Tuesday, November 30, 2010

EPA Fines Waste Management $300,000

Kettleman Hills Landfill in Kettleman City Has Been Controversial For Years

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has fined landfill operator Chemical Waste Management, a subsidiary of Waste Management, $300,000 for allowing cancer-causing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) to leach into the soil. Residents have complained that birth defects have been caused by toxic chemicals from the landfill.  State health officials recently released a report that concluded the birth defects did not come from exposure to chemicals from the landfill.

The EPA fine does not confirm the health effects that residents claim caused the birth defects, but fined the company due to the contamination of the soil.

House Passes Claims Settleman Act of 2010

John Boyd
The House passed the Claims Settlement Act of 2010 today by a vote of 256-152. The legislation includes a $4.6 billion settlement in the Pigford-Cobell lawsuits. Companion legislation passed the Senate on November 19. President Obama will sign the bill into law. Black farmers will receive $1.15 billion to settle discrimination claims against the Agriculture Department. The bill also included $3.4 billion for American Indians who said the Interior Department had swindled them out of royalties since the 19th century. The bill now goes to the House.  John Boyd, president of the National Black Farmers Association, has been a tireless advocate for passage of the legislation.

Statement by President Obama on House Passage of the Claims Settlement Act of 2010
"I am pleased that today, the House has joined the Senate in passing the Claims Settlement Act of 2010. This important legislation will fund the agreements reached in the Pigford II lawsuit, brought by African American farmers, and the Cobell lawsuit, brought by Native Americans over the management of Indian trust accounts and resources. I want to thank Attorney General Holder and Secretaries Salazar and Vilsack for all their work to reach this outcome, and I applaud Congress for acting in a bipartisan fashion to bring this painful chapter in our nation’s history to a close.

"This bill also provides funding for settlements reached in four separate water rights suits brought by Native American tribes, and it represents a significant step forward in addressing the water needs of Indian Country. Yet, while today’s vote demonstrates important progress, we must remember that much work remains to be done. And my Administration will continue our efforts to resolve claims of past discrimination made by women and Hispanic farmers and others in a fair and timely manner."

Monday, November 29, 2010

Karen Bowlding: New Blog and New Book


Karen Bowlding is a freelance writer and editor providing professional custom service to small businesses, authors and individuals. Her Debatable Matters Blog is for 'honest Christian debate on today's matters.'

She has published two books:

1) "Say No! With A Smile"

2) "Living In Autumn While Preparing For Spring: The Journey Towards Marriage.

Karen Bowlding says:
“I love editing. I’m a researcher. My passion is to see people grow. I take pleasure in working with a raw document and then after hard work seeing the result. My mind constantly runs with ideas to better a project. As long as I’m in His will at this time, I will continue to help others get their work done.”
The books are available on Karen Bowlding's Website.

In "Say No! With A Smile," Mrs. Bowlding writes:
Too many women, including the author, don’t sit still, Women are constantly doing things for other people… listening to folks problems; taking on other people’s burdens; driving someone somewhere; loaning out money to people they know can’t afford to give it back; and being places she doesn’t want to be.

Bowlding says, "Saying no with a smile is an internal, not an outward expression. It is not a grin or smirk on your face when you decline an offer, but a private high-five because you were able to say no without self-reproach. It is contentment within yourself at your ability to overcome by saying what you truly feel; being pleased in your spirit."

The book will give readers information on when to say no, how to say it, and do it without feeling guilty. The book also provides tips on what to do with the “free” time once someone learns the art of saying no. Bowlding wrote the book to help her deal with her own issues, and hopes that she will help other women grow into saner, and less harried women.
At present she, her husband Andre and young daughter reside in Maryland. Education: Springfield College, BS; University of Maryland University College, MS.

Friday, November 26, 2010

California Health Officials Deny Dump Causes Defects

According to a 16- page draft report released Monday, the California State Department of Public Health has have ruled out a toxic waste dump as the cause of severe birth defects including heart problems and facial deformities in the impoverished Central California farming community of Kettleman City.  The community is just off Interstate 5 between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

State Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Public Health investigators were still unsure why 11 babies were born with physical deformities in Kettleman City between September 2007 and March 2010. Three of the babies died. Tests of water, air and soil; analysis of pesticides; and interviews with six of the affected families did not suggest a common cause for the health problems.

