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2The Daily Tar HeelFriday, February 21, 1992 Former commission chairman frustrated by task of finding waste site By Jackie Hershkowltz Staff Writer We don't want poison in our towns. ...We don't want to die! We don't want dirty air. ... Don't poison our animals. Don't poison our people. Don't make trees die. Please STOP making hazard ous waste. Sincerely. Ms. Moeller's kindergar ten, Troutman Elementary School Thousands of similar letters were sent to Alvis Turner in 1990 and 1991. Schoolchildren and other angry citi zens from across the state wrote the UNC professor, pleading for theircoun ties to be spared from becoming hazardous-waste dumping grounds. The 62-year-old professor of envi ronmental science quickly became ac customed to public criticism. As chair man of the N.C. Commission on Haz ardous Waste Management, the body chosen to select a site for a hazardous waste facility. Turner was an easy tar get for angry citizens. "I am a trueenvironmentalist,"Turner said. "What hurt most is that the public thought I would do anything to hurt any community or citizen. "On an average day, I got 1 00 to 1 50 letters. There was a time when I was getting so much mail, the post office had to send it on a special truck." Lonnie Sharpe, an assistant dean of the School of Engineering at N.C. Ag ricultural & Technical State University who served on the commission with Turner, said that although the public had the right to be concerned, some of their fears were unjustified. "There are some things which we just knew would not occur," Sharpe said. "A lot of people had no problem with a facility being built, as long as it wasn't AND 9 OUT OF 10 WOULD DO IT AGAIN. In fact, many do. While immersed in different cultures, they're making an important difference in the lives of so many. They're people just like you people who have skills and energies to share. Perhaps you, too, would enjoy the chance to help people to help themselves, and at the same time discover new, wonderful things about yourself. Peace Corps is in more countries today than ever before, and needs people from a wide variety of disciplines education, health, the environment, agriculture, community development, engineering, the sciences, and more. With your degree, or work experience, Peace Corps may be able to use your skills as no other job prospect would putting you to work where it matters, and giving you new skills that will enhance future career or educational opportunities. And an experience that will last a lifetime. And while you may think volunteering is out of the question. Peace Corps' financial benefits are substantial and far-reaching they make volunteering possible now, and give you a unique advantage for the future. Find out more about today's Peace Corps. PEACE CORPS: INFORMATION SESSION: 209 Hanes Hall February 24 at 6:30 pm ON CAMPUS INTERVIEWS: Sign up with Career Planning and Placement Center. Interview dates March 10-11 ' Mi CORPS STILL M JOUbrHS! JOB YOU 11 Vt RjOVt ; in their back yard," Sharpe said. "But if you didn't want it, you shouldn't have wanted it in anyone else's back yard, either." Turner added: "People didn't even give us a chance to explain the benefits of having a hazardous waste facility in their county. I'm sure some fears could have been eliminated if they had just listened." Would you please put the hazardous waste incinerator somewhere else? I live 112 mile from the waste site and have a hig garden in my hack yard, and the gases will harm my crops. So if you think this is so good, why don't you put it in your own hack yard, cause I don't want it in mine. Sincerely, Shawn Menscel, Coral Spring School Hostile citizens confronted the com mission as it toured the state, searching for a suitable site and holding meetings with community groups. Once, the com mission was pelted with trash. On an other occasion, citizens formed a hu man barricade in front of the property being considered for a waste facility. "This is about responsibility ."Turner said. "For 10 years, North Carolina has iff "":X. 1 f' r - 11 n in i i MinMiiiii Alvis Turner been sending its waste to neighboring states. We've been dumping on them long enough." In 1990, North Carolina entered an agreement to build a landfill, incinerator and water treatment facility that would be operational by December 1 99 1 . That year, N.C. industries sent a staggering 182 million pounds of hazardous waste to other states. "From the beginning, our chances of finding a site were slim to none,"Tumer said. "Every time we turned around, we were slapped with a lawsuit." Twenty-six lawsuits were filed against the commission. Private citi zens, community groups and environ mental agencies sued the Hazardous Waste Commission. After months of litigation, an ideal site was found in Lee County, Turner said. But due to a misunderstanding of state laws, the General Assembly did not approve the site. "I was frustrated with the public, but I could understand their fears and emo tions," Turner said. "But what frus trated me even more was that the Gen eral Assembly, which is supposed to do what is best for the state, refused to approve our recommendation." In addition to public criticism and governmental red tape. Turner cited the media as an