What Does Victoria British Columbia Raw Sewage Pollution Have To Do With Fort Worth?

A few days ago I referenced a Washington State issue that I thought had been resolved. That issue being the capital of British Columbia, Victoria, and its suburbs using the Strait of Juan de Fuca, that being the body of water between Vancouver Island and Washington, as an open sewer.

That's right, our good friends to the north pump their raw sewage into pristine ocean water.

This has upset people for, well, decades. I thought, even before I moved to Texas, that British Columbia had agreed to fix this.

Today I learned the raw sewage dumping has gotten worse. But, now, British Columbia is, finally, planning to fix this very bad Canadian behavior.

So, how did this change come about? Was it fear of International Embarrassment during the upcoming Vancouver Winter Olympics? Well, that is part of it.

But the bigger reason B.C. is finally fixing this is due to a young Victoria teacher named James Skwarok, also known as Mr. Floatie. Mr. Floatie is a 6 foot tall example of what Victoria needs to stop flushing into the ocean. Mr. Floatie has spent years showing up at unfortunate times for B.C. officialdom, using his high pitched voice to deliver a message from a group of activists calling themselves People Opposed to Outfall Pollution (POOP).

The Outfall part of POOP is what the humongous pipe is called that delivers the untreated sewage to the Straits.

POOP and Mr. Floatie were a public relations disaster for the British Columbia tourist industry. Mr. Floatie and POOP sent letters, about Victoria's Sewage Scandal, to all countries coming to Canada for the Olympics.

In 2003 British Columbia's government signed on to a plan to do nothing about Victoria's pollution for 25 years.

In 2005 Mr. Floatie tried to run for mayor of Victoria. The city somehow was able to block this, barring Mr. Floatie from candidate forums. Which, of course, generated way more publicity for Mr. Floatie and his cause.

In 2006 the gig was up for Victoria and its official position that pumping raw sewage into clean water causes no problem, when the Society of Toxicology and Chemistry concluded that Victoria had to stop with the dumping of raw, untreated, toxic sewage.

So, more than 20 years after this first became a scandal in Washington State, the Canadians are finally agreeing to clean up after themselves. And we have Mr. Floatie and his guerrilla tactics to thank for it.

I have been trying to think of a Barnett Shale Gas Driller Pollution equivalent of Mr. Floatie that might be used as a guerrilla tool to embarrass the corrupt city government of Fort Worth, the corrupt state agencies, like the TCEQ, who are supposed to oversee the gas drillers and the corrupt, running roughshod over Texans property, Natural Gas Drilling Companies, like Chesapeake Energy.

But, I draw a blank. Can anyone think of a Mr. Floatie for Fort Worth?

Gas Driller Caused Allergy Driving Mom From Home

On December 18, 2009, I blogged about seeing something appalling while walking in Veterans Park in Arlington.

A Barnett Shale natural gas drilling rig hovered above an apartment complex, appearing to be very close to the apartments.

What about the 800 foot rule between a drilling operation and residences? Did Arlington, a town known to run roughshod over citizen's property rights, not impose any distance rules?

Doesn't the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality over see such things? Well, worded correctly, is the TCEQ not charged with the responsibility of protecting Texans and their environment?

Well, sadly, we've all come to know the answer to that question. The TCEQ has been co-opted and corrupted with the installation of natural gas industry lackeys on the Commission, letting the fox watch the henhouse in yet one more example of corruption in Texas.

After I blogged about that noisy, too close, drilling operation in Arlington, I heard from Lynda, the daughter of the nice lady I talked to who was being made miserable by the around the clock noise coming from her new neighbor.

Let me interject before I get back to Lynda. Why is it if you call 911 to report that someone is disturbing the peace, as in drilling in the middle of the night, why is this not treated by the police in the same way as it would be if an individual were producing an equally noisy decibel level?

Back to Lynda.

