European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 20, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse Water polluters tuesday september 20,1977 the stars and stripes Page 7 Many Federal facilities Are violators unpunished by Epa probes maintain Washington not undisclosed and Unarose cute by the environmental Protection Agency hundreds of facilities of the Federal government across the country Are violating the ant pollution requirements of the clean water act. A majority of the Federal violators Are military instal lations that have not cleaned up their sewage to the Levels required by Law. But a wide Range of other facilities from National Parks and fish hatcheries to atomic Energy installations have also failed to comply with clean water standards. Last june just before a july 1 deadline set by the Law for meeting the first stage of the program to clean up the nation s water the environmental Agency held a news conference to announce plans for enforcement action against industries and municipalities that were not meet ing the deadline. At the time it was announced that 600 Industrial discharges and about 2,000 cities would not be i compliance. Nothing was said publicly by the Agency then or since about continued water pollution by Federal installations after the july 1 deadline. However noncompliance reports prepared by the Epa which were obtained by the chamber of Commerce of the United states and made available to the new York times contain the names of several Hundred Federal facilities that were not in compliance with the Law. When asked an Agency official said there was no exact count of the total number of Federal facilities in violation of the water pollution Law but that it was estimated that some 25 per cent of All Federal installations were not in compliance. John Robinson a chamber of Commerce official who keeps track of environmental issues said the chamber sought the information because the Epa made such a big thing out of Industrial violators but failed to men Tion that the Federal government was a major water pol Luter. The Agency admits that violations of the clean water act by the government is a serious environmental prob Lem we think the Federal government should be the first to comply with the Law said Thomas c. Jorling assistant administrator of the Epa for water and Hazard Ous materials. In a Telephone interview Jorling said that under pres ident Carter s administration the Federal installations would be required to comply. We will use every method including our enforcement machinery and budget Mea sures to ensure that they do obey the Law he far however the Agency has not taken Legal action to Force the Federal installations to comply with the clean water standards. Until recently Jorling said it was understood that Federal agencies including the Epa do not sue other Federal agencies. Recently however the Epa has taken Legal action against the Tennessee Valley authority in a Case involving air pollution violations by the giant Public Power Agency Jorling noted. He suggested that the Case would be a precedent for action against Federal water polluters. The Agency joined in citizens and state suits against Tva alleging that 10 of its Power plants were spewing Sulphur oxide pollutants into the air in violation of stat and Federal Law. Under the provisions of the clean water act All Indus trial and governmental water polluters were to have adopted the Best practical technology to clean up their discharges by july 1. By 1983, under the Law s require ments the nation s Waters must be cleaned up to the Point where they Are Fis Hable swim Mable and drinkable Robinson of the chamber of Commerce made the Point that most Industry was on target for the goals but he complained the fact that some companies were not com plying was widely broadcast by the Agency which at the same time failed to disclose the extent of water pollution by the Federal government. Pryor assails audience at Gay rights Benefit los Angelus a it was billed As a Star spangled night for but the question was whose rights Aaron Russo coordinated the Benefit at the Hollywood bowl sunday night to show the entertainment Industry feels deeply about human the eve Ning s focus was on Gay rights. But comedian Richard Pryor in a performance that stunned the audience and evoked jeers was thinking in More general terms. He criticized the show for emphasizing Gay rights Over other human rights. Pointing out the sparse showing of Blacks in the audience he said that when the Watts Section of los Angeles was being burned in 1965, you we redoing what you wanted to do on Holly Wood Boulevard and did t give a Damn about the audience had gathered for the Celebration of human rights with performances by Pryor comedienne Lily Tomlin singers Bette Midler and Tom Waits the singing group War and others. But the Celebration turned sour after the second half of the show when Pryor delivered 15 minutes of biting humor satirizing Gay rights in a delivery laced with obscenities. This is an evening about human rights and i am a human being. And i just wanted to see where you were really at pyor told the audience which included Paul Newman Olivia Newton John Valerie Harper Robert Blake and Helen Reddy. I wanted to test you to your. Soul. I m doing this for nothing they Ain t paying me no Money. But i wanted to come Here and Tell you to kiss moments later Pryor slammed the microphone onto the stand and left the stage telling the crowd kiss my Happy Rich Black Russo followed Pryor s exit from the stage and said i m terribly embarrassed and Don t know what to say about what just happened. But i do think this show tonight started out and will end up on a positive about Pryor Russo said. The Man has his own sense and he did what to wanted