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Cowlitz County Deserves Better is an ad hoc group of more than 100 fishermen, seniors, workers, tribal members and other citizens who live on the lower Columbia River in Washington and Oregon, USA. The group is headquartered in Longview, Washington, and has published goals of promoting “good jobs, a clean river, and air and water free of dangerous toxins”〔http://www.cowlitzcountydeservesbetter.com〕 in the region. In April 2009, members of Cowlitz County Deserves Better launched a broad, 6-month investigation into the operational and environmental practices of Chinook Ventures, a private company operating on several hundred riverfront acres owned by Pennsylvania-based aluminum multinational corporation Alcoa, Inc. The investigation was prompted by community concerns over the Washington State Department of Ecology’s issuance of $150,000 USD in fines against Chinook Ventures in March 2009 for “operating without necessary permits and failing to protect air quality and prevent polluted runoff from reaching the Columbia River.”〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Washington Fines Chinook Ventures for Air, Runoff Violations -- Environmental Protection )〕 The company unsuccessfully appealed the fine.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=HTTP 404 Error Message -- WA State Dept. of Ecology )〕 Cowlitz County Deserves Better’s investigation included interviews with current and former employees of Chinook Ventures, hundreds of public documents, and site visits from land and water. They compiled their findings, which included a list of more than a dozen suspected environmental and labor violations, and began a public education campaign〔“Outdoor Briefs: Fish enhancement group director to speak at Monticello Hotel,” Longview Daily News, November 6, 2009 (http://tdn.com/articles/2009/11/06/this_day/doc4af3667cbeaa9727674702.txt)〕 in November 2009. One of the group's primary concerns is that the City of Longview is drilling for drinking water near the site. In January 2010, the Longview Daily News reported:
In February 2010, state investigators suspected Chinook Ventures as the source of a mile-long plume of a black substance, reported to be "two to five dump truck loads of petroleum coke".〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Authorities continue investigation into Columbia River petcoke spill )〕 that was floating down the Columbia River. A Cowlitz County Deserves Better spokesperson told the ''Oregonian'' newspaper that "We're afraid that this spill of petcoke is just the beginning of more to come."〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Environmental group says mile-long spill into Columbia River is a sign that better regulation is needed )〕 ==References== 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Cowlitz County Deserves Better」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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