Random Letters: 10-28-21

It’s In the Numbers

The Republican politicians in Texas must really care about kids.

The infant mortality rate of Texas is tied at 23rd for the country.

Florida: 28 ( a larger number being worse)

Kentucky: 36

Indiana: 45

The U.S. Virgin Islands does better than Oklahoma, South Dakota, Arkansas and Mississippi.

Evil socialist California is tied at three.

Cuba has a better infant mortality rate than the United States.

Mike Madrid, San Pedro

Testimony POLA Oct. 21, 2021 Public Comment

The recent oil spill in Huntington Beach offers a direct segue into the continued high risk exposure to South Bay residents from the massive 25 Million Gallon liquefied Petroleum Gas storage facility, introduced by this Port in 1973.

Exemptions applied to the Amplify Energy Co. and the other oil pipelines installed directly within the traffic lanes of port bound cargo ships….was due to pressure of “expediency” resulting from the Mid East oil crisis of the early 1970s.

That same “emergency status” applied to the development of the massive and highly explosive Butane Gas storage facility that continues to sit…representing an over 3-mile blast radius…”ticking away” on the doorsteps of our homes, schools, traffic corridors and at the edge of this port.

Like the disregarded pipeline safety concerns pertaining to the ocean pipelines …“exemptions” to compliance were also awarded to this LPG site. The regulatory exemptions included were from the LA Fire Dept., the American Petroleum Institute, the Dept. of LA Building and Safety, etc. Meaning that the facility never even met the lower regulatory threshold of that time! Fast forward now…almost 50 years later:…..the high jeopardy of this facility remains recklessly ignored despite the site’s horrific and ever increasing potential for catastrophe. This, 40-plus years after the Mid East oil crisis “emergency” was resolved. The port and vity of LA have continued to sweep this incredible disaster potential neatly under a bulging rug and have steadfastly “refused” to take any protective action, whatsoever.

A recent Los Angeles Times article describes the long ignored hazards from the hastily installed pipeline ultimately responsible for the recent oil disaster. It speaks to red flags of warning met with willful blind eyes. Please take note that as damaging as the decades long ignorance of recklessly placed oil pipelines may be, it pales greatly when compared to the extraordinary scale of death and destruction guaranteed from the flagrant  …mindless placement of this massive volatile & highly explosive facility. There simply is NO excuse for ignoring this situation any further.

Without “permitted” uses of public land controlled by this port … this LPG facility … currently owned by criminally convicted, Plains All American Pipeline … could NOT operate. Those permits can and should be revoked immediately by this port under the “umbrella of Public Safety.” 

Why must we be forced to endure deadly consequences of government’s deliberate and ignorant disregard for our safety and for its very own infrastructure?

Janet Schaaf-Gunter, San Pedro