–>http://chezsven.blogspot.com/2010/02/my-letter-to-editor-published-by-cape.html
Alexandra Grabbe runs a bed and breakfast and says the yellow and blue colors of her husband’s native Swedish flag combine to make green. Sen. Kerry replied that he would pass her letter along to NSTAR.
–>Christine Van Hooft’s letter published in the Dennis Planners Blog
Christine, I will post this on the Dennis Planning Department blog with the following introduction: [Dennis Town Hall is within sight of the NSTAR poles!]
I was asked (along with my colleagues on the Cape) to pass the following along for consideration. I do that, without passing judgment either way. Read what is provided below, do your own research on the issue, and make your own decisions.
It is an important hot topic issue, but one that I have not had any comments on yet here in Dennis.
Daniel J. Fortier, AICP
Town Planner
Town of Dennis
P.O. Box 2060
South Dennis MA 02660
email:dfortier@town.dennis.ma.us
phone: 508-760-6119
fax: 508-394-8309
Have you seen the Dennis Planning Department Blogs? Go to:
http://dennismaplanningdept.wordpress.com/
http://dennismalocalcomprehensiveplan.wordpress.com/
http://dennismaeconomicdevelopment.wordpress.com/
http://dennismaopenspaceandrecreationplan.wordpress.com/
from Christine van Hooft:
Thank you for taking the time to review this URGENT and time sensitive issue:
State legislators to review NStar’s herbicide use | CapeCodOnline.com
The residents of Cape Cod live on top of our only water supply. Residents and our town officials are well aware of our nitrogen loading problem here in our own water supply as well as Cape Cod having some of the highest cancer rates in the state. If town officials and residents took a new tact, we would begin healing Cape Cod. How? It’s all about our soil.
The Earth is encompassed in a living, breathing skin that we refer to as Soil. The USDA and others refer to Soil as “The Soil Food Web” yet Soil does so much more than provide food security. Soil’s top six inches of is responsible not only for feeding humanity but also filtering water, retaining carbon (thus reducing global warming), and maintaining a rich living biodiversity that supports other wildlife and creatures.
“Cides” in latin means “to cause death”. “Bio” means “life”. Everytime pesticides, herbicides, fungicides are applied to the living, breathing organism, Soil, her biodiversity (the ability to support life) and the environment is “killed off”. Soil’s ability to retain carbon, thus resulting in fewer greenhouses gases is “killed off”. Soil’s ability to filter water is “killed off” and the runoff seeps into the water table resulting in nitrous oxide which also adds to global warming. This nitrous oxide also kills off biodiversity in our oceans having created over 400 dead zones in our oceans worldwide. These “cides” don?t stay put where they are applied. They also drift and vaporize in addition to seeping into the water table. Right now the EPA is considering new laws requiring buffer zones in agricultural areas to protect children from “cides” drift because these “cides” have shown up in our nation’s schoolyards and homes in agricultural areas.
The root systems of crops grown in Soil that has been treated with “cides” are not as healthy as those grown in organic Soil. Therefore the immune system of these plants are compromised so they attract predators/pests because in Mother Nature predators feed on the weakest plants. More “cides” must then be applied to Soil to kill of these pests. Additionally, more chemical fertilizers need to be applied to help the plant “sustain life” in dying Soil and the plants roots drink in only about 20% of those fertilizers while the rest run off to the water supply.
Presently, there are over 80,000 chemicals licensed for use in the United States. The FDA and USDA do NO independent testing on safety to humans before licensing these individual chemicals for use. These agencies also do no independent testing of combinations of chemicals and their effect on health and the environment whether these “chemical cocktails” are in our food (as additives, preservatives, flavor enhancers, etc.) or in our environment (chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides). The FDA and USDA only require the safety reports issued by the “for profit” chemical manufacturing companies for licensing purposes. A report may be done on the safety of one chemical in parts per thousands, but where are the safety reports of combining these chemicals into “chemical cocktails”, their interaction and the safety in parts per thousands? They don’t exist. For example: Roundup is manufactured by Monsanto. Their policy is: “Monsanto should not have to vouchsafe the safety of biotech food. Our interest is in selling as much of it as possible. Assuring its safety is FDA’s job.” ~ Phil Angell, Director of Communications at Monsanto (quoted in 1998) Where is the accountability to humans and the environment? Where does the buck really stop?
NSTAR is proposing a new path of treating their Rights-of-Way Management using a chemical cocktail treatment instead of their former practices of selective cutting and mowing. Switching to short-term, short-sighted methods of continuing to apply this chemical cocktail of herbicides that will kill off Soil’s beneficial and living micro-organisms, mycillium, etc is not responsible land management. I attended the NSTAR Eastham public meeting last year and the meeting with GreenCape/NSTAR/ and The Cape Cod Commision last week. Listening to NSTAR representatives ration why “cides” are good and safe for Cape Waterways and not harmful to our environment” was like listening to a political pundit making the case for their candidate regardless of the facts. Even if NSTAR representatives said they put this proposed chemical cocktail in all of their staff?s water coolers, I would not be convinced of its safety. Additionally, there are disconcerting discrepancies on NSTAR’s mapping of wells versus the CCC’s maps. Banning the NSTAR’s use of “cides” for their Rights-of-Way Management is an important step to prevent further contamination Cape Cod’s environment and water supply. I understand that current laws forbid the banning of pesticide/herbicide use unless it is in a “sensitive area”. What is more sensitive than access to clean water from our sole source aquifer and healthy Soil to grow our food crops, sequester carbon to reduce global warming and protecting the only filter for our water supply as well as protecting biodiversity for wildlife and other habitat?
We have a responsibility to clean up Cape Cod’s water supply and our environment. We have a responsibility to be stewards of Soil so she can continue to provide for our kids and their grandchildren. To quote Maya Angelou, “When we know better, we do better”. Now you know better. Let?s all come up higher to protect and restore Cape Cod?s most precious and sensitive resource: Soil!
I, respectfully, request that you share this information with your colleagues so we can jointly embark on a positive path that will affect real change! Thank you for all that you do for the town residents and the community of Cape Cod!
Sincerely,
Christine Van Hooft
Additional references for your review are:
http://soils.usda.gov/sqi/concepts/soil_biology/soil_food_web.html
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