Venerable, charming Swami: What’s the deal with Waukegan and dredging the harbor. Why is the EPA against us now? Yours truly, A PERSON OF INTEREST
Dear Interest: The Swami fears there are ttoo many old lead-in-the butt members of the Waukegan municipal government to ever get this right.
The EPA turned thumbs down on a $36 million PCB-crud dredging plan because the city council insisted – even after they EPA told them not to do it - adding conditions in the plan. The ancient city dads want to make the dredging so shallow that the big industrial boats could not get in. No boats; no industry on the lakefront. Let the condos commence!
Sorry, the EPA said, we're in the environmental business, even during a comatose period like the Bush era. What EPA is unlikely to do is help a city make social policy (like getting rid of old, cruyd-making businesses the city wants to leave) by using federal enviro policy. The EPA just isn’t in the local politics biz and no one wants them to be. If they were, eventually you‘d see the agency’s statutory independence diluted and corroded by influence peddling. There’s enough of that in federal policy as it is.
The EPA is empowered to restore the environment; the city is empowered to set the rules for what its lakefront will allow. The city does not have enough noyve (a Swami word for moxie) to ban industry on the lakefront.
But the city council would rather someone else do that job. EPA to City: Sorrreeeee.
As to the perpetually available escape hatch of “let’s make Mark Kirk do it in Congress,” the city has not been paying close enough intention.
Kirk is no longer among the majority in the House and he will face a tough battle next fall to stay in Congress. He is, as they say, vulnerable. Swami sees less interest among his House Democrat brethren to make Kirk look good. They'd rather make Kirk look gone.
They’ll let his Democrat successor take the credit of Waukegan’s lakefront ever gets cleaned up.
Ray Vukovich, Waukegan director of governmental services and the guy who actually ruins the town, told a reporter: "The wishes of the council are that Congressman (Mark) Kirk can pass legislation to decertify the harbor."
To which the Swami replies: HA!
Dear Mr. Swami-- Thank you for the coverage of the City Council of Waukegan’s attempt to condemn the commercial capacity of our harbor.
However:
There is one thing I would like to point out: that you indirectly implied that the factories presently around our harbor are polluters, in some way.
You referred to us as “old, cruyd-making businesses the city wants to leave.” The City Council does, indeed want us to leave; to make room for up-market real estate speculation around our harbor, but we are not “cruyd-makers.” We are clean good neighbors who have recently accomplished some noise abatement at the request of our neighbors, and are willing to listen to any such requests from our neighbors in the future.
Meanwhile we are makers of useful products and a place of employment with reasonable benifits for dozens in and around LakeCounty, Illinois.
Thank you once again for the coverage.
SWAMI SEZ: Your points are all in order, John Henry. But here's the thing. Even if the lakefront companies had 10 times the jobs they do now, the city sitll would want to get rid of them, or at least move themselve elsewhere. The city wants a new lakefront and your business just isn't compatible with tat plan.