Citizens Environment Alliance [of Southwestern Ontario] Mourns Death of Founder

Ric Coronado
1941 - 2019

Citizens Environment Alliance Mourns Death of Founder

With heavy hearts, we inform you of the death of our founder, Ric Coronado on Tuesday July 30th, 2019. He is survived by his son, Derek.

For more than three decades, Ric was a tireless and effective citizen advocate for environmental and labour issues in Essex County and beyond.

In the 1980’s, Ric established and chaired the environment committee at Local 444. In 1990, he was responsible for pushing for the first environmental contract language between Chrysler and the CAW that established a joint National environment committee. This became the model for joint workplace environment committees that were later established in all Canadian big three manufacturing facilities. Ric was also instrumental in the formation of the City of Windsor's Windsor Environmental Advisory Committee and the formation of the Labour caucus of the Canadian Environmental Network. Simultaneously, he spent years working on Detroit River issues through the Binational Public Advisory Committee.

Ric was a spirited mentor to countless environmental activists in the Windsor area and beyond. In 1985, he founded the Windsor and District Clean Water Alliance, later renamed the Citizens Environment Alliance of Southwestern Ontario (CEA). This established a diligent and powerful international voice for environmental issues in the Great Lakes watershed. In a local appearance many years ago, Dr. David Suzuki referred to Ric as a “silverback” among environmentalists. This was fitting because Ric was both a fearless protector and a gentle and respected elder who had an enormous influence on his community.

Ric believed that every citizen has a responsibility to inform themselves and contribute to the improvement of their communities however they are able. It is a testament to his character that many of the politicians and power brokers whom he held to account so fiercely later sought Ric’s friendship and approval.

Ric led by example. He faced his own health challenges with determination and grace, and persevered where many would have surrendered. His commitment to the CEA was unwavering, and he was rightfully proud of the work the organization continues to do under the capable leadership of his beloved son.

Ric’s personal encouragement inspired generations of people who took up causes as citizen advocates. His wonderful sense of humour and unflinching loyalty will be missed by all those lucky enough to call him a friend. We mourn his passing and call on all those who remember Ric to honour his memory the way he would have appreciated most: keep pushing for clean air, clean water and healthy natural habitats in your community.

[The above is as posted by CEA. Beyond Nuclear note: Beyond Nuclear's Kevin Kamps, who is a Don't Waste Michigan board member, has long worked with Ric, since the mid-1990s. An early project, in 1997, was fighting together against Mixed Oxide (MOX, plutonium and uranium) fuel, to be made from U.S. weapons-grade plutonium. More recently, CEA and Beyond Nuclear worked together in an environmental coalition to challenge the Fermi nuclear power plant in southeastern Michigan, and the Davis-Besse atomic reactor in northwestern Ohio, both on the Lake Erie shoreline. Several years ago, Kevin was honored to have been invited to speak on a Detroit River cruise, at an annual fundraiser for CEA. Ric's decades-long commitment to protect the environment of the Great Lakes, his sense of humor, and his joie de vivre, will be sorely missed.]

New Documents Show Corporate and Foreign Interests Seek to Influence U.S. Nuclear Policy

U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings (Democrat-Maryland), Chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and ReformWH [White House], Agencies Still Refuse to Produce Documents in Committee’s Investigation

See the press release posted on the website of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Reform, chaired by U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings (Democrat-Baltimore, MD).

Links to primary documents, as well as the two interim staff reports (July 29, 2019, as well as Feb. 19, 2019) are provided there.

Chairman Cummings issued the following statement:

“Today’s report reveals new and extensive evidence that corroborates Committee whistleblowers and exposes how corporate and foreign interests are using their unique access to advocate for the transfer of U.S. nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia. The American people deserve to know the facts about whether the White House is willing to place the potential profits of the President’s personal friends above the national security of the American people and the universal objective of preventing the spread of nuclear weapons.”

The Washington Post has reported on this news. So too has The Daily Beast. The New York Times has published closely related coverage, re: Thomas J. Barrack, Jr., a close friend of President Donald J. Trump for decades, top fundraiser for Trump's 2016 campaign, top Trump Transition official, top advisor, the chair of his Inaugural Committee, and behind the scenes lobbyist. The Times reports: "[Federal] Investigators have also questioned witnesses about Mr. Barrack’s involvement with a proposal from an American group that could give Saudi Arabia access to nuclear power technology."

Update on August 2, 2019 by admin

On August 1st, Sputnik Radio's "Loud & Clear" had Beyond Nuclear's Kevin Kamps on to discuss the Cummings committee report.

Here is "Loud & Clear's" write up:

A new report issued on July 29th by the House Oversight committee based on 60,000 newly released internal corporate documents communications show that IP3, a private company led by retired generals and admirals, lobbied the White House to transfer U.S. nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia. U.S. hypocrisy is on full display as it’s military industrial complex -- and profit driven generals and admirals -- worked towards nuclear proliferation when it comes to Saudi Arabia. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, joins Brian and John.

Listen to the interview here -- it begins at the 86 minute 20 second mark, and continues for a half-hour, till the end of the show.

Inside the Secret Campaign to Export U.S. Nuclear Tech to Saudi Arabia

Industry coalition’s push to win over the Trump administration is concerning officials on Capitol Hill who are fearful that it could threaten U.S. national security.

As reported by the Daily Beast.

HBO Miniseries ‘Chernobyl’ Is As “Close To Reality” As Possible Within Five Hours – TCA

As reported by Deadline.

HBO features not only nuclear-themed historical dramas, but also documentaries, such as "Atomic Homefront" about radioactive waste crises in St. Louis, MO, and "Indian Point: Imaging the Unimaginable," about reactor security risks very near New York City.

God's River, by filmmakers Gabriela Bulisova and Mark Isaac

GOD’S RIVER is a short documentary film created by Mark Isaac and Gabriela Bulisova as part of their work in Ukraine supported by a Fulbright grant. Energy producers and environmentalists agree that climate change has significantly reduced the flow of the Southern Bug River, the longest river entirely within Ukraine. But the two camps differ dramatically on how to respond. The state-operated nuclear conglomerate, EnergoAtom, proposes to raise water levels behind Alexandrivsky Dam, flooding a portion of Buszky Gard National Park. But a unique coalition of veterans, academics, environmentalists and Ukrainian nationalists opposes the plan because it will threaten endangered plants and animals, submerge archaeological digs, and destroy Gardove Island, a place that is sacred to Cossack heritage. While some urge compromise, others claim concessions could permanently kill the river. Returning soldiers from the Donbas region forthrightly embrace the struggle as an extension of the war effort. If the Ukrainian Parliament approves the plan, they have pledged — along with their allies — to occupy Gardove Island, where a Cossack church once stood, and protect it “by all means necessary, including radical ones.”