Nobody likes to get sued. Well, that may not be strictly true. There may be lonely, old lawyers out there who appreciate the attention and have become so deft at dodging legal bullets that they just enjoy the game, but ordinary, rational human beings try to avoid such things. Oh dear, did I just open myself up to be sued by lonely, old lawyers for implying that they do not qualify as "rational human beings"?
Aw, what the heck. Rationality isn't everything it is cracked up to be anyway.
On the other hand, I received a rather insulting and threatening letter, passed on by my editor, from a "reader" who is, apparently, a spokesperson for "Greenaction" and their website, greenaction.org. Mr. Bradley Angel accuses me of things I did not do. His letter says that I said that his (or some other) organization "said" that they believe nearly every technology for recycling MSW is just a disguise for incineration, and therefore a source of dioxins. I certainly didn't write that they had "said" any such thing, but it was not a major leap of faith to conclude that this was their attitude based on reading their primary instrument of public awareness, their "Incinerators in Disguise" document. Mr. Angel demanded a retraction and that his response be printed by my publisher. As I said recently, I am not subject to the FCC "fairness" doctrine (which was withdrawn anyway), but in the interest of "fairness" I'll let you read what he wrote in any case, unedited and in its entirety as forwarded to me by my editor.
From: Bradley Angel [mailto:bradley@greenaction.org]
Sent: Tuesday, May 08, 2007 11:52 AM
To: American Chronicle
Subject: Correction to Article - please print our response...thank you
To the Editor,
This is a response to the following article, Killing Pyrolysis, Gasification and More Biomass to Energy Projects
Stafford 'Doc' Williamson http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=26341
Stafford Williamson's attack on Greenaction and the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives for our campaign exposing and opposing plasma, gasification and pyrolysis technologies (what we call "incinerators in disguise") is either ill-informed or dishonest. For example his following statement is completely false: "My beef is that they have fixed on the notion that just about every waste recycling technology in existence is what they consider to be a form of "incineration" and that as such it is absolutely guaranteed to produce DIOXINS and other known carcinogens."
Greenaction and GAIA never said what he attributes to us and his claim is completely false - and he should retract that claim as it is libelous. We fully support environmentally friendly, real recycling technologies, and we also support truth in advertising from industry.
His claim that we just assume some of the technologies we expose as incinerators in disguise are dioxin emitters is also false. We have come to our conclusions based on extensive research of the facts.
Many of the companies we have fought that promote plasma, pyrolysis and gasification either had to admit they emitted dioxin after falsely claiming they did not (only after we challenged them) or several had to withdraw their proposals (North American Power Company and Plastic Energy) after we demanded to see the data they claimed they had - but which they could never produce. Data from other plasma, gasification and pyrolysis companies confirm dioxin emissions despite their public relations claims that there is no dioxin produced.
Williamson conveniently omits the clear fact that so many of these incinerator in disguise companies are making false claims.
My recent trip to Japan and tour of the Ebara gasification plant in Nagareyama, Chiba prefecture (near Tokyo) two weeks ago was only the latest example of a company falsely claiming "zero emissions technology," "no secondary pollution," "no supplementary fuel needed" and "environmentally friendly" operations - all claims the plant managers honestly admitted were not true after we discussed the operations at the end of our tour.
Williamson should do his homework before hurling accusations, just as we have done our homework and good research.
We stand by our report and our campaign. In fact, we will be updating our Incinerators in Disguise report in the near future to reflect the increased knowledge we now have that only further supports our initial research.
Bradley Angel
Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice
I trust that should satisfy Mr. Angel's request.
Mr. Williamson does his homework.
On a happier note, there's a new place on the net called "biobling.com" that is rather interesting. From the cute handmade graphic "entrance" page, to the listings of both "for sale" and simply exemplary items, the whole place is about resuscitating and tricking out diesel burning vehicles from the distant and recent past. A lot of rather nice looking vintage (um, let's see, "vintage" in cars is supposed to be 25 years or more, I seem to recall, so 2007 minus 25 is 1982, so maybe not quite vintage in some cases) Mercedes, and a lot of praise for the Volkwagen Jetta TDI, which even in newer models reportedly gets a "real world" actual mileage of 48 MPG on biodiesel, versus real world actual mileage on a Toyota Prius Hybrid of just 42 MPG (I have no independent verification of this, I'm just repeating what was reported there.) BioBling offers custom graphics up to and including car wraps, custom wheels and spinners, carpet and upholstery, even flat screen televisions as upgrades to "bling" your purchase.
At the high end, their "gallery" shows a 2005 Jetta TDI purchased new for $23,000 that gets the 48 MPG, and if you just GOTTA HAVE an SUV, a Ford Excursion, 1 Ton, 500 HP (800 lb of torque) diesel model that gets 17 - 20 MPG. A rather nice looking Mercedes 300TD station wagon from 1987 that was purchased for just $4,800 is shown and reportedly gets 27 - 29 MPG. If you are in the market yourself, they also have a listing of: 1983 Cadillac deVille (Diesel); Available for Sale: $7,500 plus shipping; Includes 100K/5yr warranty on engine and transmission; Modifications: None; Odometer: 66K original miles; MPG: 20+.
However, elsewhere I saw that BioBling is putting together a set of Biodiesel powered Limos to take stars to the 2008 Oscars celebration. Elsewhere, and I am sorry I couldn't find the particular place again today, I responded to a comment that it was unlikely that any of these limos would be running on "vegetable oil" as they pulled up to the red carpet.
Actually it is very likely that some of the biodiesel limos will be running on straight vegetable oil. Some Hollywood environmentalist stars are adamant about their positions, to the extent that, for instance Ed Begley Jr. rides his bicycle to work every day. Fortunately he takes a shower once he gets there, so the actors and actresses around him don't have to endure days of accumulated B.O., but if he is attending the Oscars next year, and accepts a ride in one of these biodiesel special limos, he is one who would almost certainly insist that it burn pure peanut oil as Dr. Diesel originally intended for his first diesel engine, just to make the environmental point. Daryl Hannah is also a strong advocate of alternate fuels, and so are a good number of her friends. Don't be surprised if some of the less environmentally conscious starlets complain about the odd smells. B100 (pure, 100% biodiesel) doesn't smell like french fries unless it happens to be from USED vegetable oil that fried french fries. Exhaust from Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (aka F.A.M.E. - ironic, but that's what "biodiesel" works out to be chemically -- so you KNOW starlets are going to want some) smells more or less like a cross between conventional diesel exhaust and slightly burned corn oil in a deep fryer in your aunt's kitchen.
But the current push is just to get SOME percentage of "renewable diesel" (there's another kind that isn't made from vegetable oils, as well as the real "biodiesel" type) BLENDED into B2, B5, B10 and B20 corresponding to those percentages of renewable fuels mixed with conventional petroleum derived diesel.
I hope the media coverage makes a pretty big deal of the kind of statement that Hollywood (and the Oscars folks in particular) are making about their support for doing SOMETHING and SOON !
Collette Brooks, the Hollywood based publicist who is behind the BioBling organization is another factor not to be overlooked. She got celebrities to attend prior Oscar celebrations driving Toyota Prius' cars. Toyota is now a client of her publicity firm.
love
Stafford "Doc" Williamson