I heard from Lynda again today. The situation has grown more dire for her nice mom. Here's what Lynda had to tell me...

Hi Durango...

Lynda the "nice lady's daughter" again. Yes, I was a passenger in the VW.

My Mom, the nice lady has already started to have allergy problems and her apartments smells of chemicals. My daughter went to visit today and after 10 minutes, had a sore throat and runny nose and complained that my Mom's apartment smelled of chemicals. It then hit me that my Mom's recent severe allergy problems and asthma as well as headaches could well be caused by the chemicals being released from the gas drilling at the tower sitting so close to her apartment.

I then called the EPA who said I needed to call the Texas Railroad commission. I am now awaiting a call from an attorney. from the railroad commission. If nothing else, I am hoping that the property will be forced to allow her out of her lease which expires in April because with her health problems, she cannot stay there.

Whatever became of Dr. Al Armendariz? The new head of the EPA in this region. There were such high hopes, with he being the guy who had shown that the gas drilling was causing some heavy duty, dangerous pollution, that the TCEQ and the corrupt local governments, like the City of Fort Worth and its Conflicts of Interest corrupted mayor, Mike Moncrief, would somehow be giving a good sound spanking by the federal government and a no longer toothless EPA.

Where was the EPA and Dr. Al Armendariz when Fort Worth mayor, Mike Moncrief, put on his bizarre dog and pony show to announce that there is no pollution being caused in Fort Worth by the gas drillers?

It is all very perplexing. I am getting real tired of being perplexed all the time.

Another Visit With Express Energy Services At Gateway Park Where Water Is Now Being Removed From The Trinity River

It's been a week since my bizarre encounter with Express Energy Services at the Gateway Park/Beach Street location of a Barnett Shale gas driller's removal of water from the Trinity River.

Un-metered removal of water, until I hear otherwise from the non-responsive Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

I decided to return to Gateway Park and take a walk to the water sucking location to see if the pumps are now running.

As soon as I turned off the engine I could hear the pumps. Or pump. I don't think all 6 are running because it did not seem any louder than when there was only 1 pump. Way back then I was appalled at the damage being done to the Trinity River's levee. I would never have thought, way back then, that it would get so much worse.

So, I walked on to the pedestrian/bike bridge that leads out of Gateway Park to the Trinity Trails. You know, those trails that have signs on them saying "No Motorized Vehicles. I stopped mid-way across the bridge and started taking pictures. I'd noticed a guy standing on top of the levee, above the pumps, as if he was standing guard.

That's the guard in the first picture.

The guard did not take his eyes off me as I snapped pictures. Then I saw him get on his phone. Just like last week. But, last week I was unaware of the criminal history of Express Energy.

Then he started walking towards the bridge and stood staring at me right were you see that yellow post at the end of the bridge, in the picture.

When the guard on the phone saw I was aiming my camera at him he quickly scurried away, but not before I was able to snap a picture of him scurrying.

I tell you, in our modern world a camera is like packing a gun back in the Old Wild West.

There were a couple guys working on the pumps. I could see water swirling around one of the intake pipes, quite a lot of swirling. At first I thought it was the glossy gleam of an oil spill.

Up on the levee there sat a 7th pump. I don't see how they'd have room for another pump.

The Trinity River looks so small in this location. It would seem those 6 pipes could be removing quite a significant percentage of the water flowing by.

I wonder if the guys working on the pumps were doing something nefarious. Is that why another guy was standing guard above them? And is why he took such an aggressive interest in me taking pictures?

I sort of hurried off the bridge, heading back to my vehicle, but on the way I strayed off the paved trail and found another vantage point to take a picture of the pumps and the white truck mucking up the "road" that's been built by the water suckers to get down to the pump pad.

The next time I visit this operation I will do a thorough search for the illusive meters that are required to be part of this type of water removal, according to the thoroughly discredited Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

The Fort Worth Stock Show & All Western Parade

No, that is not the cavalry coming to the rescue to fight off the evil corporation that calls itself Chesapeake Energy, acting in cahoots with the corrupt city government of Fort Worth to terrorize and intimidate citizens who refuse to easily give up their property rights.

