Kanjorski's Latest Desperate Attacks Shows Just How Out of Touch He is With His District

Press Release

Kanjorski's latest desperate attacks shows just how out of touch he is with his district

Incumbent attacks environmental and economic success story

Today, the congressional campaign of Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta released the following statement about Paul Kanjorski's most recent desperate attack ad:

The Hazleton mineland reclamation project takes river dredge from the Delaware River in Philadelphia and uses it to fill a decades-old strip mine pit in Hazleton. The Delaware River is being dredged to deepen the port of Philadelphia and create more jobs and economic growth for Pennsylvania.

The dredge is transported to Hazleton and is tested several times before it reaches its final destination. The Hazleton mineland reclamation project is reclaiming unsightly land that has been an environmental and safety hazard for decades. Once the reclamation project is complete, a 20,000-seat amphitheater is planned for the site, and stores and shops are planned for the surrounding area.

Mark McClellan, former deputy secretary of Environmental Resources under Gov. Robert P. Casey, serves as the environmental consultant for the project. McClellan disputed Kanjorski's attack ad with the following points:

· The Hazleton project does not accept "sludge" at the site from any sources and is not authorized to do so.

· The single violation that Mr. Kanjorski refers to was a clean fill violation that contained clean wood and metal which did not come from Philadelphia. The wood and metal were found not to be contaminated.

· The material was placed in a restricted area and never reached the site. It was later removed and sent to a recycling facility

· The system worked and the non-contaminated material never reached the site and was disposed of properly.

On Oct. 7, 2008, John Hanger, acting secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, sent a letter to state Rep. Todd Eachus in which he stated, "DEP field staff routinely inspects the site and has verified that these sources of clean fill meet appropriate criteria. … Prior to excavation and transportation, dredge material was extensively sampled and those results were provided to DEP prior to the material being placed on site."

This project has the strong support of Gov. Ed Rendell, U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, State Sen. Raphael Musto, and former PADEP Secretary Kathleen McGinty.

Does Mr. Kanjorski believe that all of these officials wish to harm the citizens of northeastern Pennsylvania?

Vince Galko, campaign manager for Lou Barletta, said: "Paul Kanjorski knows he is going to lose this election and, rather then end his career with at least a shred of dignity, he would rather tear down local success stories and make false accusations. This is a great project for all of northeastern Pennsylvania and for job creation across the state. If Paul Kanjorski was the least bit in tune with his district, he would have already known this."

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