FOR THE PERIOD 1996 -
2002, I COME UP WITH A TOTAL OF OVER $19 MILLION OF OUR TAX DOLLARS
BEING SHELLED OUT TO THE SLUDGE MERCHANTS TO PROMOTE LAND
APPLICATION, BUT NOT ONE CENT TO INVESTIGATE THE GREAT HARM BEING
DONE TO HUMAN HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT BY THIS PERNICIOUS
PRACTICE.
WEF - Water Environment Federation -- the lobbying
and PR arm of the waste industry
WERF - Water Environmebnt Research Foundation -
funds pro-sludge "research"
NBP - National Biosolids Partnership - WEF, US EPA
and AMSA (Associated of Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies) -- an unholy
alliance whose goal is to promote landspreading of sewage sludge,
including spreading in unwilling Rural Communities
**********************************************************************************************
Per: Office of
Inspector General - Draft Status Report - Water Program:
Land Application of Biosolids - October 26,
2001
page 27 - Congressionally
"Required" Funds For NBP:
Fiscal Year 1999 -
Cooperative Agreement CX826458-01
$900,000
Fiscal Year 2000 -
Cooperative Agreement CX828270-01
$855,000
Fiscal Year 2001 -
Cooperative Agreement CX828875-01 $997,800
.......TOTAL $2,752,800
"The NBP earmarked funds are
being used for an Environmental Management System (EMS)
project. According to the NBP, the EMS is being
developed to "help organizations that manage biosolids activities
assure conpliance with application Federal, State, and local
regulatory requirements and address other environmental issues such
as odors that could cause community concerns."
*****************************************************************************************************************************
also page 27 - WATER
ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH FOUNDATION
"WERF is also a
not-for-profit organization. It was founded in 1989 by
WEF to improve water quality through sound science. WERF
provides a water quality research program addressing current
wastewater needs and forecasting future directions. As
with the NBP, in recent years Congress has earmarked funds to EPA
for WERF research, and EPA passed these funds (TOTALING $9.5
MILLION) to WERF through a cooperative
agreement."
****************************************************************************************************************************************
Page 28 - "Exclusive of the
Congressionally specified funds, EPA awarded four other cooperative
agreements to WEF during fiscal years 1999, 2000 and 2001.
These agreements totaled $315,000. Competition is
encouraged, but generally not required for assistance
agreements."
******************************************************************************************************************************************************
FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2002, I
FOUND THE FOLLOWING:
"There is $1 million for the
National Biosolids Partnership Program for FY 2002 in the EPA
budget."
"$3.6 million dollars for
WERF is provided in the Senate version of the 2002
budget."
***************************************************************************************************************************************************
AND HERE IS ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION I FOUND IN AN EMAIL I SENT OUT ON JULY 13,
2001, AFTER RESEARCHING THE ISSUE OF OUR TAX DOLLARS TO THE SLUDGE
SLINGERS:
HERE IS A HINT OF WHAT $$$$$$ WE ARE LOOKING
AT:
" EPA has not only refused to address any adverse
health effects from the
spreading of sewage sludge, but it has
given money to the WEF to debunk
victims claims of harm from
exposure to the pollutants in the sludge! For
the purpose of
debunking these, what they refer to as "horror stories",
EPA
appointed John Walker and Bob Bastian to work with WEF. In
their debunking
project, "REST OF THE STORY," Walker and Bastian
enlisted the help of the
WEF by giving them an initial $300
thousand dollar grant. Untold amounts of
money have
followed.
In EPA memos dated
10-17-1994, 12-29-1994, and 2-27-1995, WEF's
contribution was
discussed and Walker and Bastian suggested a
potential
Writer/Coordinator, Dave Trouba, who WEF could hire for
the debunking
effort. An additional $650,000 was given to the WEF
one year later (WEB
page, March 15,
1996)."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
http://216.32.180.250/cgi-bin/linkrd?_lang=EN&lah=3cbdef877c74ad4e3b06cbc86b6ae560&lat=1024850200&hm___action=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2egoogle%2ecom%2fsearch%3fq%3dcache%3aGWJ7n6Jka1w%3awww%2eamsa%2dcleanwater%2eorg%2fabout/98year/arena.htm+biosolids+partnership,+funding+and+financing&hl=en
1998
-
"The Association met with greater success in pushing for other
clean water
funding initiatives. Congress funded the National
Biosolids Partnership at
$900,000, only $100,000 less than
requested by AMSA. The Association and its
members, along with
the Water Environment Federation (WEF), was especially
active in
seeking this funding and extends thanks to the many
member
agencies which responded to the "call for action" by
contacting their local
congressional representatives and
requesting support for the program. The
funding will be used to
develop a Code of Management Practices that will
govern the
management of the biosolids program above and beyond
current
federal regulations.
"
----------------------------------------------------------------
Statement
by Al Rubin, EPA Office of Water ( SLUDGE) in November 1998
to
Rep. Derek Owen, NH House E & A
Committee:
DEREK: What other funding is the EPA putting
into research and
> putting into the partnership (with WEF and
AMSA) ??
>
>
RUBIN CONGRESS GAVE THE EPA $900,000 TO DISBURSE TO
THIS
> PARTNERSHIP. Congress said the EPA and its
partners should develop
> responsible biosolids programs
biased toward recycling on land. The
> $900,000 is
going into the partnership of the EPA, WEF and
AMSA.
****************************************************************************
****************************
It looks to me like "Congress" needs to reevaluate its
priorities!
-----
The latest Water
Environment Federattion Magazine has an article about new ads they
are proposing to run about how great "biosolids" are for the
environment. I've been trying to figure out whether our tax
dollars are paying for these ads, but haven't succeeded to find a
link so far (see my intern's research below). If you are
concerned about these ads and have ideas about how to stop them,
please share them (or even better, just do them).
>
-----Original Message-----
> From: Shuchter, Kate
> Sent: Thursday, June 20, 2002 9:09 AM
> To: Stoner,
Nancy
> Subject: biosolids ads
>
> I haven't been
able to find anything more about the proposed ads themselves.
There is nothing on the website. You can look at the committee
proposing them at http://www.wef.org/membershipbenefits/MembershipBenefits/residuals.jhtml I haven't found any indications of WEF receiving
federal money and was told by the office that they are funded
through membership alone. The federal money flows to the
NBP, which, as I indicated, is an association between WEF, AMSA and
EPA. But I'm not finding any connection between NBP and the
ads.