Residents believe the medical problems are linked to the nearby Waste Management Inc. hazardous waste facility, the largest landfill of its kind west of Louisiana and the only one in California licensed to accept cancer-causing polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs.

Health investigators analyzed the state's registry for the rates of birth defects from 1987 to 2008 and reviewed case histories of the 11 babies born with major defects, including cleft palates and lips. Although more children were born with birth defects in 2008 and 2009 than would be expected for a population of Kettleman City's size, investigators found no clear trend that could be explained by exposure to environmental pollution.  An examination of cancer rates for the census tract that includes Kettleman City found five cancer cases diagnosed among children younger than 15 during a 12-year period, two more than would be expected. Most of the childhood cancers were acute lymphocytic leukemia and all occurred in areas of the census tract outside of Kettleman City.

The state Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment is recommending several steps to address dangerous chemicals detected in the community's water system. It is being recommended that state regulatory agencies investigate benzene emissions at a treatment unit at a Kettleman City drinking water well and levels of lead detected in the local elementary school's wells. It is also being recommended that the city reduce arsenic levels in local drinking water either through improved treatment or development of a new source of water.

Waste Management has requested permits to expand the facility. State officials said a final decision on whether to grant the request will not be made until after completion of a final report on the investigation into the birth defects later this year. (L.A. Times, 11/23/2010)

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Juliet Eilperin Publishes Environmental Justice Story

The title shows that Juliet has come a long way.  And we think we had something to do with that by publicly criticizing her.  We had to point out that The Washington Post environmental reporter Juliet Eilperin avoided quoting Black people.  But once Barack Obama was elected president and Lisa Jackson was appointed as EPA administrator, she had no choice but to quote Blacks on environmental policy.  We chuckled at her being forced to quote Black people. 

And we know that she saw our criticism of her. Aren't the internet and blogs great.  For the longest time we had no recourse but to sit back and take it while people like Ms. Eilperin refused to get our message out.

But now she has published her first environmental justice article: "Environmental Justice Issues Take Center Stage."  Glory hallelujah.  Free at last.  Free at last.  Thank God Almighty, Juliet Eilperin is free at last.

We recognize and applaud progress.  One more such article and we are going to take down all of our blog articles criticizing Ms. Eilperin about excluding Blacks. 

The article addresses the fly ash issue. (Wash Post, 11/21/2010)

Juliet Eilperin Compelled To Quote A Black Person

Juliet Eilperin Finally Writes About A Black Person

Juliet Eilperin Continues Excluding Blacks When She Can

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AAEA Articles on Fly Ash

House Hearing on Kingston, Tennessee Coal Ash Spill

TVA Must Cease Shipments of Fly Ash Immediately

Majority Black Uniontown Gets Tennessee Toxic Fly Ash

Will EPA & OMB Ignore & Abuse Blacks With Fly Ash

High Speed Rail: Economic Environmental Injustice in California

The $43 billion California High Speed Rail Project is the largest construction project in the United States.  It is also one of the few Federal subsidized programs of this nature that has no provisions to include minorities and women.   

The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT), Federal Rail Administration (FRA) awarded California a $2.25 billion grant for the State’s High Speed Rail Project through President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). While the grant is great for California, it appears to have little benefits for Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs) including small businesses. The benefits of the Stimulus grant will be minimal to communities of color since the inclusion of minority and women owned
businesses is less than 1% of this Federalized project.

Title VI, 42, United States Code § 2000d et seq, was enacted as part of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964. It prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, sex, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance.  Simple justice requires that public funds, to which all taxpayers of all races [colors, and national origins] contribute, not be spent in any fashion which encourages, entrenches, subsidizes or results in racial [color or national origin] discrimination.  As a recipient of USDOT federally assisted funds, California has several disparity studies that provide the evidence of disparity and inference of discrimination of DBEs and minority and women-owned (MBE/WBE) firms on USDOT federally assisted projects.

The FRA is under the authority of USDOT, the $2.25 billion grant to California is federal financial assistance and as such FRA and its funding source is required to comply with Title VI. The FRA does not have statutory authority for a DBE program, however; they have established a statement to “encourage” contractors to utilize DBEs on FRA funded contracts. California has the evidence that without a formal DBE program that includes race-conscious measures (individual DBE contract goals on contracts) the “encouragement” to engage DBEs on the contract will result in no DBE participation.


