Over a decade ago, when I was in the midst of fighting the proposed inflatable dam on the Susquehanna River, there was a "high level" public meeting/hearing held in Wilkes-Barre to talk about plans/proposals to clean up the Susquehanna as part of former U.S. Congressman Paul Kanjorski's frantic push to get additional support for his pet project.
As it was on a weekday and I could not attend, I emailed a question to one of the folks organizing the meeting and asked that it be presented to the panel of "experts" in attendance. I'm not going to spend time looking for the actual email, which I'm guessing has long since been deleted or recycled, but I remember it fairly well and it went something like this:
"If unlimited funds were available, please provide your best estimate as to how long it would take and how much it would cost to clean up the Susquehanna to the level of water quality that existed in the 1700's?"
To sum up their answer as best I recall:
Billion$ and centuries.
Anything that raises awareness about the Sad State of the Susquehanna is, in my opinion, a good thing.
However, pardoning my cynicism, the PFBC's approach lacks the imagination and energy needed to turn this thing around.
What they need...is the freedom and vision to dream.
And, of course, unlimited funding.
More in a few.
“All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake up in the day to find it was vanity, but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible.”
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