As J. B. Jamison, I write fiction stories that are based on issues that exist in the real world and that present what I see as real, potential risks. Working on the first three novels, I have become more aware of the reality that some of the people around me face every day.
I learned about the many people who are dealing with very serious issues from living in areas that are near to a range of “dumps”, chemical waste, nuclear waste, and more. In most all of these situations, those people were not told of the risks when they moved there, or the risks were unknowingly dumped there by corporations trying to get rid of problems.
I opened the paper this morning to read that because of the government shutdown, there are more than 800 of these locations in our country that are not being monitored today because the EPA workers are gone. Those are 800 SuperFund Sites, and does not included the long list of smaller sites that provide much of the same risks.
To see who is being impacted, view the list of current Superfund Sites at:
https://www.epa.gov/s…/search-superfund-sites-where-you-live
You will note the message at the top of the screen saying:
“Due to a lapse in appropriations, EPA websites will not be regularly updated. In the event of an environmental emergency imminently threatening the safety of human life or where necessary to protect certain property, the EPA website will be updated with appropriate information. Please note that all information on the EPA website may not be up to date, and transactions and inquiries submitted to the EPA website may not be processed or responded to until appropriations are enacted.”
My thoughts this morning are with all of those impacted, especially those near the Westlake Landfill.
I simply cannot think of any political or business issue that justifies putting this many men, women and children at such risk.
None.
