This is a severe case of a huge folly that has effected the lives of many unsuspecting and innocent people who one day were going about their business. I choose this article because it is a good read to learn about the loose government regulations that have been taken advantage of by many companies dealing with hazardous material. I chose Aljazeera as the source for the article because it is one of the most un-biased news correspondent websites there is in my mind.
Lax regulation, little enforcement preceded West Virginia chemical spill
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Environmental protection and environmental issues are the large government topics that I think need to be updated. It frustrates me that this kind of company with money to spare can get away with "accidentally" dumping chemicals in the river. Thousands of people have been unable to take showers, wash their dishes or drink their water for a while and there is no way for anyone to get compensation for damages unless they sue with money that they may or may not have.
ReplyDeleteIt's completely ridiculous that a practice such as dumping harmful chemicals into a river could possible be considered legal. It will not only hurt the people in the surrounding area, but the chemicals will travel with the river, and could end up anywhere. We really need to work on strengthening our environmental regulations.
ReplyDeleteThis is terrible. Not only because Freedom Industries caused the chemical spill, but also because the DEP "regulators didn’t have a plan in place in case of a leak at Freedom Industries". Both of the organizations screwed up and now the innocent Virginians are left to suffer. The picture says that there had been an least five days without clean drinking water. That's awful. I hope that the DEP and Freedom Industries are severely fined.
ReplyDeleteIt is awful that events like these are allowed to happen and many more occur that the public never learns about because of the loose enforcement of environmental regulations. Not only do chemical spills like these have immediate effects like humans not being able to use the water for drinking, showers, etc., but it will also have long term ecological effects on the ecosystem. I think it is absolutely essential that the government update environmental laws and regulations to make them more strict so companies like Freedom Industries can not get away with things like this, whether the spill was "accidental" or not.
ReplyDeleteSomething needs to be done about the unenforced West Virginia laws by the state agencies. The types of issues these industries are getting away with could be potentially dangerous for the surrounding community. The government needs to get involved and implement stricter laws that these state agencies will need to follow.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very frustrating article. Every single comment so far pretty much started with that. It's really hard to refute. The bottom line really is that the government should be getting more involved with these kinds of environmental threats. I understand that we learned that the government cannot even come close to tackling all the issues that the public demands; however, I think that this needs to be one of the priorities.
ReplyDeleteThis article was completely shocking and frustrating, but perhaps the worst part is that companies that violate environmental laws are allowed no punishment or fines as long as they "promised to work on their issues." Obviously these promises aren't doing anything and these promises are just a way for companies to feel comfortable with the laws they are breaking. These disposals of chemicals need to be taken more seriously with stricter legal repercussions, because many people are suffering.
ReplyDeleteI would think that after incidents like the BP oil spill, which devastated local economies, that environmental protection agencies would be more strict. Clearly this is not the case. I hope after this incident that the residents of West Virginia demand that their environment be more strictly protected.
ReplyDeleteIt's sickening that these events occur and are legal. It's hard to comprehend that industries can get away with dangerous actions without any punishment whatsoever. If I were a resident of West Virginia, I would be furious and want stricter environmental regulations.
ReplyDeleteJust as everyone previously stated, this is a frustrating article. I think it also exemplifies the struggle for a balance of power between the state and federal departments, In this case the Virginia DEP and the U.S. EPA. Here we have the federal department pushing for stricter standards while the Virginia DEP isn't willing to enforce them.
ReplyDeleteIt simply doesn't make sense that dumping chemicals that are harmful to our people's health is legal in our country. The "bandaid" repair shows that Freedom Industries assessed the leak with what they knew they could get away. If a large industrial company could get away with patching a leak because the EPA didn't have laws in place to penalize them, would they? Of course. That's why I think the blame falls on the Virginia DEP and EPA here.
ReplyDeleteIt is absolutely pathetic that the DEP of West Virginia did not do anything to stop the Freedom Industries dumping chemicals into the water. And the worst part is that the dumping and accidental spills had gone on for a while. Also with the loopholes in the environmental regulations, the spilling and dumping of chemicals was somehow legal.
ReplyDeleteIt's a joke that the dumping of these chemicals was considered legal. For plenty of years now we have known the terrible effects of chemical waste and dumping. It proves that people would rather save money than have any type of a conscious.
ReplyDeleteDoing something so awful like dumping chemical into a river is immoral and ridiculous. Since we know about the harmful effects of dumping chemicals, why is it continuing to be done? This kind of activity is not good and should be stopped immediately.
ReplyDeleteI'm shocked that this severe environmental damage is just brushed off in this day and age. You would think it's a no brainer to have BASIC laws that will punish crimes like this. It is also shocking that humans will do this to their own planet. There's only one planet that humans can live on, and yet imbeciles like the people at Freedom Industries are dumb enough to destroy it.
ReplyDeleteBefore we all go crazy, the chemical discussed has little to no effect on living things. Although this does not excuse, it should be noted that the substance leaked was not even moderately toxic, and we may owe part of that to laws already in place that forbid dumping of anything more hazardous.
ReplyDeleteI think that the chemical spill shows private industries lack of consideration for public safety. The spill supports why the government needs to regulate industry in order to prevent events like this and punish companies when it does happen. Without government regulation, events like this will be swept under the rug and we would live in a world similar to the one described in The Jungle.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that dumping these chemicals is legal is what shocks me. This act deprived people from clean water, and worst of all wasn't dealt with immediately. If I were a resident in West Virginia I would try and take action to have environmental laws watched more closely, and I would have a lot less faith in the DEP and EPA when issues concern the citizens' health.
ReplyDeleteIt's unacceptable for this company to get away with dumping chemicals into a river. The fact that this is technically legal just shows that the government needs to have stricter regulations on environmental issues like this. People's health should be a top priority for any organization and 300,000 citizens losing clean water at one time should be a wake up call for West Virginia to implement more environmental protections.
ReplyDeleteWell first off, this is really sad obviously. But I'm also wondering what there is to be learned...I think things like these are too frequently remembered as tragedies instead of problems that don't need to happen. I think oil and chemical spills should never happen, and so maybe some regulations are needed, at the national level, if not state.
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