No, those guys on horses are riding in the world's biggest non-mechanized parade, that being the Fort Worth Stock Show's "All Western Parade" which is scheduled to start tomorrow, January 16, at 11am.

Around 100,000 people will likely show up to watch the parade. If I remember right, and I easily might not be remembering right, the parade was cancelled last year due to really bad weather. It appears, if the forecast for tomorrow holds, there should be no weather-related cancellation of tomorrow's parade.

There are a few things, well a couple, in Fort Worth that are among the best I've ever seen, anywhere. One of those things is the Stock Show Parade. It is really good. I've been to it twice. The only thing that vexes me about it is vehicles are not cleared from being parked along the parade route. I'd never seen a parade where vehicles were in the parking places along the road of a parade route.

Another thing that takes place in Fort Worth that is one of the best of its sort that I've ever seen is the Main Street Arts Festival.

The Stock Show Parade always takes place the first Saturday of the Fort Worth Stock Show. This year's Stock Show starts today, January 15 and runs through February 7.

Swimming Cold In Wet Gray Texas While Thinking Of Flying To Oahu

You are looking at Ko Olina Resort in the picture. Ko Olina Resort is in Hawaii on the island of Oahu.

I've never spent any time on Oahu. So, I've never been to Ko Olina Resort.

A few days ago I mentioned, in a blogging, that I was thinking of going to Oahu to be the Houseboy of one of my all time favorite people. I'd heard she wasn't eating due to too much stress taking away her appetite.

I figured with my good cooking and powers of convincing, I'd have that appetite restored in no time.

Well, Miss CVB was talking to Miss Oahu, aka Miss BS, and mentioned that I'd mentioned that I was thinking of going over to Oahu to be Miss BS's Houseboy.

This morning I got an email from Miss BS, telling me she'd LOVE it if I flew over. Miss BS told me she is at Ko Olina Resort and instructed me to look it up. I always do what I'm told. So, I looked it up. Ko Olina Resort looks to be a really really good thing.

Miss BS says we can go off-roading in her golf cart, go snorkeling, swimming, soak up the sun and people watch.

And, as if that is not enough to entice me, Miss BS says she maybe could even get me on LOST! Saying LOST needs some new faces.

I think I mentioned before that Miss BS is a TV star, currently on LOST.

This morning, because it was in the 50s, I was able to stay in the pool for about 5 minutes. The idea, right now, of being in a tropical climate, where the ocean is warm, where you can swim as long as you want without fear of freezing an important body part, where seafood is abundant, where mangoes grow wild, well, this has me all obsessing now about going to Hawaii.

I went to book a flight via Travelocity. I can get to Honolulu and back for $416. That's not much more than it costs to fly to Seattle. The only part of this scenario that vexes me is the longest I have had the torture of being stuck on a plane was 4 and 1/2 hours, from Seattle to St. Louis.

Anymore, when I book a flight, I purposefully find one that has as many plane switches as possible. But when you fly to Hawaii it's something like 6 hours from Los Angeles to Honolulu.

Right now I am looking at another gray day in Texas. It rained last night, so the Tandy Hills are likely muddy, so I likely will not be going on a record breaking 10 days in a row of hiking the Tandy Hills today. I'm thinking there are probably some really good places to hike by Ko Olina Resort.

I need to immediately institute a regimen to get myself in satisfactory shape to make a public appearance in a swimming suit.

Foggy Fort Worth Hiking On The Tandy Hills & Unanswered TCEQ Questions

Another balmy day, with temperatures in the 50s, had me hiking the Tandy Hills at noon, for the 9th day in a row.

