From: Truth Out
Tuesday, 09 February 2016 00:00
By Thom Hartmann, The Thom Hartmann Program | Video Report
In today's On the News segment: The DC Circuit Court of
Appeals agreed that corporations, not taxpayers, should pay to clean up
their own disasters; Maine will get to vote on marijuana legalization
this November; Canada will protect 85 percent of British Columbia's rain
forest from development and destruction; and more.
TRANSCRIPT:
Thom Hartmann here - on the best of the rest of Science and Green news ...
You need to know this. The DC Circuit Court of Appeals says
that it's time to end the era of "privatize the gains, and socialize the
losses." Last week, the public interest law firm Earthjustice
broke the news that one of our nation's highest courts says it's time
for the EPA to make polluters pay to clean up their own messes. Working
on behalf of conservation groups, Earthjustice attorneys filed suit to
demand that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalize so-called
"financial assurance" rules that require companies stay financially
viable enough to pay for the potential cleanup of any toxic substances
that they produce. In other words, these rules prevent companies from
causing a toxic spill then declaring bankruptcy to avoid the cost of
clean up. And these rules have actually been in place since 1983, when
they were issued as part of the EPA's "Superfund" law. But that agency
pretty much ignored them until a 2009 court ruling ordered the EPA to
start enforcing these regulations. Since that 2009 case, the agency had
once again started to ignore these important rules, which left taxpayers
picking up the tab for toxic spills. So, Earthjustice and other groups
filed suit to force the agency to follow the rules that are already on
the books. And the DC Circuit Court of Appeals agreed that corporations -
not taxpayers - should pay to clean up their own disasters. Their
ruling stated, "It is a common practice for operators [of sites that
produce hazardous substances] to avoid paying environmental liabilities
by declaring bankruptcy or otherwise sheltering assets." And they agreed
that holding corporations accountable will also give them a financial
incentive to make their businesses as safe as possible to begin with.
Amanda Goodin, one of the attorneys for Earthjustice, said, "Today's
court ruling is clear - we will no longer see polluters cheating the
system, evading their financial obligations, and skipping town on their
toxic messes, leaving taxpayers stuck with hefty cleanup bills." Next
time a big company considers skimping on safety in the name of profit,
they will have to be willing to back up that decision with corporate
dollars. MORE
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