Word of the day: Chutzpah – shameless audacity. Examples of the word of the day in use:
In the Gulf of Mexico, a Taylor Energy well has been discharging dirty oil into the Gulf for more than a decade, keeping the public in the dark about any information about the discharges and possible cleanup. Using the law, Apalachicola Riverkeeper, Lower Mississippi Riverkeeper, Louisiana Environmental Action Network, and Waterkeeper Alliance, represented by Tulane Law Clinic, were able to shine a light of transparency on the matter. As a result of our lawsuit, Taylor officials were required to host a public session to increase transparency about the disaster and cleanup attempts. At the hearing, held on January 20, Taylor Energy officials showed a lot of chutzpah in blaming the discharges on an “Act of God”, only answering the public’s written questions, and engaging in hostile exchanges with the public. How dare the public want answers about why Taylor Energy has been poisoning the Gulf for more than a decade and what they are going to do about it. Chutzpah indeed!
Not to be outdone, news reports from the New York Times and other outlets report that over the past year Michigan officials have been dismissive of citizen complaints about Flint’s drinking water. A decision that was made to cut costs by switching Flint’s drinking water source resulted in poisoning people and diminishing children’s ability to learn. The officials’ dismissiveness of public concerns is in fact more than chutzpah, it is borderline criminal. Everyone has a right to drink clean water and no child should ever have their cognitive abilities impaired by lead or any other dangerous contaminant. I hope we can get a Waterkeeper on the Flint in Michigan to help bring transparency and accountability.