Today looked like hiking might not be doable, due to the extreme thick fog that has settled over the Fort Worth zone of North Texas, so thick it was like being in a cloud, with a mist getting the windshield wet,

But not to the point that windshield wipers were required. And once I hit the ground on the Tandy Hills I had no wetness issues. Except for overheating related wetness.

Speaking of wetness. I stayed in the pool this morning for the longest duration of the new year. I long ago figured out that an average temperature in the 50s made the pool easily
doable. But that vexing sub-freezing business we had going on since the day before Christmas cooled the water down to near freezing, so it has not warmed up to a satisfying 50 something temperature quite yet.

Can you spot the skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth through the fog? The picture was taken from the top of Mount Tandy.

Big Ed went hiking with me today on the Tandy Hills. Afterwards we headed to Town Talk. Stopped at a light on Beach Street, heading north, Big Ed pointed out a Barnett Shale gas drilling site and the plumes of something rising up from it.

Big Ed pondered the possibility that the gas drillers might be using a heavy fog day, like today, to do something nefarious that puts off plumes of fumes, that they would not dare try on a clear day.

Big Ed is a big proponent of crackpot paranoia type conspiracy theories. Then again, it was odd seeing that big plume of something spewing skyward from the drilling site. Have never seen that happening on a clear day.

But, one has to tell oneself that that Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) maintains an eagle-eyed watch on the gas drillers, highly respected, reputable agency that it is.

By the way, I've yet to get an answer from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to the questions I submitted via their website.

In the meantime, I got most of the answers via other means.

But one HUGE question remains. As in, how is the water being taken from the Trinity River being metered?

Information I found on the TCEQ indicates that water taken via the means it's being taken from the Trinity River by gas drillers, must be metered.

I'm thinking that it is the inability to answer my meter question that has kept TCEQ mute.

Fort Worth's Corrupt Mayor Mike Moncrief Puts His Conflicts Of Interest On Display Again

I was surprised this morning, when looking for the picture you see here of Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief, where he belongs, as in behind bars, that the first time I blogged about the need to bring this criminal to justice was way back on May 15, 2008, in a blogging titled "Corruption in Fort Worth, Texas?"

Since then Moncrief has not only not been jailed, he has won re-election with 94% of Fort Worth's eligible voters feeling so marginalized that they didn't bother to vote, giving Moncrief a whopping 70% landslide of the 6% who did vote.

In recent days we have had fresh examples of why there are Conflicts of Interest laws in America. Even in Texas. With Fort Worth's mayor, again, outrageously putting his corruption on display for anyone caring to look, to see.

Well, Fort Worth's #1 Watchdog was watching. Below is what he had to say about Fort Worth's mayor's latest criminal behavior....

Unicorn Discovered on Dark Side of Moon

If you believe that line of BS then you'll most likely swallow the report delivered by John Sadler of the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to the Fort Worth City Council yesterday. If not, read on.

The mayor had requested the TCEQ study after the many recent news reports of toxic emissions coming from Barnett Shale gas facilities. He wanted to know specifically about such facilities in FW proper. Knowing the mayor as we do, he really wanted to end any talk of health and safety concerns or moratoriums in FW. This was a foregone conclusion shared by those who have been paying attention.

The pre-council session where the report was given was well attended by industry reps, notably, Walter Duease, point man for XTO and Ed Ireland of the Barnett Shale Energy Education Council (BSEEC), both of whom are involved in the Marcellus and other shale regions and both of whom have cozy relationships with city council and staffers.

The highlight reel-

1) Regarding salt-water injection wells in Fort Worth, city staffer, Susan Alanis made a point of saying that there have been no problems regarding public health and safety with the one injection located well in Fort Worth. This point was intended to prepare the public for new injection wells and a web of "salt-water" pipelines that will soon snake through FW neighborhoods.

2) We were told by another city staffer that a private meeting was held on January 5, 2010 to discuss the growing public discomfort with urban drilling. Invitees included reps from, TCEQ, Texas RRC, City of FW, Texas Pipeline Assoc., BSEEC and four drilling companies. NO neighborhood groups were included. Can you say, marginalized?

