Smoke and Mirrors: The Lost DEP Report

E-coli, fecal matter and higher than acceptable chemical levels in the water table were identified and were alarming! The contamination was outlined in a “lost” Department of Environmental Resources report in Noyes Township, Pennsylvania. But what happens when the reports’ information and warnings are willfully disregarded? Are the elected officials responsible for implementation and problem solving? Or is the state agency which created the report responsible to see it used to create a plan of action? These reports are created by scientists, geologists, environmentalists and many experts in their fields, costing taxpayers upwards of tens of thousands of dollars! Yet somehow, the report becomes tossed aside and was never addressed. The public is told that the state government provides for the safety of its residents and is supported by the federal government. But what happens when elements of this safety net are compromised? When reports are created and then somehow ‘disappear’? Who ultimately has the responsibility to protect citizens and our natural resources if those who swear to uphold the laws are ignoring them? When our laws do not have consequences and are not enforced but instead, made available for ‘purchase’ to the highest bidders? What happens when corporations can purchase favorable results on the backs of the taxpayers? And when corporations and government agencies become awkward bedfellows?