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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 22, 1999)
**3^**» c w v» - a * Page A 4 D e ce m b e r 22, 1999 <Zhv |lorfknth (flbaerwer (P b s e ru e r USPS 959-680 Established 1970 STAFF d it o r P C in h ie f , u b l is h e r Charles H. Washington E d it o r Larry J. Jackson, Sr. C opy E d it o r Joy Ramos B u s in e s s M anager Gary Ann Taylor C r e a t iv e D JElje $lt»rtlanh ©bacruer Letter to the Editor ©1|C ^ Jo rtlan b (Dhscrn er E Articles do not necessarily reflect or represent the views of Opinion Portland Dear Editor: Across the state o f Oregon, there are hundreds o f toxic waste sites. Ten of these are federal supertund sites. The superfund law was passed in 1980 in response to a growing concern over the number o f hazardous waste sites across the country, including Love Canal. A range o f serious health risks are associated with toxic chemical exposure, such as cancer, birth d e fe c ts, and re p ro d u c tiv e abnormalities. For instance, in the last thirty years breast cancer rates have doubled, while prostate cancer rates have nearly tripled. During the sam e p erio ds, a corresponding increase in toxins have been released in to the e n v iro n m e n t. K now n carcinogens, such as dioxin, PCBs, benzene, and tuolene, have been found in extremely high levels at many sites th ro u g h o u t O reg o n . In particular, the am ount o f toxic chemicals found in the Willamette River justify its classification as a Superfund site. Unfortunately, two bills proposed in Congress (HR 1300 and HR 2580) would inhibit the Superfund program from c le a n in g up th e se toxic contamination’s properly, shifting the costs from the polluters to innocent ta x p a y e rs. S u p risin g ly , Representatives Blumenauer and DeFazio are supporting one o f these bills that would create an incentive for industries to disregard toxic releases into our environment. We need accountability for the multitude o f toxic waste sites around the nation, not a reduction in clean up standards and an industry exemption from liability. I urge citizens to contact these representatives and let them know that we refuse to pay for these cleanups, and how important it is that polluters be more responsible for the health o f our citizens, children, and the environment. Sincerely, Diana Miri Portland Dear Editor Current scientific research in the Arctic tells us that global warming is happening and at a much faster rate than what was expected. Recent decades have seen dramatic increases in weather disasters like droughts, rainstorms, hurricanes, heat waves, and flo o d s, c o n siste n t w ith scientists’ predictions. Coastal states like Oregon have show n them selves p a rtic u la rly vulnerable to the terrible destruction global warming may bring. Weather disasters nationwideclaimed455 lives and nearly S25 billion in economic losses last year- the hottest year ever recorded. Many big businesses say it will cost too much to tackle global warming. The truth is we can’t afford not to. This year has seen hundreds killed in heat w aves, some o f the w orst droughts ever recorded, and record hurricane damage in North Carolina, with near record precipitation across the Pacific Northwest and parts o f O regon d ec la re d a g ric u ltu ra l disasters. A virtual consensus among scientists agree that global warming is real. People across the state and around the country are suffering. If we continue to fiddle while the earth burns, we can only expect more tragedy in the future. Congress needs to take action now to stop global warming. Sincerely, Just think. Your son is b rig h t, h ea lth y a n d h e a d e d fo r college one day You love the direction your career has taken. 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