Sludge Watch ==> Watch News Clip on Florez - response to LA lawsuit

[maureen.reilly at sympatico.ca]

Sludgewatch Admin:

Watch the News story and the interview with Senator Florez as he responds to 
Los Angeles' intent to sue them to force them to take their sludge.

Looks like the trend continues.  Big bully cities want to sue little towns 
and rural locations to take their sludge.

Ontario - American Water Services (Terratec) tries to sue tiny Melancthon 
Township to force them to stand down on their sludge bylaw....(Melancthon 
still has its bylaw and no sludge)

Toronto Ontario - tries to get a judge to force Republic Services to take 
Toronto sludge into Michigan landfills.

Now Los Angeles Sanitation is suing Kern County to force Kern to keep taking 
LA sludge.

Here is the California KGET TV news report:
http://www.kget.com/mediacenter/?videoId=11227

.........................................................


LA County files sludge lawsuit against Kern

Video - see link above

Posted 8/15/06
BAKERSFIELD - June’s overwhelming vote in favor of Measure E that outlaws 
the spreading of sludge in Kern County is being challenged by the City of 
Los Angeles.
Although, 85 percent of Kern County voters endorsed Measure E that outlaws 
the spreading of sewage sludge on Kern County’s farmland, the City of Los 
Angeles has filed a massive lawsuit against Kern County.

The City of Los Angeles has hired two law firms with successful track 
records in overturning similar sludge bans in other parts of the country.

For 12 years, the City of Los Angeles has been trucking nearly all of its 
treated sewage sludge to farmland it owns, just south of Bakersfield.Measure 
"E" gives Los Angeles until the end of the year to find a new home for its 
bio-solids.

Sen. Dean Florez (D-Shafter) is the author of the lawsuit and was surprised 
by the lawsuit.

The President of Los Angeles’s Board of Public Works said Tuesday they had 
no choice, but to file suit after Kern County voters chose to ban a 
federally-approved and state-encouraged practice for recycling bio solids.

Rita Robinson, Director of Los Angeles’s Bureau of Sanitation said, “Bio 
solids have only improved the environment in Kern County and there is no 
basis for the ban.” And, she points to the double standard that exists where 
many cities in the county still land apply Class-B bio-solids and yet 
Measure E' doesn't apply to them.