Freedom tanks not unregulated, as Tomblin said

This photo shows the boom deployed to control the Crude MCHM chemical leak from the Freedom Industries tank farm into the Elk River. (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency photo)

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Last Monday, Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin stood behind a podium in the West Virginia Capitol and announced his plan for a new program to prevent chemical spills from what he called "unregulated" above-ground storage tanks.

Tomblin said his proposal would give the state Department of Environmental Protection "the tools necessary" to prevent another chemical leak like the one from the Freedom Industries tank farm, which contaminated the Elk River and the drinking water supply for 300,000 West Virginians.

"It was not regulated, and this bill will address that," the governor said later to a small group of reporters.

When asked how he could call the Freedom Industries tank farm -- which held a water-pollution permit approved by the DEP -- "unregulated," the governor had agency Secretary Randy Huffman explain. Huffman carefully clarified what the governor had said.

"Unregulated is probably not the right word," Huffman said. "It was under-regulated."

Policymakers are beginning to respond to the leak of the chemical Crude MCHM into the Elk River, just upstream from the West Virginia American Water regional intake.

Some confusion continues, though, about exactly what authority the DEP had over the facility. A front-page New York Times story, for example, paraphrased Huffman as saying that, "because the facility stored chemicals, but did not produce them, his department had no responsibility for regulating it."

However, in several interviews with the Sunday Gazette-Mail, Huffman and other DEP officials have made it clear -- as Huffman did in his appearance with the governor -- that Freedom Industries was absolutely not unregulated.

"I don't think of them as being unregulated, but as being under-regulated," Huffman said in one discussion.

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Freedom tanks not unregulated, as Tomblin said

DEP order: Dismantle Freedom tank farm

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The Freedom Industries tank farm responsible for the Elk River chemical contamination is going to be shut down and dismantled, according to an order from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection that was announced Saturday by Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The Freedom Industries tank farm responsible for the Elk River chemical contamination is going to be shut down and dismantled, according to an order from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection that was announced Saturday by Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin.

All chemicals must be removed from the facility by March 15.

Freedom must begin the process of dismantling, removing and disposing of all of its above-ground tanks and all associated piping and machinery by that same day, according to the order.

All 17 tanks at the Freedom facility are in inadequate secondary-containment areas, according to a news release from Tomblin's office that was issued with the order. Fourteen of those tanks still have chemicals in them.

The release says that those chemicals include calcium chloride and glycerin, both of which are common additives to household products. DEP Secretary Randy Huffman said three smaller tanks contain a semi-solid substance that is "like fatty acids." Huffman said none of the tanks contain any harmful or hazardous substances.

"During the dismantling of the tanks, Freedom Industries is ordered to install measures that ensure that secondary containment is adequate to contain any potential spills resulting from the work," the release states.

Huffman said workers from the company and the DEP are digging cutoff trenches and taking other remediation efforts to protect the river, should there be another leak before the chemicals can be moved. He also said just having people on the site is a help.

The release states that Tomblin ordered the dismantling of the tank farm, although his signature does not appear on the order. It is a "consent order," meaning the company agreed to the terms. That also means the company cannot appeal the order.

The release states that Tomblin and Huffman began discussing the option of dismantling the tanks on Jan. 10, the day after the leak was discovered.

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DEP order: Dismantle Freedom tank farm

On being free – Desi Anwar

January 26, 2014

Freedom Houses Freedom in the World 2014 report, which classifies a country as free, partly free and not free based on both political rights and civil liberties, lowered Indonesias status from free to partly free.

The reason for this drop of status is due to a new law restricting the activities of nongovernmental organisations.

I would add, we are partly free because we have no idea what to do with the freedom that we have.

The inability of the state to follow the Pancasila ideology is whittling at the countrys democracy and freedom, not to mention the countrys foundation.

Being the largest Muslim-majority country in the world, we pride ourselves of our brand of Islam, which is moderate.

In reality, we already have Syariah in Aceh, while more and more local governments around the country are leaning towards laws and regulations favouring the religion of the majority rather than respecting equally all the other religions as stipulated in the Pancasila ideology.

Indonesia willingly makes herself less free when she allows herself to be highjacked by a majority of people who see their fellow countrymen as less equal before the law if they are deemed not equal before the eyes of God.