Rendering from the California High-Speed Rail Authority
 and Newlands & Company Inc.
When California recipients of USDOT funds suspended their DBE race-conscious program while disparity studies were completed, each recipient “encouraged” prime contractors to voluntarily utilize DBEs on their bids. The result was a “nose-dive” of DBE participation. A good example of the “nose-dive” result is the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). Caltrans, who has an aggressive DBE Program, suspended its DBE race-conscious program and “encouraged” prime contractors to meet the overall 10.5% DBE goal. In 2004, prior to suspending the DBE raceconscious program, Caltrans was attaining 10% DBE participation. Immediately after suspending the race-conscious program and enacting race-neutral measures, the DBE Program participation “nose-dived” to less than 3% DBE participation with African American firms obtaining nothing. This same result is evidenced for FTA and FAA recipients in California. That is what “encourage” does when no formal goals and requirements are placed on federally assisted contracts.

USDOT cannot ignore the evidence as presented in the recent and current California disparity studies. USDOT cannot ignore its authority to pursue a “Presidential Executive Order” to establish emergency regulations to incorporate the existing 49 Code of Federal Regulations Part 26 (49CFRPart 26) onto FRA funded contracts. USDOT cannot ignore Title VI and Simple Justice in its requirement to at a minimum establish a policy in the interim of formal regulations to require DBE participation in FRA funded projects.

OBJECTIVE

• The High-Speed Rail Project (HSRP) in California must be brought under the U.S. DOT-DBE Program with specific, significant achievable goals (such as DOT DBE goal of 13.5% in California). The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and 49 CFR Part 26 states that a recipient of federally assisted USDOT funds must implement a DBE Program with a minimum goal of 10 percent and a higher goal where there is evidence for such a goal. California has a minimum DBE
goal of 13.5%.

• The High-Speed Rail Project (HSRP) in California must establish firm, fixed goals
(not an aspirational goal as currently exists) for small business participation. The HSRP must set a firm 25% Goal for small businesses and a 5% Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise goal for all California funded HSRP activities.

BACKGROUND: The High-Speed Rail system in California will be the first of its kind in the United States and the largest public works project in the nation. It is also the largest environmental review in U.S. history according to California High-Speed Rail Authority Chairman Curt Pringle. The 800 mile project, expected to begin revenue service in 2020 will, connect Sacramento at the northern part of California, through the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Area, to Central California at Fresno, Bakersfield, south to The Inland Empire, Greater Los Angeles area and then on to San Diego at the southern tip of the State.

The Phase One section from San Francisco to Anaheim is scheduled to begin initial revenue service in 2020. The cost of the system is $45 Billion, estimated by the Authority as of 2009. (Source: APAC Paper)

Saturday, November 20, 2010

African American Women Environmentalists

Michelle Tingling-Clemmons
Lisa Gaffney
Arnita Hannon
Kathy Blagburn
Karen Blagburn
Muriel Jabbar
Harolyn Jabbar
Samara Swanston
Marsha Coleman-Adebayo
Morning Sunday
Sonja Ebron
Adaora Lathan
Connie Tucker
Peggy Shepard
Dr. Mildred McClain
Dr. Beverly Wright
Vernice Miller-Travis
Deeohn Ferris
Dorceta E. Taylor
Michelle DePass
Delmetria Millener
Majora Carter
Sandrea O'Dette McDonald
Naomi Davis
Lisa P. Jackson

If we missed you, please leave a Comment so that we can add you to the list.

African American Environmentalist Association: 25th Anniversary

PRESIDENT'S CORNER

By Norris McDonald

Today is our 25th anniversary.  We were incorporated on November 20, 1985.  The African American Environmentalist Association (AAEA) is the outreach arm of the Center for Environment, Commerce & Energy (Center).

You can see a listing of many of our activities during that time at our original website, which we converted to Multiply when the original Msn Groups platform ended).  There is more activity information at our History page. My career has been very satisfying.  From my beginning in the Fall of 1979 at the Environmental Policy Center (now Friends of the Earth) until today, the adventure has been incredible.  I started out in the Washington, D.C.-based environmental movement.  Jimmy Carter was president and was just finishing a rough 4-year run.  I shook his hand at the Democratic National Convention in New York in 1980 not knowing that Washington was about to get a completely new makeover.  The Reagan era was interesting and quite the challenge for the environmental movement.  I still remember his 'no standard standard' for appliance efficiency standards.  I also remember the Air Florida crash and the Metro subway accident on the day that I was walking back from the U.S. Department of Energy after testifying on appliance standards.

