Can I get a shout out for environmental justice heroes like Dr. Rudo?

[wildeyed]

Dr. Rudo is protecting the citizens of North Carolina from ground water poisoned by a coal ash spill, and crossing swords with some weighty political foes to do so. Duke Energy is responsible but doesn't want to pay to fix the damage or even upgrade their safety features to avoid future accidents.

NC Governor McCrory, already embattled over HB2, a bad toll road deal and a monster voter suppression bill, is all the way in Duke Energy's pocket. He "worked" for them for years as the mayor of Charlotte, but had no known job description or duties. Now he is trying to discredit Rudo by accusing him of perjury.

After reading a bit about Rudo, it doesn't sound like any of this is politically motivated on his side. He has a sterling reputation and is genuinely committed to public service and good science. My kids are both interested in science. The older is also very interested in social justice. Dr. Rudo will be a GREAT role model for her.

While the attention Tuesday was on conflicting versions of what happened at that 2015 meeting, the bulk of Rudo’s testimony that has been released so far includes what he described as a broader, unprecedented effort by the state health and environmental agencies to give false assurance to some 400 well-owners.

“The state health director’s job is to protect public health, and in this specific instance, the opposite occurred,” Rudo, a 27-year public health employee, said in the deposition. “We knowingly told people that their water was safe when we knew it wasn’t.”

He was referring to Dr. Randall Williams, who McCrory appointed public health director in July 2015. Williams and Department of Environmental Quality Assistant Secretary Tom Reeder rescinded a do-not-drink notice in March 2016.

Rudo’s testimony is similar to that of two other state public health officials who had concerns about the health and environment departments rescinding the notices that had gone out in June 2015. Officials in the agencies said they had been overly cautious last year, but determined the water was safe.

Many of the well owners and environmental groups suing the state over coal ash were not reassured; instead, they worried about the relationship of Duke Energy to the McCrory administration. The governor worked for the utility for 28 years, and appointed former Duke Energy officials to his administration.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/politics-columns-blogs/under-the-dome/article93603882.html#storylink=cpy

More on Rudo's lengthy record of public service:

Rudo’s research has been peer-reviewed, Smart said, and “is constantly being scrutinized. There are a lot of eyeballs on it.”

Rudo graduated from N.C. State in 1989 with a doctorate in toxicology. Shortly afterward, he was hired at the state Division of Public Health, where he has been ever since.

However, Rudo’s scientific findings and conclusions — many of which have significant environmental justice implications — have often collided with state regulators. Within a year of joining state government, Rudo uncovered significant levels of cancer-causing arsenic, cadmium, and chromium in dust accumulating next to kilns and smokestacks owned by Carolina Solite, an incinerator in Stanly County. Previous monitoring by state environmental officials showed no contamination or illegal emissions.

......

But sometimes Rudo’s research prevailed. In 2009, he testified in a Veterans Administration case about the long-range health effects of Agent Orange. Rudo said that it was “more likely than not” that the dioxins produced by the defoliant caused Parkinson’s-like symptoms in a veteran. Ongoing studies confirmed Rudo’s conclusion. The VA now recognizes Parkinson’s disease as associated with exposure to Agent Orange or other herbicides during military service.

In 2012, attorneys also called on Rudo to testify against Exxon and on behalf of plaintiffs representing 88 Maryland households. Those households’ groundwater had been contaminated by chemicals found in gasoline. A jury awarded the plaintiffs $147 million in damages, but a court of appeals significantly reduced the amount.

http://www.ncpolicywatch.com/2016/08/04/state-toxicologist-assailed-by-gov-mccrory-has-lengthy-record-of-research-and-public-service/

[Dr Hobbitstein]

1. K&R for science!