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| Yes | 47% | 51 votes | Total: 108 votes | |
| No | 53% | 57 votes |
Yes
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Add to FavoritesThe government should withhold information about toxic pollutants in certain cases. While many critics of the current administration will rush to condemn any efforts by government to control access to information on hazardous materials or toxic pollutants, there are valid reasons for doing so.
The general public is already well served by regulatory commissions and agencies in the individual states in the area of hazardous materials and toxic pollutants. In addition, the federal government has strict guidelines in place for the handling of pollutants and standards concerning their release into the environment. Further, the last few decades have seen a much greater increase in self-policing among companies in industries which produce hazardous or volatile products.
Increasing the reporting of the locations and types of chemicals and or volatile materials in any more than a regulatory way could create many more opportunities for terrorists or criminals to access pollutants or hazardous chemicals. As an example, it could be argued that the location and storage information regarding nuclear material is handled in a way which restricts access for obvious reasons. Nobody wants to find a container of deuterium in a city dump or landfill. It is for this reason that nuclear materials are kept, handled, transported and disposed of in a carefully controlled manner. While an informal observer could speculate that nuclear materials are found in research facilities, hospitals, power plants and some government and military installations, this information is not widely known nor broadcast to the general public with any regularity.
The public does have a right to know if general or indirect threats to their health and safety exist, but very often the use or transport of pollutants and hazardous materials cannot be made public due to safety and security concerns. Government and private industry have no interest in endangering the public and in most cases handle pollutants and hazardous materials with great care and security. Advertising the locations and handling practices of these materials can only bring greater attention from those who may wish to use them for military or terrorist purposes.
Learn more about this author, Daniel Walch.
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No
The government should not withold ANY information from the public, least of all withold information about toxic pollutants and where they are stored. The public has the right to know if dangerous substances are being stored nearby them as it pertains to their health and safety.
It's bad enough that private contractors/land developers build homes on top of toxic land fills and say nothing to the people who buy the homes sitting on top of the health hazard, we don't need a government that does the same.
The health effects on people whose homes are built over a toxic landfill are generlly confined to the people living in homes atop the landfill - though their lives are no less significant, toxic pollutants are stored in much larger areas and have the potential to affect thousands of peoples lives adversely.
If the government wants to believe that hiding the whereabouts of toxic pollutants will "protect" the U.S. and keep terrorists from knowing where they are stored, the government is seriously misguided. Terrorists already know where all toxic pollutants are stored as well as where anything else that is supposedly kept "secret" from them. Terrorists are living right within the United States and no information is unknown to them. The government is well aware of this fact but that is just another "secret" they want to keep from us.
If the government witholds information about toxic pollutants and their locations from the public it shows a blatant disregard for human lives, No government has the right to endanger another person's life and if lives are affected by the govenment's witholding of information, those responsible for the secrecy are to be held accountable for any injury.
The presnt administration speaks loudly about accountability but as yet accountability seems to be just another word.
There have been a few people who were nominated for high office positions and were found guilty of not paying their taxes during the investigative process. Despite that fact , there was no action taken against any of them.These people "apologized" for their actions and Congress accepted their nomination as if nothing wrong had been done.
If the members of Congress can accept tax evasion as being just a "minor defect" among their political compatriots, are we to believe that they will not withold information about where toxic pollutants are stored?
The answer to that question is "NO" . Until major changes are made, Congress will continue to justify the witholding of any information from the public that they see fit and not think twice about their actions.
The government has long been guilty of unwarranted secrecy and it must stop now - our lives and the lives of our families depend on knowing where dangers lie so we can avoid them.
Learn more about this author, Megan O'Brian.
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