An Essay 2 Revision: Environmental Justice in Onondaga County

Jason Wang
10/14/07

The disastrous pollution situation of Onondaga Lake perfectly demonstrates a few failures of the government's expensive emergency Superfund program, but the example also brings hope for improvement. Overall, one hopes that businesses, government and organizations can all work together to clean up and prevent hazardous waste, eliminating public health disasters, while improving life and cleaning the environment for future life.

According to the US Public Research Group (PIRG), one out of four Americans live within four miles of a Superfund site. Superfund is a government funded program that cleans up hazardous waste. Between 1980 and 2003, at a cost of more than $1 billion a year, the program has cleaned up 886 sites, which leaves 1,203 more sites on the “National Priorities List” that still need to be addressed. Marianne Lamont Horinko, an assistant administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), states that 699 construction projects in 436 sites remain, but funding for the Superfund program has significantly diminished since excise taxes on chemical and oil industries expired in 1995. The portion of the program funded by individual taxpayers has increased from 18 percent to 53 percent. Julie Wolk, environmental health advocate for PIRG, states, “taxpayers are paying more...the number of Superfund sites getting cleaned up [each year] has dropped by more than half.” (Knickerbocker)

Many criticize Superfund for its litigious methods of tracking down companies to pay for the cleaning because by the end of the process (in some cases) most of the money is used for lawyers, private investigators, consultants and other administrative overhead. Superfund can also discourage investment in new development when land buyers begin to fear liability for pollution. With all of these criticisms of Superfund, it remains politically infeasible to eliminate it, but administrators must find a way to pay for it. In the end, taxpayers continue to fund a majority of an increasingly inefficient Superfund program. (Knickerbocker)

In 1994, Onondaga Lake, located right on the edge of Syracuse, NY, was added to the EPA's Superfund list, consisting of areas most in need of cleanup. During the mid twentieth century, pollution from such companies as the Allied Chemical and Dye Corp contaminated Onondaga Lake with mercury and numerous other harmful substances. Additionally, sewage dumping and sewer overflows became prevalent, causing Onondaga Lake to become one of America's most polluted lakes. Resorts were driven away, most of the lake became unsafe to swim in and recreation around the area diminished. (Williamson)

EPA's ultimate goal is to make Superfund “faster, fairer and more efficient”, but many variables influence the success of Superfund, so one solution may not satisfy all situations or all people. In the case of Onondaga Lake, businesses, inhabitants, tourists and the government all had stakes into the historical area (Williamson). One study analyzes the factors involved in remediation at Superfund sites, under three models, “Administrative Convenience/Transaction Costs”, “Problem Severity” and “Political Pressure”. Surprisingly, too much community involvement causes decreased remedial progress because local groups tend to burden the federal Superfund program by prolonging the process with lobbies for certain permanent actions. Not surprisingly, an increase in political oversight improves results. Also, it is found that the EPA is more likely to focus on lower-risk sites, basically sites with cheaper costs. (Daley 375)

Regarding Onondaga Lake, things did not improve until New York's Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) became responsible for enforcing the Federal Clean Water Act of 1972. Then, in 1979 a new metropolitan sewage treatment plan, known as “Metro” was built to provide clean water flow into the lake, but still Metro polluted the lake with excessive amounts of phosphorous and ammonia (Williamson 10). In 1994, the EPA further entrusted DEC with $2.7 million to coordinate and spearhead cooperation among federal, state and local organizations, including the Onondaga Lake Management Conference, to clean Onondaga Lake (Swinn 1). Also, a few years after Onondaga Lake became a Superfund site in 1994, Metro was finally required to reduce its amounts of ammonia and phosphorous discharges in 1998. Since 2004, ammonia reduction goals have been met and now Metro is one of the world's most advanced waste-water treatment plants in the country. By 2012, all sewer overflows will no longer contribute bacteria and floating waste to the lake (Williamson 11). It is evident that political action was an impetus for the efforts to clean Onondaga Lake.

