There was live music, smiling babies, and the smell of mouth-watering fish and hushpuppies this weekend at the incredible fish-fry fundraiser sponsored by Atlantic Seafood in Hampstead on Saturday. Tremendous thanks go out to Alena and Joseph Smith, Joe Smith Jr., and all the cooking crew at Atlantic who fried up some of the best eating fish this side of Athens, Greece. We also want to thank auctioneer extraordinaire Michael Barber of ArkadiA Auction Company who provided the tent, tables and sound system, and local musicians David Hervey, Spider Mike (Michael Boche), Rick Tobey, and Jeff Fortunato for their great tunes. Last but not least, a big thank you goes out to all the great volunteers and members of Pender Watch, Cape Fear Riverwatch, North Carolina Coastal Federation, Citizens Against Titan Cement, and the StopTitan crew for all their hard work and support.

Most of all, thanks to every one of the good folks who dropped by to buy a fish plate, sign the petition, and express their heartfelt support for this effort.

Fish Fry t-shirt

And while we’re thanking folks, we’d also like to thank Mark and Karen Lampkin and Sheri Opper for putting together a private cocktail party fundraiser at the Lampkin’s house last week for our legal effort. Together the two events raised nearly $10,000 for air experts and modelers to assist Southern Environmental Law Center and the Duke Law Clinic in challenging Titan’s Draft Permit.

And while we’re on that subject, don’t forget to send in your comments to DAQ THIS WEEK! The deadline is Friday, NOVEMBER 20, and they need to hear from you! Tell them you agree with the E.PA. that the draft permit is significantly weaker than the new federal regulations coming out in a few months. Ask them why they are allowing Titan to emit eight times the mercury and placing no limits on hydrochloric acid emissions at all? Ask them why they are issuing a permit EPA says could significantly contribute to air quality violations in our area? And tell them the State Environmental Policy Act applies to this plant.

 
Joseph and Alena Smith, hosts of the fish fry

The cooks!

Recently the Perdue Administration—which apparently is willing to sell us down the river for any nasty industry that comes calling-- reiterated its position that SEPA doesn’t apply to Titan. They’re flat wrong by any common sense reading of the law, which says that public money + significant environmental impact + state permit = SEPA, plain and simple, and no matter when the money lands in Titan’s hands. This issue will likely have to be decided in court so keep those tax deductible donations coming. Because according to what appears to be yet another price-fixing lawsuit against them, Titan and several of its fellow cement manufacturers conspired to artificially inflate cement prices not just in Florida but in other states as well! So they’ve got plenty of cement buyers’ money in their pockets to pay for lawyers!

Mixing fish and information

And remember folks, this fight is just getting warmed up. Titan needs a dozen or more permits to operate and they don’t have a single one yet. We intend to do our best to challenge them every step of the way until they decide to head back to Greece, shaking their heads, and saying… “Those folks fight like they got tar in their heels…”

You betcha.

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Anonymous   |2010-01-08 20:47:58 Is that a bucket of concrete holding your tent down? Reply | Quote 0 0

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