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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 17, 2013)
dismissed the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD)’s legal claim seeking full disclosure of which chemicals spilled into the ocean during the disaster. Eugene attorney Charlie Tebbutt is the lawyer for the case. Back in November, BP pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about the amount of oil that spilled into the Gulf, Tebbutt says, and he adds, “Just as BP has lied to Congress about the amount of oil that was released into the environment, BP continues to withhold information from the public about the amount of toxic chemicals that were on board when the Deepwater Horizon exploded and sank.” Tebbutt and CBD fi led suit in summer of 2010, only months after the disaster, seeking $20 billion in penalties from BP and Transocean, the owner of the Deepwater Horizon, to be used for gulf restoration, and the suit sought information on the amount of oil spilled, as well as identifi cation and amounts of all toxic pollutants. CBD’s case was dismissed by the district court on June 16, 2011, a decision the conservation group then appealed. While it reversed the district court’s decision on the chemicals under the Emergency Planning and Community This Now tta See! o You G Right-to-Know Act, the appellate court upheld the dismissal of CBD’s Clean Water Act claims on the grounds that the claims were mooted when the well was capped. Tebbutt says, “With regard to fi nding that CBD’s Clean Water Act claims are moot, this means that no citizen ever could pursue a citizen suit against an oil company for an oil spill, because an oil spill will eventually stop.” He adds, “It’s absurd to think Congress intended such a result.” The Clean Water Act, which Congress legislated 40 years ago to protect the nation’s waters, allows citizens to sue polluters and has resulted in a signifi cant decline in industrial pollution. — Camilla Mortensen POLLUTION UPDATE Monitoring of the Amazon Creek Basin by the city of Eugene under the city’s Clean Water Act permit for urban stormwater discharges during 2011-2012 shows a decreasing trend for about 77 percent of indicators, though water quality standards for various pollutants are still exceeded in the basin. For copper, 30 percent of samples exceeded the relevant water quality standard by up to seven times. Vehicle brake pads are a primary source of copper in water, and a 2010 California law addresses this issue by requiring brake pad manufacturers to begin phasing out the use of copper in vehicle brake pad manufacturing. For lead, about 40 percent of samples exceeded the relevant water quality standard. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, tire weights from vehicle tires ground to dust on roadways are the primary source of particulate lead in stormwater. Other highlights: At least fi ve different pesticides (2,4- D, dichlobenil, diuron, triclopyr, and propiconazole) were detected in the basin. Various portions of the basin are listed as “water quality limited” for bacteria, with. E. coli counts exceeding the water quality standard for about 30 percent of samples collected from the Amazon Basin sites. Surveys of creek-bed organisms show “heavily degraded” populations. Visit goo.gl/n8VdD to view the full report. — Doug Quirke/Oregon Clean Water Action Project it’s fresh & fun! explore SHOP 250 GOOD EARTH Café & Music Stage sustainable exhibits homes gardens food arts recycle living J ANUARY 18-20 FRI 5pm-9pm SAT 10am–8pm SUN 10am–5pm Fairgrounds Eugene 898848J07 FREE Admission canned food donations FOOD for Lane County HOME, GARDEN & LIVING ® Seminars & Event Details: EugeneHomeShow.com eugeneweekly.com • January 17, 2013 9