3) City Council reps nodded enthusiastically to Sadler's comment that, "ambient conditions" existed before drilling. That's code for: Blame something else. Drilling is not the problem. (May I remind you again that FWCanDo requested ambient air and water studies from the city attorney in 2005. Her answer came with a devilish smile: No thanks.)

4) Testing was done in less than ideal conditions to achieve the result desired by the mayor and drillers. The result: No benzene. No carcinogens. No VOC's coming from Fort Worth gas wells facilities. How else to explain the increasingly smoggy air over FW? see #3 above.

5) Near the end of the meeting, with media cameras rolling and reporters scribbling away, the mayor asked Mr. Sadler two well-rehearsed, drama-filled questions:

a. Are you convinced the industry is using best management practices? Answer: YES.

b. Do you see any need for issuing a moratorium on gas well drilling in FW? Answer: NO.

> > > Remember the Jack Nicholson movie, Chinatown? Recall the last scene of the film when private detective, Jake "JJ" Gittes is confronted with the fact that the police have been bought-off and that a killer and child molester has been allowed to go free. An angry and distraught Jake stares into space as his partner delivers the final line of the film:

Forget it Jake, this is ... Texas.

DY

Steve Doeung Will Not Pipe Down & This Is A Good Thing For Fort Worth & America

Great article in Fort Worth's only "real" newspaper, as in a newspaper that does not act as a propaganda shill for the local corrupt power structure, with its incestuous Conflicts of Interest relationships with the Barnett Shale natural gas drilling industry.

I'm talking about FW Weekly and its cover article, "He Won't Pipe Down," about Steve Doeung and his heroic battle against Fort Worth's corrupt government and one of the agents of corruption, Chesapeake Energy and its chief hoodlum, Aubrey McClendon.

Steve Doeung may have become an American via being a Cambodian first, but he's an American now, an All-American of the heroic, brave, idealistic, champion sort that has made America what it is, as in the most powerful nation, in most of the ways that matter, that the world has ever seen.

I'm thinking there has to be a way to have Steve's Story and the Battle of Carter Avenue go national, so all Americans know what's going on here in Fort Worth, where border-line Gestapo-like fear tactics have been used, with the full cooperation of Fort Worth's corrupt government and police, to intimidate the people of Carter Avenue, except for one.

I'm thinking Steve's Story and the Battle of Carter Avenue would make a good 60 Minutes story.

I contacted 60 Minutes about 20 years ago. I was greatly annoyed at the shocking revelations that had come out regarding the capital of British Columbia, Canada, Victoria, pumping raw sewage deep into the Straits of Juan de Fuca. That was the Victoria sewage treatment method. Vancouver's was not much better.

The State of Washington tried all sorts of things to get the Canadians to clean up their act. Promises were made. Nothing was done. Monkey Wrenchers, a type of American that apparently does not exist in Texas, did things like book a stay in an expensive Victoria hotel and rather than use the toilet, they'd leave a mess behind in the bathtub, along with messages on the walls. I don't recollect how many instances of that type Monkey Wrenching occured.

Washington people were peeved at the Canadians because Washington voter's had approved a bond in the late 60s that spent a lot of money cleaning up water flowing into Washington lakes and Puget Sound and the Straits of Juan de Fuca. And then you had the Canadians sort of defeating the purpose by continuing to dirty the water that salmon swam through.

I believe all these years later the Canadians have finally cleaned up their sewage problem. Not due to any expose on 60 Minutes. but because they feared, with the about to happen Vancouver Winter Olympics, that a fresh burst of bad publicity about the bad Canadian hygienne would be most unfortunate.

Now, how can we shine a similar light, from the outside, on Fort Worth, a light so bright it causes the cockroaches, like Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief and Chesapeake Energy's Aubrey McClendon, to run for the dark, where they need to remain?

