Quote:
Originally Posted by Redlan
Question my credentials all you want MarkGio, testing and asking questions is part of the scientific process. I am part of the solution. Have I cleaned-up tailing spills? Yes. Do I understand the issues and the consequences? Yes. I am very knowledgeable of the risks, issues and regulations/legislation (including the BC CSR, Mines Act, CCME and the Environment Canada Fisheries Act). I have not seen any water quality data but this could have been a lot worse had the mine been ARD generating, I do know that. From what I have read it is not one of the biggest environmental disasters in BC history. Do I have concerns? Sure I do, but I weigh these concerns against the facts and an understanding of water chemistry, biological systems and the industry. I get just as pissed off when an incident like this occurs as I would when I see ATVer’s cleaning off their quads in a stream, sure they are different magnitudes but it’s the same fundamental issue. The big difference is that one incident typically takes a catastrophic failure of many systems to occur while another is simple the choice of an individual. At the very least the continuous improvement of how tailing dams are managed will result from this incident (which is more than I can say about the recreational user). I have yet to deal with a company in western Canada that has an “utter disregard for the planet”. Some might be more competent than others but they all would like to be good corporate citizens, if not for the communities they live and work in, for their children, future generations and other stakeholders but also for the shareholders to which they are accountable to. In fact as a shareholder to a company you would have a vote and a voice on how these companies operate; a good reason to question the company on their policies and ethics. If that is still not enough you can take the profit you may or may not gain and invest or donate it to any non or not for profit company or organization you wish. I still do not understand how a tobacco company reference is relevant to an environmental discussion, having not worked in that industry.
I encourage you to continue to be passionate regarding the environment, but I also encourage you to make informed decisions and not blindly follow where that passion leads to an extreme.
|
It's fairly common and well known. Painters and drywallers use garden hoses to clean off their tools and materials because home owners no longer dump it it in the drain. Mixer drivers clean concrete off their chutes in secluded fields because the city doesn't want them to dump in the manholes. Excavation makes for a good garbage because it's being back filled and nobody will ever know. Drilling mud pits now require fencing, leak detection and additional layers because of all the leaking and careless pits. Mechanics shops pressure washing the floor of all the oils and grease into the drain or ditch. Farmers and ranchers dumping their broken cars, tractors and building materials in a pile on their land.
Maybe you've been sheltered in Western Canada?