Yesterday the Cape Codder published a front page article with the headline, "Time's Up." The article describes a meeting between Cape Cod Commission members, Green Cape representatives, Wellfleet's Paul Sieloff, and six NStar officials. Michael Durand, NStar spokesman, is quoted as having said the herbicide spraying will take place, and start, in Wellfleet, June 1. Unacceptable!
My latest protest against this plan was published today in the Cape Cod Times, along with two similar letters, one about the consequences of chemical spraying on blueberries and the other suggesting power lines should be buried. Here's mine, entitled, NStar's claim to greenness is belied by spraying plans:
"More than 2,000 people signed Green Cape petitions expressing serious concern about NStar's plan to switch from traditional means of brush removal to herbicides.
Your Feb. 20 story quoted NStar's Caroline Allen as saying, "This year's herbicide program is unchanged from what was proposed last year." How shocking this is to me!
Since I pay monthly for electricity, I contacted Jeffrey Luce, community relations spokesman, to protest herbicidal spraying. NStar's stance, as reported in your newspaper, shows the utility company does not care about the opinion of its customers.
When I asked NStar to reconsider adding toxic chemicals to our environment, I expected executives to pay attention. You can be sure they do not live on Cape Cod, where Silent Spring Institute already is trying to figure out why Barnstable County has such a high breast cancer rate.
Below Luce's signature were the words, "Please remember to be green." NStar's behavior indicates this megacompany is not green at all, since it intends to further pollute our environment. The utility company's refusal to listen to the heartfelt wishes of Cape residents can only be construed as further evidence that major corporations are motivated only by their bottom line."