Still, the largest problem remains in paying for Superfund. According to the aforementioned analysis “transaction costs systematically influence remedial progress at Superfund sites” (Daley 386). Different solutions may help in preventing pollution, thus possibly decreasing Superfund costs. In 1994 Governor Mario M. Cuomo established the New York State Governor's Awards for Pollution Prevention and several companies were awarded for reduction of pollutants (Swinn 1). Awards like these can definitely help promote the idea of ultimately reducing hazardous waste, which relates to the idea of more political oversight and action. Only when the government enacted the Federal Clean Water Act of 1972 did the situation of Onondaga Lake become addressed, after over twenty years of overwhelming pollution (Williamson 10). Still, even after this initial act, more action was needed to clean the lake. Today, The Onondaga Lake Partnership continues to work with the government, organizations and the public to limit phosphorous contamination and develop a shared vision for the lake (Williamson 12). The Onondaga Lake Partnership is a large committee consisting of government, public and private interest groups, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. EPA (Williamson 11). Although local community involvement can sometimes be a burden for the federal Superfund program, it can also help if these organizations work with government leaders, like The Onondaga Lake Partnership does. Studies show that if an elected official from a site's congressional district sits on a Superfund oversight committee, this site is twenty percent more likely to be completed (Daley 387).

Overall, more political action is needed to make Superfund better. An inevitable circle of criticism exists when discussing the renewal of excise taxes for chemical and oil companies because more than just these companies are responsible for pollution. Instead, Superfund needs to be revised with a better plan regarding the distribution of its funds. Instead of unfair methods of choosing only low-risk sites, a new plan should create better laws that award businesses for environmental advances, while also enforcing federal pollution regulations. Also, the most hazardous areas should be addressed first. Changes in the sources of pollutions, where water pollution from run-offs is more prevalent (like with Onondaga Lake) and where mining companies now begin to contribute to pollution as well, the federal government must reevaluate their plans (Williamson, Knickerbocker 12). New plans should begin by focusing on the prevention of pollution, spearheaded by organizations like the Onondaga Lake Partnership willing to work with the government. Then, political action can be made to compromise and serve the needs of different areas, possibly by adding more oversight. Again, only after the DEC gained further responsibility did Onondaga Lake begin to solve its horrendous problems. During this time of Superfund inefficiency, the federal government needs to pay further attention to the environment and enact further laws to enforce environmental guidelines.

Works Cited

Daley, Dorothy M., and David F. Layton. "Policy Implementation and the Environmental Protection Agency: What Factors Influence Remediation at Superfund Sites?." Policy Studies Journal 32.3 (2004): 375-92. Social Sciences Full Text. H. W. Wilson. Syracuse University Library, Syracuse, NY. 7 Oct. 2007 [http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com/].

Knickerbocker, Brad. "Superfund Program: A Smaller Cleanup Rag." The Christian Science Monitor 14 Nov. 2003. 2 Oct. 2007 [http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/1114/p02s01-usgn.html?related].

Swinn, Brian W.. "DEC receives $2.7 million to clean up Onondaga Lake." The Conservationist 49 (1994): 38-9. General Science Full Text. H. W. Wilson. Syracuse University Library,Syracuse, NY. 7 Oct. 2007 [http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com/].

Williamson, Karen, and Don Hesler. "Return to Glory: The resurgence of Onandaga Lake." New York State Conservationist 61.1 (2006): 7-14. Readers' Guide Full Text. H. W. Wilson.Syracuse University Library, Syracuse, NY. 7 Oct. 2007 [http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com/].

Homework: An Additonal Source

http://www.safefromtoxics.org/tx.asp?id2=20920

Superfund Article Synopsis

According to the US Public Research Group (PIRG), one out of four Americans live within four miles of a Superfund site. Superfund is a government funded program that cleans up hazardous waste. Since 1980, at a cost of more than $1 billion a year, the program has cleaned up 886 sites by 2003, which leaves 1,203 more sites on the “National Priorities List” that still need to be addressed. Marianne Lamont Horinko, an assistant administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), states that 699 construction projects in 436 site remain, but funding for the Superfund program has significantly diminished since excise taxes on chemical and oil industries expired in 1995. The portion of the program funded by individual taxpayers has increased from 18 percent to 53 percent. Julie Wolk, environmental health advocate for PIRG, states, “taxpayers are paying more...the number of Superfund sites getting cleaned up [each year] has dropped by more than half.” Many criticize Superfund for its litigious methods of tracking down companies to pay for the cleaning because by the end of the process (in some cases) most of the money is used for lawyers, private investigators, consultants and other administrative overhead. Superfund can also discourage investing in new development when land buyers begin to fear liability for pollution. With all of these criticisms of Superfund, it remains politically infeasible to eliminate it, but administrators must find a way to pay for it. In the end, taxpayers continue to fund a majority of an increasingly inefficient Superfund program. (Knickerbocker)

Knickerbocker, Brad. "Superfund Program: A Smaller Cleanup Rag." The Christian Science Monitor 14 Nov. 2003. 2 Oct. 2007 [http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/1114/p02s01-usgn.html?related].



