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RAY
SCOTT OUTDOORS Eye On The Environment The weight of public opinion is not to be taken lightly in the battle to protect the environment. Outcry stops unwanted solid waste landfill… Tuskegee, Alabama – The billboard on the state line still stands: “Welcome to Alabama, the Beautiful.” The folks in Macon Country have spoken: “Don’t Dump Your Garbage On Us.” Until the 15,000 or so citizens in this sparsely populated rural county rose up in protest, plans for a massive landfill called for as much as 10,000 tons daily of other people’s out-of-state garbage – as far away as New Jersey – to be dumped in the local’s backyard. Such is the devil’s devices of economic greed at the expense of the environment. For the record, Macon County is one of the “poorest” in terms of per capita income and job growth. But, a beautiful, national forest land, rich in rolling pine country, clean, breathable air and outdoor opportunities. What’s missing is the number of “good, paying jobs.” At opposite ends of the job market, is the highly acclaimed Tuskegee University – the landmark Negro college of botanist George Washington Carver’s legacy – and the Macon County Dog Track, a popular racing venue on Interstate 85, located between Alabama’s capital city Montgomery, and the ever-sprawling Atlanta, Georgia. Placing a bet on the dogs is one thing, but being willing to gamble the environmental future of the area with a multi-state dump is a desperate long shot, at best. To their credit, the Macon County commissioners listened and the community’s leadership, including Tuskegee University’s President Benjamin Payton stepped forward and opposed the landfill. Thus, drawing a line in Macon County’s red clay, and posting a “Don’t Dump Here” message. The landfill developers, led by businessman Milton McGregor, owner of the Macon County Greyhound Racing Park, finally read the writing loud and clear. In the face of the mounting anti-dumping forces, the Macon Country Environmental Facility, Inc., withdrew its request for a permit and officially cancelled plans for the landfill. The decision, announced at a news conference on the steps of the Macon Country Court House, came just hours before an organized protest caravan march to the proposed landfill at the White Church Community was ready to roll. The forces of public opinion turned aside the environmental evil with the timely entrance of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, leader of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, Inc. based in Chicago, IL. His ability to negotiate an agreement of understanding, in true smoke-filled room tradition during late-hours preceding the protest rally, is somewhat remarkable. Make no mistake Rev. Jackson is a heavyweight in any fight. A leader of the black community, spawned in the dark days of Martin Luther King. Today, the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson stands out as a spokesman for all races – black or white – and new champion of the environment. All residents of Macon County – and Alabama’s citizens – are well served in the “No Dump” decision. “This issue’s not about black and white. It’s about wrong and right,” asserted Jackson. Milton McGregor told the courthouse crowd all he had hoped to achieve with the for-profit dump was to help clean up Macon County. The agreement calls for county officials and citizens to work to obtain federal and state funds to clean up the county’s outdated landfills. There was no need for race cards to be pulled from the deck and used as trumps in this environmental encounter. As Rev. Jackson explained, “We’re all in this together, black and white, for a better quality of life and to protect our environment. We’re united to fight for what’s right.” So, in a state where its Gov. Don Siegelman’s sign board brags to tourists: “Welcome to Alabama, the Beautiful,” the environmentalists of Macon County add, but “Don’t Dump Here.” As tempting as the tax revenue, the prospect of more jobs and the slick tv-advertisements by the landfill lords trumpeting the merits of swallowing other people’s solid waste, the decision swings in favor of the voices of environmental rights. As the pendulum swayed to the “united right” many political figures stood up to speak. Others worked behind the stage. Such as Alabama B.A.S.S. Federation President Al Redding of Notasulga, a Macon County resident and long-time conservationist. Redding with the help of his wife Betty and neighbors worked all night to print, fold and address 15,000 special bulletins urging Macon County’s citizens to “Protect Our Environment.” As Tuskegee University’s Dr. Payton told a standing room only crowd at the College chapel, “Together we have the power to make changes.” The winds of change are swirling across Alabama’s Macon County, the stewards of the environment have rallied. A victory, yes, but a greater achievement can be claimed by staying united to clean up the county, which commissioners acknowledge has a problem with random, illegal trash dumping. The weight of public opinion is not to be taken lightly in the battle to protect the environment. Maybe more folks need to be threatened by “living down wind” from a proposed garbage dump. PHOTOS BELOW
“No Dump” For Macon County
(RAY SCOTT OUTDOORS™ Photos By Bob Cobb) |
