra Club Environmental Comm." ec@osenergy.org Subject: Re: [EC] Op-Ed in today's Gazette
Colleagues
First, thank you Paul and Regan for your kind words. I'm better, but not 100% yet.
I believe part of my condition is caused by the air quality of the area. As and engineer who is dealt with air quality issues for 50 years, including air sampling for pollution conditions around manufacturing operations all the way through to design and clean rooms, I am very familiar with the process and the technical details of air-quality.
But I do not have the instruments or the support staff to evaluate air-quality here as I used to have and my career days in California and Ontario.
I do know however that I have often driven near the railway tracks that charge through Charleston and seen, in the proper sunlight conditions, the fine particulate dust blowing off the railcars as they passed through town. I've inquired, but that's never been analyzed, never been measured and is an unknown.
But one doesn't need sophisticated instruments to see that that dust is being dispersed all on the communities through which these trains, sometimes it very high speeds, traverse.
That brings me to a point I want to make. Air-quality is definitely a local issue. The EPA can establish national standards, and the local agencies can then implement a plan to measure against those standards. But in my opinion the evaluation of very close proximity conditions in West Virginia are never taken into account unless the public rises up and demands them.
That also applies to climate change. There is yet another article in the Charleston Gazette today describing how carbon dioxide levels in the upper atmosphere Have already passed 350 ppm last year and are approaching the 400 ppm. Scientists consider the 400 parts, if achieved on a consistent basis to be very seriously detrimental to life as we know it all over the planet including in West Virginia.
Addressing the issue and pressing for action requires a strong voice here in West Virginia. And I personally believe the economic opportunities that exist for addressing climate change are out there and need to be described to our policy makers repeatedly.
While CCL is working diligently at the national level to seek logical and incremental steps towards controlling climate change, given the political barriers, we must be doing more at the state level in my opinion.
That is why I have proposed to WVEC, CAG, OVEC, and others that we come together and join forces to mount a single voice to address climate change in West Virginia.
It is an issue that is complex and crosses all of the constituencies of the entire environmental movement in West Virginia. To be successful, the legislatures got to know that there is a large constituency, a coming together of all of the organizations, to force them to pay attention to not just the dangers of doing nothing, but of the economic opportunities that are out there for addressing climate change.
if we can come together somewhere in sometime in October, and begin to develop a comprehensive plan, then we will be ready to present our thoughts to the legislature in January.
But I must look to each of the leadership of the various organizations to talk to one another and decide where they would like to do this.
However, I need to hear from the leadership of each of the organizations. Is there interest in coming together in the manner I am suggesting? Or is there an alternative concepts?
I'd like to hear from the leadership to know if this is making sense, and if so let's plan a specific time and meet, probably here in Charleston, To begin thinking about how to plan and implement a new voice of reason for addressing climate change here in West Virginia.
I can offer a venue for such a meeting that is easy and convenient to reach. I must ask for permission from Temple Israel for such a meeting, but I believe Rabbi would approve such a gathering as long as it's not on the Sabbath.
Please, let me hear from you
Allan Tweddle
On Sep 9, 2014, at 7:38 AM, Paul Epstein wrote:
Good work both of you! Hope you're feeling much better, Allan.
www.awarewv.org Paul Epstein 304.343.5074 www.paulepstein.net
On Tue, Sep 9, 2014 at 7:29 AM, Jim Probst probstfurnituremakers@gmail.com wrote: It's been a good couple of days for Charleston CCL with Alan's excellent op-ed on Sunday and I got one published in today's paper. http://www.wvgazette.com/article/20140909/ARTICLE/140909344/1134