Well, without sounding like the old guy in the room sharing old war time stories that nobody really wants to hear, the situation today is as exciting as ever.  We are embarking on trying to build biomass power plants in Mississippi, California and in Kenya.  The adventure continues and I am having more fun than ever.  Our team is lean and mean and green. 

I have kept the AAEA small on purpose and will continue to do so.  I almost died from respiratory failure in 1991 and 1996 (intubated for 4 days in ICU each time).  After getting divorced and full custody of my son when he was 2 years old, I decided that I wanted to stick around to see my son grow up.  But I also wanted to continue with my entrepreneurial environmentalism.  So keeping it small worked.  Although I still struggle with a chronic acute asthma that could kill me any day, my son is now 18 and I am still 'doing my green thing.'  Life is good.  Hey, and we just opened a new Center Hollywood blog this week (Also see AAEA Hollywood).  Oh, and if you're feeling generous, feel free to click on our Donation button on our sites.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Senate Approves $1.15 Billion Settlement For Black Farmers

John Boyd
 The Senate has approved $1.15 billion to settle discrimination claims brought by black farmers against the Agriculture Department.  John Boyd, president of the National Black Farmers Association, lobbied continuously to get the legislation passed out of the Senate. The bill also included $3.4 billion for American Indians who said the Interior Department had swindled them out of royalties since the 19th century. The bill now goes to the House.

The legislation, approved by unanimous consent, also includes a one-year extension of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program and several American Indian water rights settlements sought by Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.).

To pay for the entire measure, money would be diverted from a surplus in nutrition programs for women and children and by extending customs user fees.

Statement by the President on Senate Passage of the Claims Settlement Act of 2010
"I applaud the Senate for passing the Claims Settlement Act of 2010, which will at long last provide funding for the agreements reached in the Pigford II lawsuit, brought by African American farmers, and the Cobell lawsuit, brought by Native Americans over the management of Indian trust accounts and resources. I particularly want to thank Attorney General Holder and Secretaries Salazar and Vilsack for their continued work to achieve this outcome. I urge the House to move forward with this legislation as they did earlier this year, and I look forward to signing it into law.

This bill also includes settlements for four separate water rights suits made by Native American tribes. I support these settlements and my Administration is committed to addressing the water needs of tribal communities. While these legislative achievements reflect important progress, they also serve to remind us that much work remains to be done. That is why my Administration also continues to work to resolve claims of past discrimination made by women and Hispanic farmers against the USDA."
(USA Today, 11/19/2010)

Emanuel Cleaver: Chairman, Congressinoal Black Caucus

Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) has been unanimously elected as the new Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC). He succeeds Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA).

Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, II is currently serving his third term representing the Fifth District of Missouri in the House of Representatives and sits on the Financial Services Committee and Homeland Security Committee.  He was a member of Speaker Pelosi's Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming.

According to a statement in The Washington Post:
Among Cleaver's priorities will be turning the attention of the caucus to environmental and energy policy - which would allow its members to work with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Energy Department on developing green jobs in their districts, many of which face high unemployment rates.
We would like to suggest that the CBC expand its focus to include all energy sources.  AAEA President Norris McDonald wrote the energy and natural resources sections of the CBC Alternative Budget Recommendations in the early 1980's.  Blacks do not own any of the energy infrastructure and resources in the United States.

Emanuel Cleaver
 He was born in Waxahachie, Texas, grew up in public housing and graduated high school in Wichita Falls, Texas. Congressman Cleaver went on to attend Prairie View A & M University, earning a B.S. in Sociology.

In 1974, he began his pastoral career at St. James United Methodist Church with a membership of 47. Today, St. James has a membership of 2,800.

In 1979 Cleaver was elected to the City Council of Kansas City. After three terms, he ran for and was elected to the office of Mayor, where he made history as the first African American to hold the City’s highest office.

Congressman Cleaver and his wife, Dianne, have been married for more than thirty years, where they have made Kansas City their home. They have four grown children and three grandchildren. (House)

Thursday, November 18, 2010

EPA Appoints Mayor Heather McTeer Hudson Chair of LGAC

Heather McTeer Hudson
 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa P. Jackson has appointed Mayor Heather McTeer Hudson of Greenville, Miss., to chair EPA’s Local Government Advisory Committee (LGAC). LGAC is an independent committee of elected and appointed officials to advise the agency on a broad range of environmental issues effecting communities across the country.

