The Essentia Blog

When the space shuttle blasted off last night, it contained its heaviest payload ever. In its belly was the new $250 Million dollar water recycling system for the space station, which recycles even urine into drinking water. The astronauts are not worried about the system as it surpasses those available in terrestrial applications.

The new system will recycle 93% of the water used on the space shuttle.  Not only is it interesting from an environmental standpoint, but the system is a necessary step towards colonization of any harsh environment for mankind.

Fredericton residents, including a senior taking care of her bedridden husband, are in shock after being left without any assistance after being told that they cannot use the water from their wells for any purpose at all, including bathing. 2700 litres of chromium trioxide was spilled at a business in the Evergreen Park area, Custom Machine and Hardchrome.

So far calls from the press to the local Department of Health have gone unanswered. The DOH simply issued a statement and some residents have been driving 45 kilometres to get their water from a spring.  Chromium trioxide is a known carcinogen and can also cause genetic defects.

Despite his desperation to distance himself from the Bush administration in the last few days of the presidential campaign, McCain’s record shows that he consistently voted with the Bush administration against a few key environmental policies:

Strike 1 - Corporate Polluters

Voted against making companies disclose pollution sites and making them pay for the cleanup of toxic waste Superfund sites, leaving taxpayers to pay for the cleanup.

Strike 2 - Drinking Water Pollution

Voted against a law requiring utilities to let consumers know what pollutants are in their drinking water.  He also voted against tightening the standard on arsenic in drinking water.

Strike 3 - Water Pollution by Mining and Oil Industries

Voted in 2002 to exempt the oil and gas industry from the Safe Drinking Water Act regulations, leaving them free to add chemicals like benzene to our water.  He also voted against tightening regulations on the discharge from hardrock water companies, which have already polluted 40% of the water table in the West.

Whenever it has been a case of the environment versus big corporations, McCain will vote for the corporations every time.  His record doesn’t lie.