Dump Debate

Here we go again. I read with mounting disgust the item in today’s Times concerning the success of Taconic Resources’ signature drive to have the Weldon Canyon dump issue put on the November ballot. I find it particularly repugnant that Taconic enlisted paid signature-gatherers to put this spurious and mean-spirited issue before county voters.

This issue has been discussed and analyzed for many months in the news, and the conclusions have been clear: Weldon Dump is not the answer to Ventura County’s waste disposal needs. Regardless of the local concerns about pollution and noise (which are real enough), it is simply not equitable to force the West County to take trash that rightfully belongs in Moorpark, Simi Valley and the other populous East County cities. This is particularly true in light of the concerted recycling efforts by the Ojai Valley and Ventura and their corresponding decrease in trash output.

Furthermore, this cynical end-run around local governing bodies will be defeated. As Waste Management discovered before them, Taconic Resources will be forced to deal with the Ventura City Council and the motivated political forces of the Ojai Valley.

GEORGE B. PRATT

Ventura