EPA’s Local Government Advisory Committee met on Nov. 17-18, 2010, to provide advice on how best to advance the administrator’s seven priorities. EPA, states, tribes and local governments share the responsibility for environmental and human health protection, and EPA seeks to strengthen these partnerships to find innovative solutions to the challenges of climate change, cleaning our air, protecting our waters, and cleaning our communities.

Heather McTeer Hudson was born and raised in Greenville, Mississippi, She was elected Mayor of the City of Greenville in 2003 and re-elected for a second term in 2007. She serves as the 1st African-American and 1st female to serve in this position. Heather Hudson received her formative education from Greenville’s T.L. Weston High School and left Mississippi only to attend college. A 1998 graduate of Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, Mayor Hudson received her B.A. in Sociology and went on to earn her a Juris Doctorate at New Orleans’ Tulane Law School. As a three year member of McTeer & Associates Law firm, where she practiced law, she was well versed in the corporate political arena. Today, Mayor Hudson still practices in her own firm, the McTeer-Hudson Firm, PLLC. (EPA, City of Greenville, Mississippi)

More information

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Trice Edney News Wire

Please RSVP to rsvp@triceedneywire.com

EPA Identifies Areas Violating Lead Standards

Reducing Lead Emissions Will Improve Public Health, Especially For Children

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined that 16 areas across the country are not meeting the agency’s national air quality standards for lead. These areas, located in 11 states, were designated as “nonattainment” because their 2007 to 2009 air quality monitoring data showed that they did not meet the agency’s health-based standards. Exposure to lead may impair a child’s IQ, learning capabilities and behavior.

Areas designated today as not meeting the standard will need to develop and implement plans to reduce pollution to meet the lead standards. Nonattainment areas must meet the standards by Dec. 31, 2015. No areas in Indian Country are being designated as nonattainment.

EPA will designate areas as meeting or not meeting the standards in two rounds. In the first round announced today, EPA is designating areas that do not meet the standards based on air quality monitoring data from the existing lead monitoring network. In October 2011, EPA will use data from new monitors to complete a second round of designations that will classify the remaining areas in attainment, unclassifiable or nonattainment.

In October 2008, EPA strengthened the nation’s air quality standards for lead tenfold to 0.15 micrograms of lead per cubic meter of air. The agency also finalized requirements for new monitors to be located near large sources of lead emissions. EPA has data from existing monitors indicating violations of the standards, and is currently collecting data from new monitors that began operation in January 2010.

Lead emitted into the air can be inhaled or can be ingested after it settles. Ingestion is the primary route of human exposure. Children are the most susceptible because they are more likely to ingest lead and their bodies are developing rapidly. There is no known safe level of lead in the body.

National average concentrations of lead in the air have dropped almost 92 percent nationwide since 1980, largely the result of the agency's phase-out of lead in gasoline. Lead in the air comes from a variety of sources, including smelters, iron and steel foundries and general aviation gasoline.

More information on the designations

AAEA Participates in NBCC Fall Conference in Los Angeles


Harry Alford, Maurice Stone, Norris McDonald
AAEA participated in the National Black Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) Annual Fall Summit at the Westin Hotel in Los Angeles, California on November 11-13, 2010.  AAEA President Norris McDonald also gave a presentation at the conference that included a description of the current energy projects that we are pursuing.  McDonald gave the presentation with National Clean Fuels representative Maurice Stone.  Mr. Stone is also Chairman of the NBCC Energy Committee. 


Norris McDonald, Maurice Stone
 The NBCC conference includes sessions on Procurement [Charles DeBow], Black Church Chambers [Pastor Walter August & Deacon Leon Jenkins], Kenya Opportunities [Ambassador Elkanah Odembo], Regulatory Challenges [Bill Kovacs-SVP Environment-U.S. Chamber of Commerce], Green Jobs-Green Contracts [Carletta Waddler & Randall Gilliland], Capital Access-Green Projects [Zazell Dudley-Louisiana State Black Chamber of Commerce & Kyle Walton-Strategic Development Solutions], Black Student Union Projects [Gadise Regassa & Brandon Bouldin-UCSB] and presentation by former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, Chairman, Our America Initiative. 


