Legislature urged to approve statewide smoke-free law

Legislature urged to approve statewide smoke-free law
As the 2008 Legislature gets under way, I’d like to ask elected officials to support a statewide smoke-free law for Alabama.

Smoking takes the lives of thousands of Alabamians and costs our state healthcare system hundreds of millions every year. Groups like the American Cancer Society are trying to do something about it. I hope legislators do too.

A recent opinion poll showed almost 80 percent of registered voters across the state support a full workplace smoking ban.

So far, 28 states have passed laws that eliminate secondhand smoke in workplaces statewide and I hope Alabama is next.

Joe Donaldson
Auburn

Alabama Ethics Commission wrong to close books on Senate punch
The Alabama Ethics Commission has shamed its responsibility in dropping the complaint against Sen. Charles Bishop (R-Arley) who punched of Sen. Lowell Barron (D-Fyffe) in the head on the last day of the 2007 legislative session. Calling a news conference a week ago, Bishop chided committee members for sitting “on their rear ends for six months” without acting on the complaint.

Bishop has always maintained that Barron used foul language involving his mother and the punch was a natural response, but Barron has denied it altogether.

Had the physical assault involved an ordinary citizen, that citizen would have two options: one is to file an arrest warrant and let the court determine the appropriate punishment, or the perpetrator can seek an apology from the injured person, if that will squarely settle the matter — letting bygones be bygones.

Bishop’s statement “There’s no question I’ve taken responsibility for what I did, and we can’t have physical abuse in the chamber, and we can’t have verbal abuse, profanity” was a recognition of a wrong behavior on his part, but he made no face-to-face appearance of an apology toward Barron who would have courted reconciliation with him, I believe.

I am disappointed with the ethics committee in closing the door to the assault.

The committee is telling the citizens of this state that the incident is not worth the consideration and that physical assault is acceptable behavior even in the Senate Chamber. What will the Senate do at another physical altercation from a member?

Isaiah J. Ashe
Huntsville

ADEM should consider sewage levels in Chewacla, Saugahatchee creeks

I am writing to comment on the proposed TMDL (total maximum daily loads) regulations that will soon go into effect for Pepperell Branch and the Saugahatchee Creek embayment on Yates Lake.

My primary concern is that the stricter limits on nutrients in Saugahatchee Creek may increase the amount of sewage that is processed at the H.C. Morgan Water Pollution Control Facility on Parkerson Mill Creek just above the confluence of Chewacla Creek.

The City of Auburn will probably send more sewage to its south side treatment plant because of the TMDL.

They have a pipeline in place that gives them the capability to send peak flows to the H.C. Morgan WPCF and they will have restrictions on nutrients with the new TMDL that will force them to do just that.

I realize that the H.C. Morgan WPCF has a permit from ADEM to handle more sewage.

I also believe that the aquatic life in Chewacla Creek is already suffering from the current load of effluent. The phosphorous and nitrogen levels will increase as the effluent increases.

Will ADEM monitor the negative effects the effluent is having on the aquatic life in Chewacla Creek?

The last biological assessment of Parkerson Mill Creek was conducted in 1997, 11 years ago.

It is past time for a new biological assessment of Parkerson Mill Creek and Chewacla Creek below the H.C. Morgan WPCF.

I do not think ADEM has been seriously considering the threatened and endangered mussels found in Chewacla Creek.

ADEM should consider the probable consequences of the TMDL for Saugahatchee Creek to the aquatic life in Chewacla Creek.

Zack Sprayberry
Auburn