Pass a Township Resolution

ENCOURAGE YOUR TOWN TO PASS A SIMILAR RESOLUTION!

EDISON TOWNSHIP RESOLUTION R.274-052010

Passed on May 12, 2010

Whereas, the Township of Edison believes that the magnitude of the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Leak in the Gulf of Mexico may be the worst environmental disaster in American history, with over 4 million gallons of oil estimated to have leaked into the gulf over the last three weeks, and no end in sight;

Whereas, the economic and environmental damage done to the Gulf Coast region is devastating;

Whereas, the federal government has the authority and regulatory enforcement powers to utilize its full resources to undertake the emergency response actions on environmental remediations and cleanups;

Whereas, the responsible party, BP, has thus far proven unable to effectively contain the oil spill with over 210,000 gallons of oil each day continuing to spill into the gulf;

Whereas, the responsible party is now utilizing potentially hazardous chemicals such as Corexit as dispersants attempting to break up the oil and disperse it;

Whereas, with its location along the longest river solely in New Jersey, the Raritan River, the Township of Edison appreciates the importance of an environmentally healthy riverfront to a community both in its ecological and its economic significance;

Whereas, as the Township of Edison has seen in local cleanups managed by the federal government in cooperation with the grassroots nonprofit Edison Wetlands Association, the federal government is singularly qualified in some cases to successfully manage the remediation of a costly, complex project;

Whereas, the Edison Wetlands Association, a nationally recognized leader in environmental quality and remediation, strongly recommends that the federal government take full control and bring all necessary resources to the cleanup of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill;

Now, therefore, be it resolved that:
The Township of Edison strongly urges the federal government, including every branch of the United States military, to devote all possible resources, equipment, and trained personnel to addressing this dire emergency.  Due to the dynamic urgency of this situation, it is critical that our federal elected Senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez, and Congressmen Frank Pallone and Rush Holt, formally propose that the federal government and military immediately take over the containment and cleanup from BP. The Township of Edison also offers our full support of the technical recommendations made by the Edison Wetlands Association and their environmental engineer in their report regarding the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The Township of Edison also strongly urges the federal government to ensure that the spill is safely contained and cleaned up without causing additional ecological damage through the introduction of toxic dispersants and untested chemicals.

The resolution can be found here:
http://edisonnj.org/vertical/Sites/%7B1167D1D0-6B56-4271-A5B8-573607E15E89%7D/uploads/%7B26230CA7-7834-4A8D-9580-396C027962D3%7D.PDF