antagonistic factor. "The media only focused on the spec tacular large crowds and outbursts," he said. "The scientific and technical aspects were never explained." Turner resigned from his position as chairman of the commission in May. The search for a site is now in the hands of private companies who contract with the state, Turner said. If asked again to serve on a commis sion to find a waste site, how would he respond? "Not in a million years," he said. "I tried it once and was unsuccessful. Let someone else try." Campus Calendar FRIDAY 10 a.rn. UNC Accounting Students will give free tax help until 2 p.m. in Can Mill Mall. Noon: Orientation interescs.iion.2l 1 -212 Union for students interested in being junior-transfer orien tation counselors. UNC Learning Skills Center to offer study skills and time management workshop. 104 Phillips Annex. 1 p.m. Juggling Club, Carmichael Ballroom. .. Students for Cancer Awareness, Research and Education to have arcade tournament in Union Un derground. Call Susan Mulford. 932-3403,10 sign up. 4 p.m. Black Cultural Center to give a reception for Thulani Davis, poet and author of "1 959." t p.rn. Black Interdenominational Student As sociation will have worship service followed by a potluck dinner in the Wesley Foundation. Hillel: Dinner, services. A congressman will speak about Israel on Capitol Hill and Jews in government. 8 p.m. Terence Blanchard Quintet. Memorial Hall. 9p.m. Association of International Students will have an international mixer on the second floor of Carmichael Residence Hall. SATURDAY 10 a. m. Rape Action Project will have a training session until 2 pm in 208 Union. UNC Accounting Students will give free tax help until 2 p.m. in Carr Mill Mall. 2 p.m. Carolina Fever will meet in Upendo Lounge to distribute N.C. State tickets. Members must weur 1991-92 T-shirts. 8 p.m. UNC Jazz Band with Rick Llllard and Tim Eyerman in Memorial Hall. SUNDAY Noon: LaCasa Espanula los invitaa"Sobremesa" en Lenoir para desayuno. 5 p.m. French House will show "Sugar Cane Alley" in the second-floor lounge of Carmichael. ITEMS OF INTEREST Registrar's Office will be closed Monday and Tuesday, will resume operation in Hanes basement. 102 S. Elliott Road 967-5517 . i the second I dinner entree of equal or J lesser value j ! offer good thru February 29. 1992 ! Ml - II TERENCE BLANCHARD QUINTET " TONIGHT 8:DCIM Memorial Hall Performer in Spike Lee's "Mo Better Blues" & "Jungle Fever" Hot Jazz Cool Price s4 UNC Students 58 General Public Union Box Office.962-1449 Presented by Carolina Union Performing Arts S UNC Department ol Music i' into inhk. Plain Old LSAT Preparation Course Introducing Ronkin's New LSAT Premium Program. Just because something has been around for a long time doesn't necessarily mean it's good. The Ronkin Educational Group is an innovative company that has put together the latest in research, technology, and teaching techniques in a new LSAT course. We call it our LSAT Premium Program and it's been designed to help you T H E OUCATIONAL GROUP obtain the highest possible score so that you can get into the best law school. Because, as you know, graduating from law school doesn't guarantee a job. You need to graduate from the best. So don't take chances by going to an old test preparation company. Call Ronkin today. You deserve the very best. STUDENTS' UNDERGRADUATE TEACHING AWARDS UNDi H'ng.'92aw The Students' Undergraduate Teaching Awards Selection Committee would like to congratulate the following teachers on being nominated for an award. Each of these professors and teaching assistants has demonstrated excellence in the teaching of undergraduates on this campus and every one is considered a winner. From this group, three professors and five teaching assistants will he chosen to receive an award. Finalists will he announced the week of March 9. We would also like to thank all the students who nominated these outstanding teachers. Andrew Scott Kim Russell Rob Michaels Paul Fiddleman Peter Coclanis Charles Capper Jim Porto Annalee Cato Judith Blau . Anne Hall Brian Surette Chuck Stone Jurg Steiner Judith Bennett Abagail Panter Darolyn Hilts Karen Weyler Richard W.Pfaff Boone Turchi Theodore Leinbaugh Terrence Mcintosh Karl Peterson Geoff Sayre-McCord Steve Shallit Mercedes Guijaro- Crouch Jack Roper Earl Spurgin Joseph Anderle Gary Pielak James Gadson Carol Mauor Mark McCombs Michele Ware Robert Porter Beth Calamia Christine Anton Missy Lingenfelter Curt Ryan Nancy Yovetich Jacquelyn Dowd Hall Thomas Sorrele Grant Wacker Carol Sherman Patrick O'Neil Richard Kohn Jean Desair Jane Hawkins Alfred Guender Marsha Collins W.J. McCoy Robert Daniels Sonja J. Stone John McKelves Kevin Splain Rob Michaels Maurice Brookhart Richard Hiskey Norbert Pienta Robert S. Gwyn Jane Kenyon Gerry Huiskamp Bill Hazria Anne Hastings Bart D. Ehrman Suzanna Rinehart Keith Simmons Paul Ferguson Loren Smith Harry Watson Robert McMahon Donald Oehler Ron C. Miller James Hile William Kier Darryl Glass Daniel O'Sullivan Daniel Humphries Will Nash Steve Parsons Wes Boyd Glen Bleske Bahti Kasturiarchi Kevin Patrick Deborah Austin Steven Killion Lynn Rankin Robert Adler Jim Leloudis i.
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Feb. 21, 1992, edition 1
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