On the 24th of March, 2003, new congressman Rob Bishop (R-UT1) took a $1000 campaign contribution from Ira Rennert.
Who is Ira Rennert?
Ira Rennert buys heavily polluting factories and uses Enron-style chicanery to evade the EPA and refuse to clean up. He lets factories' grounds get so polluted the real estate is worthless (and so is a lot of surrounding land) and threatens to abandon them by declaring bankruptcy. Sometimes he makes whole towns almost uninhabitable, like the towns downwind of his lead smelters in Missouri.
Why is Ira Rennert giving to a Utah congressman?
Rep. Bishop has been a friend to polluters, but that isn't all. For a generation up until 2001 Ira Rennert's MagCorp in Utah was the single largest air-polluting facility in the United States. Straight upwind 50 miles from the population centers of Davis and Weber Counties the number one air pollution point source in America pumped out deadly chlorine gas and dioxins day and night at a rate of tens of millions of pounds a year. This was 80% of all chlorine emissions in the United States.
Davis and Weber counties are the heart of Bishop's district.
Now MagCorp provides good Tooele County jobs, though the workers are exposed to unfortunate levels of toxic gasses. Employees aren't even allowed to drive to the plant; the toxic emissions would corrode the cars into dust if they were left parked on site. But pollution control devices were never installed.
Why was MagCorp pollution allowed to continue when pollution control processes were possible?
Rennert had the ears of Utah politicians. The Utah Department of Environmental Quality is a shy and quiet agency where specific employees have been fired by decree of the state legislature for doing their jobs turning in polluters. When polluters complain, DEQ understands that politicians will punish the department.
The EPA stepped in at the request of Utah citizens and after years of recalcitrance, Rennert was forced to install pollution controls and pay a fine of $900 million for his violations of the law. He was also required to install equipment to protect his workers from the health hazards of the plant and clean up toxic deposits on the property.
Did Rennert pay his fine?
No. He had MagCorp declare bankruptcy and shielded himself from liability for his decisions through a maze of holding corporations. Then he controlled the sale of assets from the bankruptcy and left the most polluted land behind for the state to clean up while he secretly bought back up the profitable parts of the operation at a sham auction for pennies on the dollar. Ken Lay would be proud.
Did Rennert clean up the plant?
Partially. Millions of pounds of chlorine continue to threaten workers and families downwind, though less than before. The plant could be rendered reasonably clean and safe with currently available technology, but that is not being used.
Is Ira Rennert just a misunderstood businessman providing the public with what it wants?
No. Rennert shifts the costs of his abuses onto taxpayers and downwind communities and imposes health care costs that we all pay for in insurance premiums. That money might as well just be shifted into Rennert's pocket.
Rennert also makes a practice of pressing local government officials to grant special Rennert-only tax breaks so his polluting industries can operate with an advantage over companies that play by the rules.
He is not a businessman but a corporate Welfare cheat suckling at the teat of government.
Does Ira Rennert live in the places he pollutes?
No, he lives in an outer suburb of New York City with strict environmental protections against the dangers he subjects other American families to.
Where does Ira Rennert belong?
Ideally, in prison for his fraudulent dealings to escape responsibility for his own business decisions. But certainly not in my congressman's office.
The Honorable Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT1) took $1000 from Ira Rennert last March. What access was Rennert buying, what influence? Will Rob Bishop be doing the bidding of a bad man against us who live in Utah?
Trying to get us more and higher levels of nuclear waste and failing to oppose development of our wilderness lands Bishop has established that he will work for donors and the merchants of political pull more than for the citizens. We deserve better. I hereby call on Rob Bishop to return Ira Rennert's money and once and for all.