Exempted Threats

To the Editor:

I recently added my voice to that of the Hawleyville Environmental Advocacy Team in opposition to the Housatonic Railroad’s proposed expansion of its solid waste operation in Hawleyville. It is difficult at best to comprehend why a railroad company, or any other kind of industrial enterprise, should be exempted from environmental standards which have been effected with great care by our legislators to protect public health and safety.

Runoff from a privately run “dump” threatens the aquifer — and the residents of the area — in all the same ways a state-regulated site would. That exemption should be removed from the state’s policy book with all possible haste.

Respectfully,

Jan Neuberger

51 Obtuse Road, Newtown                                               July 14, 2009