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Any Good Reasons?

I’d like to thank our Board of Selectmen for passing the ordinance to ban fracking waste in Madison. It was encouraging to see Al Goldberg, Bruce Wilson, Scott Murphy, and Jean Ferris stand together on what some selectmen termed a “no brainer.” I would have thought so, too. Although a number of voices feel that there is little likelihood in fracking waste ever being imported to Madison for storage, processing, construction fill, or as road de-icer, the research on the ramifications for such waste polluting the environment, as they have done for other towns in New York and Pennsylvania, clearly proves the adage “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

Are there any good reasons to welcome toxic waste in Madison? For our first selectman, Tom Banisch, there must be, as he was the only member of the board to vote against a ban of toxic waste entering the town. Banisch’s reasons for voting against the ordinance are his own, as he offered no public explanation for his opposition in the five months that this process was dragged out.

It leads one to wonder whether he knows more about the mystery benefits of this waste than he was willing to share at any point in this five month process. It also leads one to ponder the connection between this action and Banisch’s history of owning and operating a chemical company called TD Mack in Rhode Island. A Google search for “TD Mack Rhode Island Banisch” provides an interesting EPA account of chemical spills into the environment of the sulfuric acid, aluminum thiosulfate, potassium chlorate, and other volatile chemical compounds stored at this business site.

One finally is led to wonder where the environment and citizen health ranks with Tom Banisch in relation to his personal business dealings.

Briana Benn-Mirandi

Madison

Tom Banisch outlined his opposition to the town’s fracking waste ordinance in his April 19 column “A Lot of Reasons.”