PTJN

This is a quick update on WWA activities in Johnson County, TN. Most of our energy now is geared toward stopping a poorly run quarry from expanding it's permit to triple it's mining operations and, more than anything, stop the quarry from producing asphalt yards away from the banks of Doe Creek. Doe Creek is a Tier ll stream deserving of it's special classification under TDEC's (TN Dept. of Environment and Conservation) definition of pure public waters. Fundraising for legal expenses now involve a community garden to raise organic produce for Johnson County's new Farmer's Market (which WWA was instrument in starting). This is an exciting time as our legal team pins down the owners of Radford Quarries for ongoing violations of their current permit. While we continue to raise money a dollar at a time with monthly fundraisers, Radford Quarries, owned and run by a small family from NC, is able to hire one of the largest law firms based in Nashville to defend themselves from our lawsuit. We are hoping, in the process of disclosure of their finances, to discover who may indeed be funding this small band of polluters. As our lawsuit threatens to illuminate TDEC's (seemingly intentional) poor enforcement policies, it is on every one's mind here if a larger contingency, up to now enjoying the relaxed enforcement of TDEC, might fear the outcome of a grassroot's victory in court over an all-to-common practice of polluting in TN as "business as usual." Thank you all for your continued support. I'll do my best to keep you up to date on this important fight for clean water in beautiful eastern TN.

-Dennis Shekinah

Tags: Environment/Conservation Environment/Toxics