The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has told the Alabama Department of Environmental Management that it is not doing its job in enforcing penalties against polluters or inspecting companies dealing in hazardous waste.

Specifically, it points out that the state agency issues multiple letters of violation to polluters exceeding permit discharges, but doesn't set a time when the companies must become compliant with their permits before a penalty for continued violation is issued.

"If ADEM will not enforce their permits, what good is the permit? Enforcement is the most important thing they can do to protect people in Alabama," said Casi Callaway, director of Mobile Baykeeper and a founding member of the ADEM Reform Coalition, which has long criticized ADEM for its enforcement policies.

It appears that this agency, controlled by a commission of seven members appointed by the governor and confirmed by the State Senate, is not properly supervising the department. It has employed a director who is under an ethics investigation by the Montgomery County District Attorney, who has accepted gratuities from a company the department regulates and who has a penchant for purchasing airplanes.

With the department facing severe budget problems, its director, Trey Glenn, purchased a $2.4 million Cessna Caravan, purportedly to search for polluters. The plane has been used less than once-a-week for that purpose, but has had the time to ferry Glen and other state employees to such destinations as Gulf Shores, Atlanta and Tunica, Miss. and Gov. Riley to political fund-raiser in Birmingham.

When Glen was Director of the Office of Water Resources at the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) that office bought a used Beech Baron for $500,000 and did $750,000 worth of upgrades on it. ADECA still owns the plane, primarily because it can't recoup its money by selling it.

The ADEM Commission needs to make some policy changes at the very least and more closely supervise its director.

A close call over Iraq

U.S. Senator Richard Shelby and Congressman Bud Cramer of Huntsville have had a firsthand look at the battle zone in Iraq. Exiting Baghdad in a C- 130 last Thursday, after a oneday visit, the plane in which they were flying encountered fire by rocket-propelled grenades.

Cramer says he saw orange flashes about 15 minutes into the flight at a time the plane was flying at about 5,000 feet.

Cramer told The Birmingham

News that he and Shelby compared notes and agreed they saw the orange burst and that the plane rocked considerably as it took evasive action.

"My brain was trying to calculate what would happen if we went down so I grabbed my helmet and flack jacket," Cramer said. Also on board were Sens. Mel Martinez of Florida and James Inhofe of Oklahoma.

Auburn tackles writing skills

The Auburn University Board of Trustees has decided to expand the use of tackling dummies on the football practice field to tackling dummies in the classroom, particularly students with a lack of writing skills.

The university has found that too many students entering as freshmen lack adequate writing skills and don't improve much by the time they graduate.

Former President Ed Richardson and Trustee Jack Miller had been particularly concerned and recent examinations confirmed their fears that writing skills are not up to par.

Last Friday new AU President Jay Gogue told the board that beginning in 2009, all students seeking admission to Auburn will have to take the writing portion of college admission tests. The problem is probably not exclusive to Auburn and Richardson and Miller should be congratulated for stepping forward on the issue.

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Bob Martin is editor and publisher

of The Montgomery

Independent. E-mail him at:

bob@montgomeryindependent.

com