• Robert Bohm, Coordinator
  Committee to Elect Vivian Houghton Attorney General
  (302) 239-2572 rebsalerno@msn.com
  
• J. Roy Cannon, Coordinator
  Media Subcommittee
  Committee to Elect Vivian Houghton Attorney General
  (302) 738-9963 jcannon11@comcast.net
  

Vivian Houghton, Green Party candidate for Attorney General, yesterday accused DNREC of "such massive violations of its mandate" that it's lack of pollution oversight has amounted to "a crime against the people," Houghton said. "The state's next attorney general should establish a special task force to investigate the possibility for bringing criminal proceedings against the agency.  Delaware's industries must put an end to the massive pollution of our neighborhoods and DNREC has neglected its mandate to achieve this."

Houghton's remarks follow an EPA national report on toxic releases published in the News Journal June 5th.  In the report, Delaware was cited as ranking 35th among all states despite its small size compared to others.  The EPA reported that Delaware had the highest or was among the highest polluter in vinyl chloride, dioxin, mercury and chlorinated benzenes.  These chemical compounds have be found to cause cancer and, in the case of mercury, neurological and child development disorders.

"DNREC has a long history of 'being in the pocket' of Delaware's big polluters," said Nick Galasso, Green Party of Delaware member and environmental activist.  "Vivian Houghton, as Attorney General, will change DNREC from an industry lap-dog to an agency with the necessary teeth to see that the citizens of Delaware are protected."

"Others may try to ignore the facts but the average citizen knows that Delaware's leadership in pollution of the environment is the reason our state also leads in cancer rates and asthma is epidemic among our children," said Karen Lienau, who works with some of the states poorest people in Wilmington.  "While pollution is harming us all, the disadvantaged person is hurt the most because the large industrial polluters tend to locate nearer these neighborhoods.  I'm working to elect Vivian Houghton as our next Attorney General because Jane Brandy has done nothing to reverse this problem and Carl Schnee is just 'hot air.'  I know Vivian and she will put people's needs first", she said.

Houghton has previously criticized Sunoco for it's on-going release of sulfur dioxide and DNREC's "paddy-cake" response to about 141,000 pounds of toxic chemical emissions at their Marcus Hook refinery.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Committee to Elect Vivian Houghton Attorney General

800 West Street
Wilmington DE 19801
302 652-0670 

email: agcandidate@vivianhoughton.com

www.vivianhoughton.com/vivian

Green Party of Delaware

www.gpde.org

gpde_greenrep2001@yahoo.com

Green Party of the United States

www.greenpartyus.org 

866-41GREEN