Religious groups force GE disclosure of money spent to avoid cleanup

[DemBones DemBones]

from January 12 news at http://www.americancatholic.org/features/DailyNews/todays.asp


WASHINGTON (CNS) -- After a decade of pressure from faith-based investment coalitions, the General Electric Co. disclosed to the Securities and Exchange Commission that it spent nearly $800 million to delay the cleanup of toxic PCB discharges in New York, Massachusetts and Georgia. "The reality is that $800 million would have gone a long, long way to cleaning up the problem if so much of that money had not been wasted on public relations, lobbying and courtroom delaying tactics," said Dominican Sister Patricia Daly, executive director of the Tri-State Coalition For Responsible Investment. The coalition is a consortium of about 40 Catholic institutional investors in Connecticut, New Jersey and New York. In a statement filed with the SEC, GE said it spent the money on "site investigation and remediation," "scientific research," legal fees and informational initiatives, among other things.

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Faith-based groups can work for the public good, as evidenced here.

GE has done a tremendous amount of harm and refused to accept responsibility. Here in Georgia, GE dumped PCBs that polluted groundwater, land, a major river and lakes and other rivers that it feeds, making the fish in them unsafe to eat. Two elementary schools are on land contaminated by PCBs. A huge Lowe's Hardware store was closed and razed because of the high levels of PCBs in the ground it was built on; several other businesses were razed as well. And that's just what I know off the top of my head.

GE used to use the slogan "GE. . . We bring good things to life." :eyes:

[ret5hd]

1. now if we could just get 'em to back REAL xians for political office...

(just pokin' ya with a stick)

[DemBones DemBones]

5. I'm sure the people involved with those groups DO back

real Christians, or good candidates who aren't Christian, for office. But you knew that; as you said, you're just poking me with a stick. ;-)

[Bridget Burke]

6. The Fake Christians are better at PR.

While the Real Christians are busy actually doing good.

[Greeby]

2. By good they mean mutated

:eyes:

[DemBones DemBones]

7. Now there's a thought! I've seen some of the mutated fish and

now I'm imagining a commercial using their "We bring good things to life" slogan but showing photos of mutated fish. It's not just fish, either. Over in Alabama, a lot of people have gotten sick from PCB exposure, thanks to GE.

[Cooley Hurd]

3. The money GE spent on PR alone would've done a lot to clean up...

...their mess in the Hudson River at Fort Edward, NY. Back in 2000, they paid a friend of mine $3000 for use of his pontoon boat for 2 days. They needed a platform on which to shoot their "feelgood/happy animals on the Hudson" ads designed to sway people from supporting dredging of the PCB's from the bottom of the Hudson.



GE sucks (channeling Dave Letterman from 1986)...:thumbsdown:

[DemBones DemBones]

4. They've just basically told Georgia they're not going to clean up

their mess and who's going to make them? Not to mention that they closed their plant here, which manufactured transformers, putting hundreds out of work. Just one of many businesses that have done that to workers here, and more than one has handed out the pink slips just days before Christmas. It's a miracle none of those guys have gone postal on management. Well, maybe not such a miracle -- they always hire off-duty cops to protect them after they lay off all their employees. I hate soulless corporate entities..

:grr:

[Triana]

8. I HATE GE...

...the slimey bastards own a considerable chunk of the "news" media in this country, as well as having their slimey thug paws into everything else.