Failed on Homework

Federal bureaucrats are a courageous bunch. They seem willing to display their lack of knowledge without apology or fear. Take the recent Environmental Protection Agency’s public hearing for the GA Technologies permit to burn hazardous waste in La Jolla. Many questions were raised by the attending public; most were relevant, yet the responses from the EPA were vague and ambiguous. In fairness, I believe that the EPA tried. However, their best effort was less than adequate.

This is frightening, particularly when you consider the issue: experimental burning of hazardous waste in large quantities within the City of San Diego. The GA Technologies personnel at the hearing appeared better prepared to discuss the technical issues, but they also left the attendees concerned when the question of liability insurance came up. GA Technologies, financially speaking, is a mere shadow of its former self, since it is no longer owned by a large public company, and the GA personnel at the hearing had no specific knowledge of the company’s liability insurance coverage. In fact, they brought the wrong insurance policy to the hearing.

Needless to say, the hearing left everyone with an empty feeling. Our public protector, the EPA, did not do its homework for an experimental hazardous waste disposal project located in the middle of one of the largest cities in the nation. What is worse, this experimental project has the potential to accidentally pour tons of hazardous pollutants into our air.

STEVEN SANDE

La Jolla