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Clean Air and Water
One of the most sacred duties of government is to protect the health and well being of the people it serves, and the logical place to start is with clean air and water.
Poor air quality in our region is one reason we are seeing rising rates of asthma in our children. Our air quality ordinance needs to be rewritten, with stronger standards for local industry and larger penalties for noncompliance. We should seriously consider mandatory emissions testing for all vehicles. Our children are worth it!
Another problem is that the quality of the air in Knox County is affected by factors beyond our control - and beyond our county line. It is time for our county government to work in conjunction with the governments of surrounding counties to improve air quality for all of us. More can be accomplished by working in partnership than by going it alone.
As commissioner, I will work to strengthen our air quality ordinance, and to encourage Knox and surrounding counties to cooperate on an air quality improvement plan.
A large percentage of our streams and creeks are already unsafe and unusable for anything other than collecting trash and debris. I participate regularly in cleanups of First Creek, and it is distressing to see how quickly trash accumulates after a cleanup. And it is not simply fast-food litter we are talking about - we haul out shopping carts, bicycles, construction debris, signage, clothing and other large, sometimes toxic, items from the creek bed. At the last cleanup we even pulled out a pay phone.
I have been distressed to see our current County Commission gut an already-weak storm water ordinance. In the Second District, we are downstream of county development, and a weak ordinance will have serious repercussions for us.
Flooding along First Creek continues to be a problem, damaging homes and businesses and creating hazardous conditions. In order for solutions to be effective, residents and business owners affected by the flooding must be included in any discussion and decision-making process.
We cannot stop development in the county, nor should we. But we can demand quality growth, as outlined at the Quality Growth Conference hosted in Knoxville last year, and at which it was my pleasure to serve as a facilitator.
As commissioner I will strive to improve and protect our waterways and our property values. We must demand that developers use high quality construction materials and techniques, in order to protect our environment and the taxpayers' pocketbook.
We should also explore "Green Building" tax credits and energy costs savings programs, where homeowners and businesses get tax credits for installing energy saving appliances and incorporating energy saving practices. Encouraging county buildings to "go green" will have a positive impact on our environment and save our future tax dollars.
The health of our air and our water affects the health of us all.
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PAID FOR BY FRIENDS OF AMY BROYLES
Patrick Christian, Treasurer, 316 East Scott Avenue, Knoxville, Tennessee 37917 |
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