Outgoing Natural Resources Secretary Collin O’Mara made the case for the proposed Clean Water for Delaware’s Future at an event sponsored by the Technology Forum of Delaware.
Outgoing Natural Resources Secretary Collin O’Mara made the case last week for the proposed Clean Water for Delaware’s Future at an event sponsored by the Technology Forum of Delaware.
The initiative aims to clean up waterways that are ranked as among the most polluted in the nation.
The event was held at the DuPont Environmental Education Center in Wilmington. The center is located along the Christina River, which, according to O’Mara, will take decades to clean up, even if the program becomes reality. However, he added that most waterways in the state would see rapid improvement if the program becomes a reality. Clean Water for Delaware’s Future was proposed by Gov. Jack Markell earlier this year as a way to provide a stable source of funding for clean-up projects that often fall victim to tight budgets.
O’Mara is stepping down as secretary of the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, but stay around until July to make the case for the initiative. He will take the top post with the National Wildlife Federation. Veteran DNREC official David Small has been nominated to succeed O’Mara. Speaking in a rapid-fire style, O’Mara recited a number of grim facts that include 86 percent of the state’s rivers being unfit for swimming.
His presentation was made in within the Russell Peterson urban wildlife refuge. Peterson, a former governor in the state, championed the environment during his career.
“We can do better,” O’Mara said of the need to improve water quality in the state.
The most widely attacked aspect of the Clean Water would levy an average of $45 a year on property taxes for a residence with a cap of $25,000 for the largest property owners. The fee has been attacked on the left for not forcing corporations to pay clean-up costs.
Others say the state can’t afford the program in the current economic environment or point to lost opportunities for funding when budget surpluses were frequent. O’Mara said many of the companies responsible for the pollution are no longer in business.
At least one Republican lawmaker has gone far as to suggest no new spending or taxes in this session, with all agencies taking a 2 percent cut to combat a budget shortfall. The water proposal is also on the table at the same time that the Markell administration is suggesting a 10 cent increase in the state gas tax.
According to O’Mara, the initiative would create 1,000 jobs a year in areas such as engineering and construction. That would supply an economic boost to the state.
O’Mara acknowledged the difficulty of suggesting the fee during a period of soaring Medicaid costs and other pressures on the state budget, but added that the $1 a week cost is reasonable in a world of cable and cell phone bills that can run into the hundreds of dollars a month.
He also warned against the belief that someone else is responsible for the current situation. “Everyone is contributing to the problem,” O’Mara said of the need for the initiative. The Clean Water Act of the 1970s ended large-scale releases of pollutants into many waterways. However, centuries of pollution have left the state’s waterways in poor condition, according to O’Mara.
O’Mara says Clean Water for Delaware would speed up the gradual improvement in water quality on the state’s waterways. It would also deal with issues such as the upgrading of water and waste treatment plants, failing septic systems that often go undetected and farmland programs aimed at cutting run-off and nutrient flows into streams.
Also speaking at the event was Jeff Fulgham of Ashland Water Technologies, Wilmington. Water treatment is a major business for Ashland, which acquired Hercules Incorporated of Wilmington several years ago. Customers of the company include the paper industry, a major user of water and specialty chemicals produced by Ashland and its predecessor Hercules.
Fulgham said the world is facing a water crisis as consumption increases and supplies are drawn down. He took note of the arid conditions in California and other parts of the world. The need for such equipment is likely to increase as sea levels rise, he said.
A major user of water is the power generation industry as well as refineries that are now dealing with issues related to treatment of water used to refine oil.
On the plus side, technology may be coming to the rescue as the cost of desalinization of seawater drops and conservation efforts take hold, Fulgham said.
The Technology Forum of Delaware is dedicated to helping the region’s technology business leaders acquire the knowledge, relationships and resources needed to compete and succeed in a global economy.
Actually, take a look at the settlement agreement. It’s available through Pacer. Attorney hare got it wrong, or the reporter did:”(a) From the date of entry of the Final Judgment through December 31, 2014, Highmark will not enter into any contract with any provider of health care services in WesternPennsylvania that requires the provider, during the time specified in this subparagraph 31(a), tocharge Highmark more favorable payment rates than it charges any other healthcare insurer;”That is, Highmark can charge different providers different rates. What Highmark can’t do is demand that a provider offer Highmark better rates than the provider is charging other insurers. These are different things. That is, they can agree to pay MedExpress $100 for a a drug screen but only pay Acme Urgent Care $50 for the same thing. What they can’t do is demand that Acme and MedExpress charge Highmark less than they charge UPMC or Aetna. Highmark can continue paying medExpress more than it is paying Acme. Nobody finds this very controversial, as everyone knows that’s exactly what an IDFS does. They also know that the whole reason there are separate contract negotiations between insurers and providers is that some providers get paid more than others.
I made four attempts to get soemthing in writing from Karen Weldin Stewart that she / her staff were looking into the complaints raised here last year about Highmark and their partnership with ‘insta-clinics’. So far nothing. There is no excuse.