Saturday, August 28, 2010

Ed Whitebread- Are You Serious?

In today's Times Leader article by Bill O'Boyle there are comments by Ed Whitebread, Democrat and Chairman of the Conyngham Township Board of Supervisors that cannot go unnoticed.

Ed Whitebread, chairman of the Conyngham Township Board of Supervisors – all three supervisors are Democrats – said he supports the project and is hopeful his town is selected.

“Congressman Kanjorski met with us and supervisors from Newport Township to explain the project,” Whitebread said. “I personally think this would be one of the greatest things that could happen in years.”

Whitebread did not attend the tour of the proposed site – Kanjorski said only he and the representatives from the U.S. Department of State and the General Services Administration took the tour. Whitebread said he wouldn’t badmouth Barletta, but said the mayor has his facts wrong.

Whitebread did not attend the tour of the proposed site – Kanjorski said only he and the representatives from the U.S. Department of State and the General Services Administration took the tour. Whitebread said he wouldn’t badmouth Barletta, but said the mayor has his facts wrong.

“There won’t be any aircraft used there and no bombs,” he said. “I don’t understand where he’s going with this.”


Mr. Whitebread, are you actually serious? Did you bother to read anything about the FASTC project? Did you have any conversation with Michael Dziak, President/CEO of Earth Conservancy? According to his interview with Steve Corbett Mr. Dziak stated he found out about the FASTC project that was to be located on a farm in Ruthsburg, Maryland. So let's start there. Here is a link to the official State Department website on FASTC and information about the Hunt Ray Farm site in Ruthsburg, Maryland.

Mr. Whitebread, please read this document titled "GSA Public Meeting Transcript of February 23, 2010" Go to page 38 and you will read the following:

I'd like to ask a few questions. These explosive bombs that you are planning on using and detonators, is white frost phosphorous chromium zinc oxide hexachloroethane hydrouretic acid which is being use at the Aberdeen which is a toxic superfund site. Aberdeen Proving Ground in the Edgewood area. Just go to the web. All of our superfund sites on there. All of our military bases are the super fund clean ups. Toxic waste sites because they're polluted. The water is polluted from explosive chemicals.

In this press release from Senator Barbara Mikulski of Maryland the reason for abandoning the proposed farm site in Ruthsburg, Maryland is quite clear.

In her letter today, Administrator Johnson said that, “In this case, the preliminary analysis showed that, among other potential concerns, there would be a significant change in land use and considerable noise and traffic impacts.

It is true that there would be no routine aircraft training on the site but there would still be military helicopters bringing in brass from time to time.

According to this chart normal conversation registers about 60 decibels. A quarter stick of dynamite is almost 3 times as loud at 175 decibels but could exceed 210. A one pound bomb of TNT at 15 feet is 180 decibels. A one pound bomb is 191 decibels. Human eardrums rupture at 195 decibels.

Here is a post about bomb detonation and machine gun fired at the proposed FASTC site in Maryland.

6. How loud will the bombs, shooting range, and other loud activities are for the people living around the facility and from Tuckahoe State Park? What is a comparison? How much louder will these be relevant to the existing land use? Exactly what size bombs, guns, etc. will be tested? What will be the schedule for these activities?

Our preliminary estimates of the noise levels that the 3 lb charge will be in the range of 120 decibels (dBA) at the nearest property line. This is similar to being nearby a shotgun as it fires and is an impulsive sound. These events will occur 6 times per year. The 0.5 lb charge is estimated at 105 dBA at the nearest property line. This is similar in noise level to an air powered nail gun at 5 feet, a short burst of sound, and will occur 493 times per year. This is also similar to a cut off saw, chainsaw at 5 feet, jackhammer and many shop tools. These are impulsive sounds, rather than constant sounds, so this will be distinctly different from the majority of the existing farming, agriculture and traffic noises that exist in the community.

The firing ranges are estimated at around 80-90 dBA at Ruthsburg with multiple guns firing at once. This is equivalent to a loud voice at 5 feet, a balloon popping at 5 feet, or a motorcycle at approximately 50 feet. Again, these are impulsive sounds. Gun fire noise during hunting season is common at the site, and the noise levels will be approximately in that range, however the training center’s firing ranges will be fully baffled with walls and overhead ceiling baffles also.

The final results of the final noise analysis will be published in the draft Environmental Assessment (EA). Upon publication, the public can review the EA analysis and the findings, and participate in a 30-day comment period. These findings will also be used to modify the plans and operations for the facility to avoid or mitigate any adverse impact. Development of the site cannot, and will not, begin until the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process is completed.


Evidently they were not able to mitigate the adverse impacts to the site in Maryland according to the GSA decision to abandon the Hunt Ray Farm listed in Senator Mikulski's press release.

Mr. Whitebread, those are the facts. Consider yourself McGruffed.

The Democratic politicians including Hilary Clinton, Barack Obama, Joseph Bieden, Nancy Pelosi, and the local Democratic Supervisor have on mission in mind.

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