Our Road: Then -- E29: PCB Issues and Gubernatorial Candidates' Response Artwork

Our Road to Walk: Then and Now

Our Road to Walk: Then and Now is a podcast series hosted by Deborah and Ken Ferruccio broadcast from Warren County, North Carolina, known as the birthplace of the environmental justice movement. The purpose of the series is to share the inside, untold, documented, forty-four-year PCB landfill history which serves as a roadmap and guidebook for communities everywhere who want to actively help protect the environment, especially marginalized communities, through education and activism based on science for the people. Our goal is to raise the consciousness of our listeners by informing and inspiring them and by winning their hearts and minds so that they want to join Our Road to Walk on a mutual pilgrimage for the planet, person by person, community by community, region by region, and nation by nation.

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Our Road to Walk: Then and Now

Our Road: Then -- E29: PCB Issues and Gubernatorial Candidates' Response

December 14, 2023 • Deborah and Ken Ferruccio

In this episode, the Warrenton Rotary Club invites Ken to speak about the PCB problem. Citizens are really concerned about Warren County becoming a PCB and toxic waste dumping grounds. Ken presents his analysis titled: “PCBs: Issues Without Answers,” and Attorney Frank Banzet suggests that Ken shares his PCB analysis with the candidates running for governor.

Ken then sends his analysis to the three 1980 gubernatorial candidates, including Governor Jim Hunt, former Governor Bob Scott, and I. Beverly Lake, Jr., inviting them to share their responses on what to do with the PCBs that have been lying on the roadsides for more than a year now. Ken also shares his analysis and letter to the gubernatorial candidates with the news media.

Hunt and Lake respond briefly, but Scott answers in great detail, attesting to how he would take command of the PCB crisis and not remain indecisive as he says Governor Hunt has been doing. Scott says he would not leave the PCBs on the roadsides but would take action immediately. One course of action Scott suggests is to put a PCB dump in each of the 14 PCB-contaminated counties. This way these counties can each have a dumpsite for future use!

Scott does not address that hazardous waste dumpsites deter positive businesses and attract more hazardous waste.

Scott says that he believes Warren County was chosen for the PCB dump because Warren County has few votes. Scott is right. The county’s few votes aren’t critical to Governor Hunt. The considerable political and economic investment in Warren County is worth much more that the few votes the Governor will need.