Greenpeace

I could only see the pitchfork scene through the tiny space between my fingers. When it comes to horror movies, I’m more than a bit squeamish. On Friday, February 26th, The Crazies hits theaters and I was lucky enough to snag an early viewing to witness all the slashing, hacking and suspense.

I think moviegoers will really enjoy the film, I know I did. I won’t spoil the movie for you, but the story’s about a small town of innocent people who are mysteriously infected with a fictitious bio-warfare agent. Unfortunately, for these people, the infection makes them go crazy and the ensuing horror is enough to make you jump out of your seat. I can attest jumping out of my seat at least a dozen times.

Luckily, for me, this movie is fiction and I’m not going to go crazy (at least I hope I won’t). If you’re scratching your head and wondering why we’re talking about this crazy movie (pun intended) here at Greenpeace, I’ll explain. The movie gives us an eye opener into the real toxic dangers that exist in our every day life.

One important danger that we should all be reminded of is the disastrous risks posed by poison gases used in chemical plants. Some of them started out as chemical warfare agents.

Did you know that the Department of Homeland Security has identified over 6,000 “high-risk” chemical plants in the United States? An accident or attack at just 300 of them would put 110 million Americans at risk. That’s not only crazy, but also down right terrifying.

But, a happy ending is really possible! Since 9/11 more than 200 chemical facilities have converted to safer chemical processes, eliminating poison gas risks to more than 30 million Americans. That's the good news. The bad news is that not all plants have adopted safer technologies – and they won't until laws are passed that require them to.

November 2009 the House of Representatives approved the "Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Act of 2009," (H.R. 2868) by a vote of 230 to 193. This is the first time either house of Congress has approved comprehensive chemical security legislation.

Now it’s up to the Senate, they will take up chemical security legislation.

Please take action today. Use our online advocacy tools to tell your Senators to prevent a real horror.

Oh, and you’d be crazy not to check out The Crazies (it’s a good date movie).

-- Michelle

 

Investigators are still trying to find the cause of a February 7 blast that killed five people at a Kleen Energy Systems LP power plant in Connecticut. Sources said that the blast occurred when a welder lit his torch, igniting the natural gas that had built up. The accident was one of the worst in memory in Middletown, a town of about 45,000 people.

To aid in the investigation, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, CSB, deployed a team to examine the activities and conditions that were going on at the plant. The CSB has long urged for improved natural gas safety codes. Most recently, at a public meeting on February 4, the CSB issued urgent recommendations that the national fuel gas codes be changed to improve safety when gas pipes are being purged - cleared of air – during maintenance or the installation of new piping. The Board’s urgent recommendations resulted from the CSB’s ongoing federal investigation into the June 9, 2009, natural gas explosion at the ConAgra Slim Jim production facility in Garner, North Carolina, which caused four deaths, three critical life-threatening burn injuries, and other injuries that sent a total of 67 people to the hospital.

Now is the time for Congress to finally pass strong chemical security legislation. We can’t have any more accidents like the one in Middletown. Congress needs to act now, before another tragedy strikes.

The House passed legislation last fall, now it’s up to the Senate to pass a bill that is even better. Take action and tell your Senators to put the safety and security of the American people above partisan politics and chemical industry lobbyists. Tell them to support comprehensive chemical security legislation even stronger than the bill recently passed in the House of Representatives. Please take action today.

--Michelle

Thank the stars for the Daily Show. While the mainstream media has largely been silent over the lies and distortions climate change deniers have been making over the recent snowstorms affecting the East Coast, Jon Stewart's merry cast of characters took the air out of their ridiculous and irresponsible arguments. At the 3:48 mark of the video below, Stewart hilariously mocks the comments by some that say the heavy snow is proof that climate change is a hoax.

 

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Unusually Large Snowstorm
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Crisis

Climate change deniers, like Sens. Jim DeMint and James Inhofe, will use any opportunity to push their fact-free agenda. On Monday, DeMint wrote on his Twitter account: "It's going to keep snowing in DC until Al Gore cries 'uncle'". Inhofe and his grandchildren built an igloo on the national mall and adorned it with a sign that reads "Al Gore's New Home".

Oh, the wit. And the utter recklessness of it.

Fortunately, the Daily Show effectively used their sardonic platform to show how ridiculous these sort of actions are. Again, for the benefit of some of our media friends and elected officials, climate is about long-term patterns, which in the case of our climate shows a dangerous warming trend caused by greenhouse gas emissions. Weather is about short-term events, like snowstorms or rainfall. 

In fact, a White House report issued last year shows that climate change is likely to lead to bigger snow storm in the mid-Atlantic region because warmer air holds more moisture. It's true. You can look it up. I invite Senators Inhofe and DeMint to do the same before they go off and embarrass themselves and their families.