Walter August, Kay DeBow, Norris McDonald
 The conference opened on Thursday with a reception where an address was delivered by Timothy Simon, Commissioner, California Public Utilities Commission. The Friday Luncheon keynote was delover by the Honorable Hector Barreto, President, The Lation Coalition and former SBA administrator.  AAEA's McDonald also participated in the Saturday Strategizing with California Chapters session.  McDonald then visited a pollution site in Watts that AAEA is considering to redevelop as a Brownsfield site.

Maurice Stone, Kenyan Ambassador Elkanah Odembo, Norris McDonald

AAEA Scopes Potential Brownfields Site in Watts


AAEA President Norris McDonald visited a toxic waste lot in Watts that could be a Brownfield redevelopment project. AAEA is examining the feasibility of having the site remediated and redeveloped as a retail facility.  McDonald visited the toxic lot with a local activist who prefers to remain anonymous on Saturday, November 13, 2010.

A health risk assessment, Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment and Phase II Site characterization Report have already been conducted for the site.  The site is located at the corner of 103rd Street and Wilmington Avenue and the Florenth Griffith School (formerly the 102nd Street School) is across the street from this abandoned waste lot.  The lot is covered with asphalt.

Though the gasoline tanks were removed in 1976, there was no soil cleanup.  The lot was later used for other commercial activities including a Church's Fried Chicken, which was constructed on the site in 1983. It was destroyed during the riots of 1992.  Most of the time since it became a gasoline station, the ground has been covered with asphalt or buildings.

Vapor samples revealed that total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) and benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) were found in the probes placed in areas near the petroleum underground storage tanks, the southern dispenser unit, and associated pipeline.  Soil borings revealed the presence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) [Dichloroethane, naphthalene and methylnaphthalene]. TPH was also detected in the soil borings.  Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes were found in soil samples.   The identifified chemicals are volatile (have a tendency to become a gas) and can rise through the soil column and be released to the air.

AAEA agrees with the conclusion of the California Department of Health Services Environmental Health Investigations Branch, that: "Before a structure is place on the former gasoline station property, there should be an evaluation of the potential build-up of the volatile organic chemicals from the subsurface soil."  AAEA recommends remediation of the site and for it to be redeveloped as a Brownfield site.

Source: California Department of Health Services Environmental Health Investigations Branch

Wednesday, November 03, 2010

Allen B. West & Timothy E. Scott

Will They Join The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC)?

Allen B. West
Allen B. West is U.S. Representative-elect for Florida's 22nd congressional district. He is a retired United States Army Lieutenant Colonel elected to represent Florida's 22nd district in Congress in the 2010 Congressional elections. He will be the first black Republican Congressman from Florida since a former slave served in the 1870's.  He served in Iraq and as a civilian adviser in Afghanistan.

Allen West was born in Atlanta, Georgia.  Allen's father served in World War II. Allen is the third of four generations in his family to serve in the military. West is a graduate of the University of Tennessee and obtained his master's degree in political science at Kansas State University. He also holds a Master of Military Arts and Sciences from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff Officer College in political theory and military history and operations.

West resides in Florida with wife Angela, daughters Aubrey and Austen and son Larry. (Wiki)

Timothy E. Scott

Timothy E. Scott is the Republican Congressman-elect for the First Congressional District and will be the first African-American Republican in the state to serve South Carolina in Congress since the 1860-70's.

Timothy Scott was born September 19, 1965 in Charleston, South Carolina) is a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives and  He was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives for District 117 in 2008.

Scott owns an insurance agency and he is also a partner in Pathway Real Estate Group, LLC. Scott earned a degree in Political Science from Charleston Southern University in 1998. (Wiki)

Proposition 23 Defeated - Global Warming Law Safe in Cali

California voters defeated Proposition 23 by a wide enough margin. The measure sought to suspend California's landmark climate change bill, known as AB 32, until the state's 12.4 percent unemployment rate dropped to 5.5 percent or less for four consecutive quarters. Advocates with the Yes on 23 campaign argued that the law's strict regulations on greenhouse gas emissions place too high a burden on the state's struggling manufacturing base and would lead to even greater job losses.