to later Midler strutted onstage and responded in kind to Pryor s parting words saying Well who wants to kiss this Rich White the crowd gave her a standing ovation. Proceeds of the show were to go to the save our human rights foundation a nonprofit san Francisco based group established with respect to human rights human behaviour and interpersonal 3 probes suspended by by. Governor supper club was an electrician s Nightmare it. Mitchell by. A the Bev Erly Hills supper club where 164 persons died in a fire last May was an electrician s Nightmare with numerous building code violations that were covered up a new Kentucky state report says. A Reading of this report shows a Shock ing and total disregard for human life by the owners of this club said Kentucky gov. Julian Carroll who released the Long awaited report sunday night. At a news briefing Carroll said he has suspended with pay three top state lire investigators for what he called ineffective enforcement generally of the the report was released As congressional investigators gathered in nearby Cincin Nati to begin hearing testimony on the May 28 Beverly Hills Blaze and on National fire codes. Carroll was expected to be Amon those testifying. Not Only did they construct in Clear Vio lation of the Law but they operated in Vio lation of the Law and then failed to use reasonable care to evacuate the premises Carroll said. James Osborne an attorney for the owners of the Southgate by. Nightclub said sunday night he had not read the report and would have no immediate com ment. Everyone but the victim patrons knew about these violations said Ovid Lewis a Northern Kentucky University professor who helped in the investigation. The report cited numerous electrical violations including installation of improper wiring without approval and proper inspections. In addition state investigators also said the building did not have an approved sprinkler system As required by the code. The investigative team estimated that a least 1,300 persons were in the cabaret room at the time of the fire while calculations by the fire marshal indicated that the capacity should have been 536. The number of exits at the club were sufficient to accommodate 1,511 persons the report said. This Many people May have been present in the cabaret room alone it report said aisles and ramps of the cabaret room were jammed with tables and said the report noted that the owners changed the number of exits from the original architectural drawing. There was an incredible tendency to pass the Buck by officials who assumed some one else would do it investigator Lewis said. " part of it was concealment. The operators would go Forward with construction without getting permits. Then there was a failure to make proper inspection both by part time inspectors on the local level and by state inspectors " the governor announced suspension of the state s highest fire official Warren South North and two of his subordinates. Stanley Boyd head of the division for new construction and John Bramlage. A North Ern Kentucky Field representative. Rewards Are suggested for Quality arrests Washington a police officers who make arrests leading to convictions should be rewarded with bonuses or pro motions according to a government financed study. In a study of Washington d.c., police the Institute for Law and social research found that fewer than 30 per cent of the arrests for serious crimes in 1974 led to convictions. The vast majority of All persons arrested on felony charges Are not convicted the researchers said in a report issued today by the Law enforcement assistance administration. The Leaa is helping finance a series of Institute studies of work by police and prosecutors. Though the study of arrests was con ducted in Washington the researchers said similar studies in Baltimore Detroit los Angeles county and san Diego county calif., have produced about the same find Ings. They found that a few officers produce most of the High Quality arrests but said they could not explain Why some officers were so much More productive. Of the 2, 418 Washington officers who made arrests in 1974, Only 15 per cent of them made half of the arrests ending in convictions the report said. Police departments might wish to acknowledge the officers who produce More convict Able arrests and thereby encourage All officers to look beyond arrest the researchers suggested. Such acknowledgement could take the form of More rapid promotion special recognition or Bonus Washington the report said More than half of the 17,534 adult arrests for felonies and misdemeanours brought to the Superior court in 1974 were rejected or dismissed by the judges dismissed another eight per cent grand juries rejected one per cent and six per cent were never brought to trial because the defendants jumped bail. Less than 30 per cent of All arrests brought to the Superior court division of the . Attorney s office in 197-1 were re solved As convictions the researcher found. The failure of arrests to end in conviction appears to be a common phenomenon they continued it is Likely to be difficult for Many persons to see How Justice is done in a system in which the majority of offenders Are not arrested the majority of arresters Are not convicted and the majority of convicted defendants Are not in the researchers said police depart ments often emphasize the Quantity of arrests each officer makes when they should be stressing Quality. Many cases can t stand up in court be cause the officer fails to track Down Essen tial witnesses or gather necessary evidence to support the arrest with few exceptions the Success of an arrest in court depends most crucially on the strength of the evidence that the arresting police officer manages to bring to the prosecutor the researchers said
