BUDL Gears Up For Tournament with DC UDL

BALTIMORE — BUDL debaters are preparing for the second annual BUDL/DC UDL joint tournament. BUDL will be sending 60 debaters to Cardoza High School in Washington DC. The DC league is in its second year and has been focusing on a case dealing with pollution in the Anacostia River. For those of you interested in the details of the case most of their novices are running, here are a few details:

It claims two advantages: one is pollution, which kills species, and if a species dies, that risks extinction.

The other advantage is environmental racism: the pollution problems of the Anacostia river are a form of environmental apartheid, where environmental problems are dumped on poor people and minorites.

Their plan is as folllows:

The United States Federal Government should establish an ocean policy substantially increasing protection of marine natural resources by implementing the following comprehensive strategy to restore the Chesapeake Bay Watershed:

Replace the outdated sewer system of Washington, DC with one that will not regularly fill the watershed with human wasts and other toxics; and

Construct and install filtration systems--including wetlands and green space--throughout the Anacostia Watershed to process and eliminate harmful chemicals.

Funding will be provided through the creation of a stormwater utility that provides incentives for responsible low-impact development on the banks fo the Anacostia River.

More information has been mailed to each coach in the league and will be available at our workshop at the VLP on Wednesday, November 19th. There are also numerous websites which address the issue of pollution in this area.