Tell them you are their constituent, and you oppose SOPA and PIPA.
SOPA and PIPA put the burden on website owners to police user-contributed material and call for the unnecessary blocking of entire sites. Small sites won't have sufficient resources to defend themselves. Big media companies may seek to cut off funding sources for their foreign competitors, even if copyright isn't being infringed. Foreign sites will be blacklisted, which means they won't show up in major search engines. SOPA and PIPA build a framework for future restrictions and suppression.
In a world in which politicians regulate the Internet based on the influence of big money, Wikipedia — and sites like it — cannot survive.
Congress says it's trying to protect the rights of copyright owners, but the "cure" that SOPA and PIPA represent is worse than the disease. SOPA and PIPA are not the answer: they will fatally damage the free and open Internet."
Jan. 24 EPA Public Meeting (CAG organizational representatives: please announce this to your members): The EPA public information meeting for the Feasibility Study will be on Tuesday January 24, at 7 PM. The location will be the auditorium of P.S. 58, 330 Smith Street.
National Grid meeting: We are postponing the January 10 National Grid meeting and the new date is to be determined. There was very little response in terms of RSVPs and it appears that with so much happening right now with the Feasibility Study, and the need for the CAG to obtain/develop technical capacity, it would be best to first get through the upcoming Water Quality/Technical Committee meeting on the 16th, the EPA public meeting on the 24th, and the CAG meeting on the 30th, all of which will be focusing on the Feasibility Study.
Jan. 30 CAG General Meeting, 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., location TBD: EPA will be attending, including Christos Tsiamis, so that the CAG can ask questions that might not have been addressed at the Jan. 24 public meeting, and to go into greater depth on the details. As time permits, we will cover other CAG business including membership, technical assistance, committee updates, and CAG procedures. Members of the public are welcome to attend, but for space reasons should rsvp to edelstein@psouth.net.
FYI Contact:
Jeff Edelstein, P.E.
Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group Facilitator
Held at Brooklyn Historical Society
Committee Reports:
ARCHEOLOGY COMMITTEE:
EPA will begin the development of the Archeological component of the Feasibility Study. The public was asked to submit any documents, maps, or other data or materials they may have which would enhance the study. Contact EPA Archeologist at Vetter.John@epamail.epa.gov.
Look for Angela Kramer Murphy’s new book on “The History of the Gowanus Canal.”
ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITTEE:
For anyone interested in joining the CAG :
Persons may contact CAG Facilitator directly who will direct member to gowanuscagop@gmail.com to obtain an application form . This form may also be obtained and filled independently. Upon submission of completed form the Administrative Committee will review and submit to the general CAG for review.
OUTREACH COMMITTEE:
National Grid and EPA are making every effort to keep the community involved in the progress of the clean up. There is consideration of a future CAG website and/or newsletter to reach out to the residents of the community who are not attending members of CAG.
WATER QUALITY AND TECHNICAL COMMITTEE:
National Grid has provided a power point presentation to this committee. A site map has been posted at Public Place showing the areas of test wells and contamination results. More info can be found at http://www.citizensmapsite.com/. National Grid will be offering walking tours of Public Place in the near future.
The General Public is encouraged to attend the DEP Annual Meeting on Green Infrastructure. The DEP will show how the city manages and improves NY Waterways by retaining rainwater to reduce storm water overflows. Questions and recommendations from the public are encouraged. Check out the DEP website at www.nyc.gov/dep/greeninfrastuctue. Meeting will be at St. Francis College,180 Remsen St. on November 1st from 6 to 8 PM. Please make every effort to attend this important meeting.
National Grid Clean Up of Public Place:
Since all agencies, EPA, DEC, and DEP have agreed to work collaboratively , it is expected that work will proceed and a faster rate. The scheduled clean up proposed by National Grid is to replace the soil 8 feet below the surface; at the 6ft.level a plastic barrier will provide a shield then be topped with 2 feet of soil. A metal barrier of 50 ft. will separate Public Place and the Canal .
These recommendations did not sit well with most members of CAG. A discussion ensued but no decisions were made. The CAG and the surrounding community want this one time opportunity for a clean up to be accomplished in a proper and professional manner; to the highest degree achievable.
