SOS: Rt. 53

Lake County's Public Works and Transportation Committee yesterday decided that we should waste more time and energy stopping the Rt. 53 extension from bulldozing the heart of the county. A full turnout of environmental leaders urged them to stay focused on more realistic transportation solutions. But Talbett, Maine and Carter, egged on by Schmidt, joined Stolman and O'Kelly to spurn our pleas. Thanks to newcomers Bush and Wilke for opposing unleashing this controversy on the public one more time, and to Carey and Carlson for their calls for more courageous leadership.

Our local officials seem to think that voters will forgive them for ignoring environmental solutions, and playing politics with transportation. But Obama can't launch a green economy if our elected local officials continue to resort to 40 year old, inefficient, polluting boondoggles in the 21st century. We need local change for our environment>>.