Despite one council member’s objection over a resolution calling for the ending of subsidies to the oil and gas industry, among other statements, the West Windsor Township Council voted 4-1 to pass a resolution in response to the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
The resolution calls the magnitude of the spill “the worst environmental disaster in American history, with over 4 million gallons of oil estimated to have leaked into the Gulf over the last several months, and no end is in sight.”
The council’s resolution, passed on June 28, calls the economic and environmental damage to the Gulf Coast region “devastating” and states that BP “has thus far proven unable to effectively contain the oil spill, with over 2.5 million gallons of oil each day continuing to spill into the golf.”
It was this discrepancy in the amount of oil that has so far leaked into the ocean, as well as the resolution’s call for the end of subsidies to the oil and gas industry that drew the opposition from Councilwoman Linda Geevers, who said the resolution was not clear about specific subsidies and was too broad.
“I certainly support the cleanup of the Gulf area, but the wording as it stands, I don’t support that,” she said. “There is wording in here that I don’t think is appropriate.” Geevers asked that the draft first be sent to the Environmental Commission for a recommendation.
However, Diane Ciccone, who proposed the resolution earlier last month, said she felt it was “important for a municipality to make a statement. I don’t think we should have to wait for the federal government to say we should move away from our dependency on non-renewable energy,” she added.
Councilman Charles Morgan reiterated his earlier sentiments — that he would support idea, although a few years ago, when the Patriot Act was first proposed, he asked the council to consider passing a resolution in support of the measure but was shot down on the basis that it was not township business.
Other Business. In other business during the June 28 meeting, Planning Board member Simon Pankove, an original member of the Cable TV Advisory Board, raised questions about the proposal to abolish the board for lack of interest.
Pankove said one of the responsibilities of the board when it was formed was to monitor the township’s franchise agreement with Comcast. “I fully agree with your intention, which is to have the mayor, business administrator, and council member oversee” the duties of the board. “However, I am concerned with the franchise agreement with Comcast.”
“I just wanted to find out from council whether their commitments have been investigated and fulfilled so we know as a community that Comcast has fulfilled its commitments,” as part of that agreement, he added. He said the agreement is coming up for renewal soon.
As a result of its depleting need, council has been aiming to dissolve the board in favor of a smaller staff committee that would handle any policy decisions. Interest on part of the administration and the board members themselves has been on the decline as the issues needing discussion has decreased.
The smaller committee will most likely consist of the business administrator, the mayor, and the council president, who will deal with policy decisions.
