May 6, 2008 2 min read

Secretary Kathleen McGinty’s letter defending the Department of Environmental Protection’s meetings distorts the facts in the same way Big Brother does in “1984.” McGinty says, “Before adopting this format, DEP heard from citizens that public meetings were too easily dominated by activists who sought to monopolize the conversation.” What errant nonsense.

I suggest the citizens she refers to were her staff, not the citizens who are impacted by mining. She and her staff are dedicated to enabling the mining industry. DEP meetings take place at all only because they are required by regulation.

Citizens about to be impacted by mining almost never know what to expect or what they need to do to protect themselves until they realize that mining is about to come their way.

When they come to a meeting, they need to hear more than they hear from the mining company or from DEP. They need to hear from the people secretary McGinty refers to as “activists.”

These are people who know what goes on. These are people who volunteer their time because they are appalled by the damage that results from mining. These are the people “citizens” need to hear from.

It is also true that we all need to hear from these citizens. When they come to a meeting and see inaccurate, sometimes out-of-date maps; when they see perennial streams misnamed or identified as intermittent – and in many other cases – we need to hear from them. If they, like those of us who proudly wear the label “activist,” can only speak to a recorder in a closed room, their voices are stifled.

I suggest that secretary McGinty change her tune.

Philip Y. Coleman