Additional Link:

Onondaga Lake Restoration: What Has Been Done So Far from the Onondaga Lake Partnership website.

America's Fears

A librarian's collection can form historical arguments and create “debates of the day”. Librarian Sean Quimby, has collected an assortment of material in an attempt to identify the root of fear. Ideas of alien invasions, guns, cutthroat politics, terrorism, anarchy and chaos accompany the emotion of fear. Sean Quimby will be teaching a course on American fear and there are literally hundreds of books, and even works of art, that can be used to teach the course. Sean Quimby's lecture called “Phobia: Collecting in the History of Fear” begins by identifying the Boogie Man, and then describes isolation as a driving force behind fear. What can be scarier than sleeping alone in your bed at night as a scary monster attacks you? Edward Munsch's famous painting called “Scream” is a perfect example, besides the Boogie Man, of how fear is linked to isolation. The subject of “Scream” ironically remains surrounded in only a shroud of nothingness. Charles Darwin describes fear as a terrible, horrible, raw and animalistic nerve interruption. Barry Glasner's book called “Culture of Fear” blames the advent of guns for fear and Peter Stearns “American Fear: The Causes and Consequences of High Anxiety” identifies the roots of fear as relating to non-whites and apocalypse disrupting lavish American lifestyle.

These ideas lead to the history of fear, events involving Joe McCarthy's vicious anti-communist attacks and George Bush's presidential term. Fear first appear in British literature in “Beowulf” and the Oxford dictionary identifies fear as “peril” or a “sudden and terrible event”, just like how the monster Grendel in “Beowulf” suddenly attacks, or as an emotion involving “pain, evil and dread”. Sean Quimby then begins to identify Mary Rowlandson's idea of a “paranoid American invasion fantasy” to explain such events and ideas in history such as aliens, John Wayne, terrorism, the anti-Masonic party and Saco and Venzetti. Were Saco and Venzetti accused of murder only because they were Italian immigrants? An exhibit on the sixth floor of Syracuse University's E.S. Bird Library displays many books on Saco and Venzetti and according to Quimby, it does seem like Americans have some sort of visceral fear of people with dark skin, possibly thought to be carriers of disease. This “invasion fantasy”, according to Hadley Cantril's book “The Invasion From Mars” is a national character flaw and the radio is not responsible for it. Is it implied that natural fear is?

Finally, Sean Quimby moves on to the second part of his lecture about the causes of fear. He states one idea about an increased “therapeutic culture” where we need solace from a higher power, like God, and fear is an antidote that cures this desire for solace. According to John Vasso's “Phobia” fear is only psychotic madness. And, in psychoanalysis, fear is attributed to selfish, sexual desire, further impacted by material consumption.

In a world of wiretaps and assault rifles, a librarian's collection attempts to create new debate, in particular by referring back to history and collecting numerous different manuscripts. Quimby focuses on collecting books about Saco and Venzetti. Did America's fear destroy the lives of two innocent immigrant workers or were these two men actually guilty of anarchy? The lecture significantly fails in forming any type of conclusion, only mentioning a breadth of further references. I think hardly any debate was created by the lecture because I could not understand many of the references to a long American history. Even though a large display of books about Saco and Venzetti exists on the sixth floor of Syracuse University's E.S. Bird Library, Quimby never even begins to explain their story. Additionally, the extremely long list of author's theories all seemed to generalize Americans as whites crazily afraid of difference. Today, an amalgam of different types of people inhabit America and many citizens have embraced diversity. Although Sean Quimby's lecture is particularly strong in a time where we are at war against terrorism, Quimby never connects today's War on Terrorism to America's illegitimate and intuitive fears. Unfortunately, after the lecture, I am more confused as ever about fear and cannot make any conclusions. I think fear is only an emotion that everybody can have. Quimby never responds to anything significant that applies to life today and this is why I believe Quimby's lecture fails to respond to my generation's concerns.

