Democracy Here: Open Reservoirs and Governments
This edition of Democracy Here explores the difference between engineered- and informed consent of the governed using the context of Portland’s current plans to take open reservoirs off-line and replacing them with new underground storage tanks.
The plan to bury the reservoirs is controversial: the city says they are forced to spend a half a billion dollars in order to comply with a federal regulation, while citizen groups say that the water bureau is fast tracking projects to the same cozy consultants who wrote the regulation and that the water bureau could work more earnestly on obtaining relief.
We'll hear public health and infectious disease specialists; sounds from the earth-day rally at city hall in support of our natural water system; how lower income citizens will be affected by the increase in water rates; citizen activist Floy Jones and Kent Craford of an alliance of local businesses; and government officials ranging from Portland Water Bureau Administrator David Shaff to the EPA administrator Lisa Jackson.