Moreover, although we have achieved democracy, in that we have an elected and democratic government, there is a consensus that Indonesia, as a country, is still not free.

The word for freedom is merdeka which contains within it the spirit to fight against injustice and oppression, initially against colonial rule.

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On being free – Desi Anwar

Peter Greste declares battle for freedom of speech in Egypt after prolonged detention

Peter Greste. Photo: ABC/Twitter: @PeterGreste

Detained Australian journalist Peter Greste has released a letter vowing to fight for freedom of speech in Egypt after being jailed for reporting on unrest in the country.

The award-winning Al Jazeera reporter was arrested in Cairo on December 29 along with colleagues Mohamed Adel Fahmy and Baher Mohamed.

The trio had been reporting on the political turmoil in Egypt when they were accused of holding illegal meetings with the Muslim Brotherhood (MB).

Egypt's military-installed leaders declared the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organisation in December, and had previously accused Al Jazeera of pro-Brotherhood coverage.

The Al Jazeera network, however, has emphatically defended its staff's actions, saying they were doing their job by reporting objectively.

Greste, who is being held in Cairo's Tora prison, says Egyptian authorities are cracking down on anyone "who refuses to applaud the institution".

Greste says he had originally planned to fight for his freedom "quietly", in part not to risk the precious little recreational time he was given.

However, he now says acquiescence on his behalf would validate the Egyptian authorities' "attack" on freedom of speech.

"I have sought, until now, to fight my imprisonment quietly from within, to make the authorities understand that this is all a terrible mistake - that I've been caught in the middle of a political struggle that is not my own," Greste writes in the letter, which has been authenticated by his parents.

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Peter Greste declares battle for freedom of speech in Egypt after prolonged detention

Creigh Deeds sponsors bills to improve state’s mental health system

Posted on: 10:14 am, January 25, 2014, by Matt Knight, updated on: 10:17am, January 25, 2014

State Senator Creigh Deeds has introduced several bills in the General Assembly to improve the states mental health system. The legislation follows Novembers incident in which Deeds son Gus stabbed the senator before taking his own life.

Deeds will speak about the attack and the states mental health system in an interview on 60 Minutes on Sunday.

Below is the statement Deeds released detailing his proposed legislation:

Dear Friend,

The 2014 session of the General Assembly is streaking by and will soon be a memory. This years session is memorable for several reasons. First, it is the first year of a new governorship, which always brings a certain level of excitement, together with a period of uncertainty as new people get accustomed to new jobs. Second, the legislature convenes with the idea of addressing problems and balancing the budget for all the people of Virginia. While each session resembles the previous one, new legislators and a new administration guarantee a new twist.

For the past several years, I have been forced to deal with the states system of mental health on behalf of my son. In November a lot of issues related to that system were thrust in my face. I am determined to take the experience I have and use what Ive learned to try and prevent future tragedies. To that end, Ive introduced several pieces of legislation.

First, I introduced legislation requiring the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) to review the qualifications of workers charged with evaluating people in crisis. Current regulations require the person performing the evaluation to have a Masters degree or its equivalent or be a registered nurse with a certain amount of experience in the psychiatric field. However, based on my experience, it is not clear that every person charged with doing evaluations has the necessary skills and qualifications; I have asked the Department simply to review the regulations and make a report to the General Assembly. Before wholesale changes are made to current law, we need to take into account that which is currently on the books and review whether it works.

Second, Ive called for increasing the amount of time a person may be held under an emergency custody order (ECO). Current law allows a person to be held for four hours with, under certain circumstances, one two hour extension. That time frame is the shortest in the nation. Most states hold people between 24 and 72 hours before a determination is made that they should be held pursuant to a temporary detention order. While that legislation has drawn a lot of fire, specifically from the Virginia Sheriffs Association and the ACLU, it makes sense to me to bring Virginia in line with the rest of the country. There should not be an incident of one who is in need of stabilization services being released, or streeted.

Just as important as extending the time period is to eliminate the requirement that the duration of the ECO be extended by a magistrate. Particularly in rural areas, merely having to seek an extension is a waste of precious time.

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Creigh Deeds sponsors bills to improve state’s mental health system