Binh Danh's “One Week's Dead” and Susan Sontag's “The Image-World”

If art is human expression, what does Binh Danh mean to display as he combines the faces of forty-two dead Vietnam War soldiers with grass and leaves? Is Danh's artwork merely a tribute to those who have lost their lives or is there more behind the symbolism? The first thing I begin to see while browsing through the exhibit of Danh's work at Light Work is the tall grass, but then the faces pop out at me through the grass and I feel like I am walking back in time to envision the scared American soldiers hiding in the bushes. As a testimony about war, I believe Binh Danh's pieces to be against war in general. The reason I believe this is because of Danh's focus on the individual soldiers instead of the overall grand scheme of the war. It is the soldier's faces that stand out as something extraordinary, against the backdrop of ordinary nature. Thus, I think that Danh's art demonstrates that even though war can sometimes be about protecting one's land, expanding and conquering as well, war should truly be about the freedom of individual people and since war ultimately results in more deaths, it should not be a solution to any problem. In any case, I believe Danh is expressing a disturbance, most likely resulting from the conflict of living in both Vietnam and the United States, because of the wildness of the grass and grotesque green color prevalent in all of the pieces. These theories are perfect topics for debate and many may look at Danh's work as something different from the way I see it. Finally, the exhibit definitely can be applied to the United State's current War on Terrorism because many believe that ultimately this current War on Terrorism will go down in history as a mistake like the Vietnam War. These believers think war is unnecessary and this relates to my theories on Danh's “One Week's Dead”.

“And one photograph, unlike one painting, implies that there will be others”, states Susan Sontag in “The Image-World”. Susan Sontag writes this because she adds that paintings sum up, but photographs always leave room for more interpretation. In this same way, the addition of portrait photos of soldier's to Dahn's works allow for viewers to continue to reflect on the meaning of his art, even as time moves on because real people are involved. It is amazing that Danh's subject matter can still be applied to society today. In addition, Sontag remarks that in today's world, particularly in western society, artists and photographers have free artistic expression. “One Week's Dead” is a perfect example of Sontag's idea of image's growing importance in society as they continue to change and evolve based on individual artist's discretion. Sontag states that in photographs the “dramatic is dramatized” and she also writes, “Often something disturbs us more in photographed form than it does when we actually experience it.” In the end, I believe Binh Danh's unique dramatization concerning the Vietnam War is an impetus for the disapproval of war.

What On Earth Is Art?

I define art as a piece of human expression, especially in the form of an aesthetic object, such as a painting. My memorable experience with art took place in eighth grade art class when a portion of the class was instructed to create a clay sculpture. What did I end up constructing? It looked like a white elephant, but it really was an abstract object with a sturdy foundation and numerous tentacles, nooks, crannies and curves, about the size of a large grapefruit. In the end, my teacher suggested I paint my sculpture white. The pure white color was perfect because it did not tarnish the strange beauty of my creation. It only enhanced it. I spent a few days molding my clay and maybe another day painting it. I received high praise, but then I threw my masterpiece into the garbage can on my way out of class. I do not know why I did that, but I will always remember this piece as something great created with my own two hands. I remember trying to express every one of my emotions as I sat at my seat molding: emotions possibly including boredom, awkwardness, pride (considering I was one of few in the class selected to actually create a sculpture) and confusion (I had no idea what I was making). The piece certainly turned out to evoke many of these feelings and it had a certain sense of balanced stability, though completely abstract and random. Going into the project I had no intentions. I only attempted to express the ineffable and this eventually resulted in successful art.
Although I had this one successful experience with art, art is as foreign to me as it is to the extraterrestrial described in part one of de Duve's excerpt from "Art was a proper name". As the alien attempts to define art, he collects information and contemplates conflicting theories, but I think the alien does realize that the skill of art is something that all humans are born with. The alien realizes that anyone, including me, can experience art. Then, in part two, de Duve places the reader into the position of a historian to demonstrate the importance of art in humanity's history. Finally, de Duve describes art as it appeals to a regular citizen as something that is supposed to create debate and provoke feelings. Throughout these point of views, de Duve regularly uses Duchamp's Fountain as an example. Can an ordinary object be art? At what point did art become an attraction for common people? Does Duchamp's Fountain disgust or awe you? The definition of art is debatable, but from my own experiences and from de Duve's essay I define art simply as how it is defined above, a piece of human expression that anyone can create.