The issue here regarding a new round of public meetings is really this:
1.) The general public generally was not well-informed or educated on this complex issue prior to the meetings.
2.) The meetings were not widely advertised, not everyone was aware of them and various other factors contribute to people not being able to make such meetings.
3.) The meetings were presented by Sunnyside and there was no official opposing viewpoint offered to the public. One side was offered at most of these meetings, Sunnyside's. DEP did hold their public hearing in May of 2007, but their process gave the public only 10 days to respond to this complex matter in writing and raise objections to the permit before final issuance was announced. Ten days to digest what was presented, ask questions, research and forge some sort of active, educated resistance if anyone wanted to.
4.) Public comment was made open at SOME of these meetings but not all meetings (the school board for instance) and generally, an ill-informed public will not take a strong stance in front of a large group of their peers who have opposing views anyway. The information regarding the pollution data, for instance, was not finalized until early 2007 and was very difficult to come by and understand if anyone would have taken the time to dig it up from DEP. Most people, if they were able to go to any of these meetings, were simply unaware of the scope of the many issues and could not offer up solid resistance if they even wanted to and relied on what they heard presented at these meetings, from the local gossip circuit or what was presented in the local press most of which was information presented by Sunnyside and local, county and state officials of some sort who are proponents of the project.
5.) To our knowledge, there is no video record of any of these meetings so anyone with questions about the presentation cannot have them answered completely.
WE NEED TO INSIST THAT OUR GOVERNEMENT AND AGENCY REPRESENTATIVES HOST A NEW ROUND OF PUBLIC MEETINGS WHEREIN BOTH SIDES OF THIS ISSUE ARE EQUALLY REPRESENTED
Remember to be at the next Curwensville Borough Council Meeting on April 14th to express your opinion on this matter.
We have a couple folks on this list who are active in this regard and have showed in the past and one that TRIED to show at the school board meeting last month but found the doors to be locked (that's another story for ya') but the bottom line is that time is ticking down and if we choose to not get active, we will allow this project to happen. Sunnyside has much more money to continue their PR campaign than we do, but they don't have as much to lose as we do so we should be willing to FIGHT HARDER. While I'm encouraged by our growing list of supporters we need to offer more direct involvement and expression if we can. It is your VOICE, it is ACTION that is going to stop this project.
There is great strength in numbers, folks, and your voice and action is needed now more than ever. I know we're all very busy and your care and contributions are indeed appreciated, but we need some manpower and organization to get this job done and your voice, opinion and physical efforts are needed. Please let me know how you can help out regarding:
1.) Helping to host and promote a coming public meeting to organize this effort into an actual, recognized group.
2.) Helping to then manage the group to promote clean industry options and fight dirty ones for our area
3.) Distribute PR for this effort either via the internet or hard copy (posters, flyers, etc.)
4.) Show up at public meetings to express opinions
5.) Help cooridinate and write for letter-writing campaigns.
Whatever you can do in this regard is appreciated and no effort is too small.
Also, please remember that you now have a voice in local government that is not afraid to speak up and I will fight for your right to get straight answers, to protect the health of your family and to hold your leadership accountable for their decisions. Have courage and speak up. You are not alone! Better yet, let us continue in our efforts to force change in our leadership through the ballot box. We are in desperate need of new blood in leadership positions here in our area and I would like to ask that you consider running on some level during the next opportune election cycle. Keep that in your bonnet til then.... We can build a better future for everyone based on clean economic models but we have to first want to and that includes making the necessary changes in leadership to accomplish such goals.
Regarding This New Video:
Please see the new video clip that illustrates the greater problem that we face in these parts in this regard. This clip just posted, and another forthcoming, show very clearly by small example just what the big-picture problem is regarding the subject of public meetings. Preferential treatment, peer pressure, one-sided information, and press slants. Watch as the local news stays in Council Chambers to record and present Sunnyside's presentation, but then leaves and does not record the following public comment or ensuing debate. Luckily, we had a local Progress reporter in the room that night with integrity who actually reported on the entire situation.
So, one local news station dropped the ball, you say? So what? Why does this matter? Because, as in many previous instances, the vast majority of the citizens of this area were presented with only one side of the story in follow-up reports. Period. This isn't too difficult to grasp.
Have public meetings been held? Absolutely. But, just like in this little example, generally one side was presented and reported on while an informed, educated opposition platform was not offered up to the public at all and public comment that may have surfaced in opposition to the project was presented in follow-up reports in a minimized manner leaving most people to believe there is no real opposition and justifying the decisions of our leadership in their minds that the public is solidly behind this project.
FACT: I've spoken personally with an enormous amount of people who have grave concerns over this project but who simply keep quiet because they are either admittedly afraid to speak up or figure it's pointless because our leadership is going to do what they want regardless.
This silence is unbelievably deafening and if folks who have conscience and truly care about this issue continue to allow themselves to be silenced we will all pay the price through higher pollution and great risks being imposed upon our families for what continues to be vague promises of prosperity. By the way, when you watch this clip, please note how the fellows from Sunnyside state they're wide open to have anyone contacting them and want to hear questions. I've been trying to get the question of these promised jobs answered for over a month and have not received answers:
"Please provide me with a listing of the job descriptions that have been projected for the proposed Curwensville Sunnyside plant. Please include titles, descriptions and budgeted wages."
We do see another press release recently from the company issued on The Progress' Opinion and Letters page recently. But a local elected official asks a simple and direct question like this asking for something tangible to justify this vague promise of prosperity and I receive no answers. This makes my point even further.
You should know I've addressed this same question to John Wright from the Curwensville Development Corp and have not received a reply.
