Speaking of "Level Playing Fields"

From a story in today's Moscow-Pullman Daily News:

The city of Moscow likely will be fined $134,000 for its wastewater treatment violations.

The Administrative and Public Works/Finance committees authorized Mayor Nancy Chaney to sign a consent agreement to reach a settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency.

The city of Moscow's wastewater treatment plant has violated four National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit standards regarding water quality over the past four years.

The Environmental Protection Agency found that Moscow was in violation of standards for total residual chlorine, fecal coliform, phosphorous and dissolved oxygen.

Moscow City Attorney Randy Fife said there were 950 violations between March 2002 and June 2006 and the city could have been forced to pay as much as $2.5 million.

"The city has in fact violated parts of the NPDES that were required," he said. "I'm here to suggest the city is in fact responsible for these violations."

...

Fife said the EPA is aware of the city's efforts to upgrade its wastewater treatment plant.

"I am under the impression that after this settles out, the EPA will likely go on to other entities in other cities and not pay particular attention to us," Fife said.

...

"I say we pay and move on," Lambert said. "I don't think any fine is a good deal."

Pall said she wasn't thrilled with the way the federal government was negotiating in this situation.

THE SAME MOSCOW GOVERNMENT THAT IS ACTIVELY BLOCKING GROWTH IN WHITMAN COUNTY BASED ON WATER ISSUES IS CHAFING AT THE FACT THEY HAVE TO PAY ANY FINES AT ALL FOR POLLUTING WHITMAN COUNTY'S WATER??????? MY GOD, THE HYPOCRISY. HELLO, MARK SOLOMON AND THE AQUINUTS. TAKE CARE OF MOSCOW FIRST BEFORE YOU INTERFERE WITH THE HAWKINS DEVELOPMENT. Water isn't even the issue anyway. These characters are either anti-business or anti-Whitman County. Water is just the excuse.

950 violations over four years for residual chlorine, fecal coliform, phosphorous and dissolved oxygen. Guess where all those violations go? Downstream to Pullman. Unfortunately for us, the Washington Department of Ecology is not going to move on to other entities and allow us to slip under their radar again. No, Pullman is being saddled with incredibly unfair and expensive stormwater regulations in large part due to Moscow's serial environmental violations. $134,000 is a slap on the hand compared with what the city government, WSU, and Pullman residents are going to have to fork over in the next few years. Not to mention the fact that these DOE stormwater regulations will drive development over to Moscow.

Our local libs love to talk about creating a "level playing field" in the economy. Here's a good place to start. Any room for that under your big tent, Chuck?