AAEA opposed Proposition 23 and joined with a large coalition of environmental groups to defeat it.  (Mercury News, 11/2/2010)

Pop and Politics with Farai Chideya

Live Event: Pop and Politics with Farai Chideya
Date: Wednesday November 3, 2010
Time: Today 10:00AM EDT


Monday, November 01, 2010

National Black Chamber of Commerce Annual Fall Summit

November 11-13, 2010
Westin - LAX
Los Angeles, California

Agenda:
Thursday, November 11

7:00PM – 9:00PM Network Reception

7:40 Welcome Address by Timothy Simon, Commissioner, California Public Utilities Commission

Friday, November 12

8:55AM Invocation - Larry Ivory, Chaplain, President, Illinois Black Chamber

9:00AM Chamber Best Practices - Sherrie Gilchrist, NBCC Chair

10:00AM NBCC Procurement Portal - Charles DeBow, Director of Special Projects, NBCC

The NBCC new web procurement portal is ready for roll out. It will give their members every bid the federal government and 37 states have to offer on an ongoing basis. History for RFP’s, winning bids, upcoming expirations, etc. will be available and it will make you competitive like never before. Board member Nathaniel Rido has tested it on his business and gives it his seal of approval.

10:30AM Black Church Chambers - Pastor Walter August, Bethels Family Senior Pastor & Deacon Leon Jenkins, Director of Black Chamber of Bethels

NBCC will present their new Church Chamber program which will empower our larger churches in assembling the business base of their members and developing them into community pillars of entrepreneurship and jobs. NBCC will unveil two programs we are assembling in Miami and Houston that can be emulated throughout the nation.

11:00AM Kenya Opportunities - His Excellency Ambassador Elkanah Odembo, Kenyan Ambassador to the US

NBCC is excited about the new Kenya 2030 initiative. The Honorable Elkanah Odembo, Ambassador of Kenya, will be speaking about the aggressive approach this vibrant nation is taking to develop a new Middle Class by the year 2030. Infrastructure, energy, capacity building will be the leading areas and entrepreneurs from America are invited to evaluate the opportunities.

11:30AM Regulatory Challenges - Bill Kovacs, Director, Environment, Technology & Regulatory Affairs Division, US Chamber of Commerce

12:15PM Lunch with Keynote: Honorable Hector Barreto, President, The Latino Coalition

Field Hearings Update: Anthony Robinson, President, MBELDEF

1:45PM Green Jobs, Green Contracts - Sustainable Training Services - Moderator: Aneil Kumar Presenters: Carletta Waddler and Randall Gilliland

What green and sustainability mean to your business and green jobs and the green career path. LEED, GPI and other certifications are now being required of our business owners. How do you get certified? How much is the training? Are there grants? How much business is out there? These and many questions impose a dilemma on the typical small business. We have gone out and found the answers and made the partnerships. At the Summit NBCC will give a two hour presentation on how this works and how to get your training funded and your certifications active.

3:00PM Capital Access / Green Projects - Zezell Dudley, Louisiana State Black Chamber of Commerce

First Bottom Line: Provide market-rate private equity returns to its investors.

Second Bottom Line: Invest in real estate projects or businesses located in predominantly low-income communities in order to create jobs and economic opportunities.

Third Bottom Line: Support environmentally friendly and sustainable green buildings or activities.

3:45PM Black Student Unions Project - Gadise Regassa and Brandon Bouldin – UCSB

The partnership between the NBCC and Black Student Unions located on campuses throughout the nation is being solidified. You will hear a dynamic presentation by the California network (UCSB Campus) on how NBCC will work together for increasing economic empowerment in our communities and building a breeding ground for entrepreneurs and leaders.

4:30PM Former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, Chairman, Our America Initiative

5:30PM Los Angeles On Your Own

Saturday, November 13

9:00AM NBCC Board Meeting (Election of 2011 Chair) – Invited guests only

11:00AM Strategizing with California Chapters - Fred Jordan, NBCC Board Member and Former Chairman

Menu Items: TBD

Summit Registration and Sponsorship Information

Hotel Information:

The Westin Los Angeles Airport
5400 W Century Blvd
Los Angeles, California 90045

Map to Hotel

Reservations:

Click here to Make Reservation Online

For Reservations via telephone call: (310) 216-5858

Singles/Doubles - $105.00 + Tax
Triples - $115.00 + Tax
Quads - $125.00 + Tax

Rooms at the Executive Level are $10 than prices listed above. In addition, Suites are available at $199.00 + Tax per night.

Rooms must be booked before 5 p.m. Thursday October 21, 2010 to secure this rate.