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Well, isn't it nice that the APC Board is putting up a united front to protect Art Williams.  The letter below says;

 "To blame him for trying to comply with both state and federal law and the will of the people in this community is ludicrous. He should not be held up to criticism just because the policies have gone awry. "

It of course is his (Art Williams) policies that have gone awry!

Now the credibility of the entire APC board is in question if they want to stand so united in protecting Art Williams.  Art Williams continued to demand that the VET program continue (yes, contrary to the "will of the people" which he and the APC Board apparently have no regard) to obtain overstated "pollution credits" to allow the APCD to go easy on the industrial polluters and to issue even more "Title V" pollution permits that has led our community to a worse air pollution problem.  If he and the APC Board had demanded more controls on the industrial polluters over the last 8 years or more our air quality and the health of Jefferson County citizens would have been far better served. 

There needs to be a complete audit of the entire APCD office and of the pollution credits.  The APC Board should be demanding a full accounting and investigation of Williams rather that simply trying to continue to defend what can not be defended. 

The APCD is little more than a "Public Relations" bureaucracy and air quality appears to take a back seat to whatever spin comes out of it.   This letter is another example of just that!  No hard questions, just lock arms and put up a defense.  I don't think the citizens of Jefferson County will buy it, even though they do get the bill to pay for all of this nonsense.

JR

http://www.courier-journal.com/cjextra/editorials/letters/wednesday.html

`Confident in' Williams

As members of the Air Pollution Control Board, we want the community to know that we are very confident in Art Williams' ability to lead the Air Pollution Control District.

Williams has served this community responsibly and prudently for almost eight years. Under his leadership, the agency has been brought into compliance with the one-hour ozone standard. The compliance and enforcement functions of the agency have been modernized to bring the agency up to speed with increasingly more complex and stringent federal standards. To blame him for trying to comply with both state and federal law and the will of the people in this community is ludicrous. He should not be held up to criticism just because the policies have gone awry.

The people of our community should be confident that they will be served responsibly by Williams now and in the future. It is unfair and unwarranted for him to take the brunt of political posturing. For more than 50 years, the Air Pollution Control District has worked to ensure cleaner air for the residents of Jefferson County. A healthy environment leads to greater economic security and prosperity for our citizens and future generations. The goals of the agency are to ensure healthy air for breathing while helping local industries and businesses meet local, state and national air emission standards. For his efforts in helping our community achieve this mission, Williams is to be commended, not criticized.

KAREN CASSIDY

Chairwoman

Air Pollution Control Board

Louisville 40205

This letter was signed by all members of the Metro Louisville Air Pollution Control Board: Lee Howard, Lewis Hammond, Barbara Sexton Smith, Sandra Withers, Nadir Al-Shami and Carolyn Embry. — Editor.

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