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Bridging Gaps in Publicly Accessible Data

Carly.Rospert

How are Data Gaps Worked Around:

Sarnia, and the surrounding area around chemical valley, have 9 air monitoring stations in which air pollutants are monitored from the nearby petrochemical complex. Until 2017, only data from one of these stations (the one on Christina Street in downtown Sarnia) was publicly available. This created a gap in accessiblility of important data for sarnia and the nearby AFN residents. In September 2015, the Clean Air Sarnia and Area group launched as a "community advisory panel made up of representatives from the public, government, First Nations, and industry, who are dedicated to providing the community with a clear understanding of ambient air quality in the Sarnia area." This group works to improve air quality in Sarnia by making information about air quality publicly available and by making recommendations to relevant authorities. In 2018, this group launched the website: https://reporting.cleanairsarniaandarea.com/ (also uploaded as an artifact) which allows public to access data from the air quality monitoring stations and understand how air quality compares to Ontario's standards. This site works to fill the gap of publicly available air quality data in Sarnia.

Standards Undercutting Safety

Carly.Rospert

This report from Ecojustice shows a decline in air pollution compared to Ecojustice's first report released in 2007 for the area around Chemical Valley, yet Sarnia industries continue "to release far more pollution, and in particular far more SO2 , than comparable U.S. refineries." One contributor to the continued excessive emissions is Ontario's lagging air quality standards. The report notes that "Ontario’s AAQC and air quality standards are lagging behind current science on the health impacts of air pollutants, which may put the health of residents at risk." The report highlights pollutants where Ontario's standard is above the national standard or where Ontario has no standard at all. Additionally, Sarnia's benzene emissions are exempt from Ontario's health-based standard for this chemical and are instead regulated by  "an industry technical-based standard" allowing benzene levels to be far higher than the health-based standard. The lagging, lack of, or exemption from regulation undercut efforts in monitoring and reducing emissions to a "safe" level as what is considered "safe" by standards is out of line with what is considered "safe" by health and other standards.

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xiaox

A quote of NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan which is, "Quite frankly, we don't have any nuclear-plant complexes where you have so many reactors packed so closely together" capture the message of the article. It shows there are no nuclear emergency plans for Indian Point Disaster. In the 10 miles radius or even 50 miles radius, there should be prepared an emergency plans and educated the resisdents about the nuclear disaster. 

Another quote "I;m not against the planning. It's where is the funding going to come from to make it happen?" of Steven Peterson, who is director of emergency management for Ulster County, N.Y.. It reveals within the 50 miles radius area provide nuclear emergency plant need federal support and guidance. Government and organisations should offer resisdents a specific emergency plants, such as evacuation and power plants. 

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xiaox

Joseph De Avila applied lots of quotations to show different views about the planning for Indian Point Disaster, and also applied a image of the area might be influenced by Indian Point Disaster and the emergency plants should cover. Different views of different people and represnt different counties or organisation to show the present situation of the emergency plants for Indian Point Disaster. Joseph also applied the research of different quotations to show all the education and emergency planning should support by federal government. 

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xiaox

The article shows there are no specific nuclear emergency plants or Indian Point Disaster. The arounding environment is densely populated and no material educational to resisdent. The situtation are illustrated by image and quotations of many different representors. The main point is as the title shows, to urges expanded emergency planning for Indian Point disaster. The important thing is federal government need to support and guide the state and organisations. 

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xiaox

Indian Point Energy Centre is a new power plants station in Buchanan. As well as the communities around it are without any emergency respond plants to nuclear disaster. NRC is  Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which is an organisation for the safety of nuclear power production and civilians uses for nuclear materials. In addtion, there are some representors of different communities. For example, Ben Smilowitz who is executive director of the Disaster Accountability Project, and Dutchess County’s commissioner of emergency response,Dana Smith. Some actors' words are quotated to show the main point of the article and support the author research. 

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xiaox

The article reveals the Indian Point Disaster's arounding situation which is without any specific nuclear emergency plant. It descripes the different views of communities and shows the area in 5 miles radius to contrast the public emergency response should be urged and expanded. The lack of nuclear emergency response and resisdents education are should be improved by government.  

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xiaox

Prepare nucleaer emergency plants in the area which might be influenced, even expand the area as much as possible. Educated the resisdents about the evauation and emergency respond. When the disaster is happen, people should go indoor and close all the window and door. Keep updating the news and office information. and  follow the guidence to evacuate. Government should immediately active the emergency plants and radiological respond when the nuclear disaster acident happen. 

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Andreas_Rebmann

"Entergy Corp, which operates Indian Point, said that 10 miles 'provides a robust safety margin' and the Fukushima advisory reflected that area's bigger power complex and the lack of information surrounding that accident."
"...Disaster Accountability Project, a nonprofit organization that monitors disaster-response programs and the author of the report, cited the commission's response to the 2011 nuclear accident in Fukushima, Japan, in which it reccommended that U.S. citizens within 50 miles evacuate."