Balmy Temperatures Have Me Not Wearing Pants On The Tandy Hills In Fort Worth

Today, late in the afternoon, I returned to the Tandy Hills for a record breaking 8th day in a row. As you can see from the picture, these 8 days in a row of extreme aerobics have completely erased my weather-related sloth-caused unsightly weight gain.

As you can also see, I am not wearing long underwear, I am also not wearing pants, and, no, it's not a No Pants! Day.

Warm air coming in from the south has forced a retreat of the nasty frozen air that blew in from Canada, a week ago today. I'm glad that unpleasantness is behind us for now.

Canadian cold air is worse then breathing Fort Worth smog. At least in the short term.

The balmy temperatures warmed up the pool quite a bit. I stayed in it this morning for the longest duration of the new year. I got out when my teeth began doing this chattering thing that I feared might do some dental damage if I did not adjust my temperature.

This morning my web page editor was back working so I was able to remove my cousin Amy from my family. Apparently Amy has decided to totally embrace her new Vietnamese connections and severe all ties to her Dutch-ness. I don't know how my Uncle Mooch and Aunt Jane (Amy's mom and dad) are going to take Amy's rejection.

I probably should call my mom and dad and tell them that Mooch and Jane have lost a kid. But, as my one longtime reader knows, I only call my mom when I get gas. Not when I lose a relative.

The Travails Of Getting Miss Puerto Rico Out Of Texas

That is the sun going down view from Miss Puerto Rico's balcony, last night, looking north.

I was over at Miss Puerto Rico's to get my final cat care instructions. I don't know why I need to get the cat care instructions every time Miss Puerto Rico returns to her home island.

Although there was one slight variation this time. I am to give the cat no more than 3 special treats per day, due to the cat is fat and the treats are fattening.

My one longtime reader may remember that previously I would provide shuttle service to the airport for Miss Puerto Rico. But not this time.

My one longtime reader may remember the incident a couple years ago where Miss Puerto Rico got herself overly intoxicated, at the airport, was arrested and thrown into the airport jail.

I did not see Miss Puerto Rico for quite awhile after that incident. I have no empathy with someone needing to be alcohol medicated in order to fly. I can't imagine going through airport security tipsy. That's just nuts.

Anyway, Miss Puerto Rico called me before 5 this morning. I let it go to voice mail. I was afraid it was a last minute plea for me to provide airport shuttle service.

I listened to the message. She was all in a panic, thinking she was not going to make her flight. The shuttle had called and said they'd be 15 minutes late. Her flight time was 7:10. She had plenty of time.

Miss Puerto Rico called again, now on the shuttle, totally certain she'd be late. I told her, again, she had plenty of time. She was upset that the shuttle was going to pick up someone else and she had no idea where she was.

About 20 minutes later Miss Puerto Rico called again, all upset, sure she'd missed her flight. I look at the time and see it is well before 6. I tell her she's early. She tells me the airport is in a different time zone.

This was the point I realized why she was willing to pay $31 to get to the airport, rather than use my free shuttle service. It's because of my Zero Tolerance policy. Obviously Miss Puerto Rico was able to bring booze onboard the shuttle with her. And by the time she got to the airport she was drunk. Again.

I told her to go to the Check-in and all would be fine. She was all upset, thinking she might be able to fly stand-by, now that she missed her flight.

I told her, it is before 6, over an hour before your plane leaves. What? She muttered, confused. It's before 6, I repeated. You don't fly out for over an hour. She then said something about her clock being wrong and hung up.

About 20 minutes later Miss Puerto Rico calls again, all cheery, telling me she's through security and at her gate. I say something like, so there was nothing to get all upset about after all.

She acted as if the previous confused phone calls had not taken place.

Anyway, that's been my day so far. Up early, in the pool as the sun came up, fixed my web editor problem. All is well in my simple little world. Except I have a damn cat to attend to.