Yesterday the City Council Finance Committee moved a bill that would privatize the Water Department's Biosolids Recycling Center and give all of the City's vital perations in this area to a private company, Synagro, which is a subsidiary of the Carlyle Group, The Carlyle Group is a company, like Halliburton, that is well known for being tied to the Bush family and their Big Oil allies.

Serious questions were raised at yesterday's hearing by City Council members and the Union related to the vailidity of the claims of "savings" as well as the possible hidden costs in the proposed deal.

Before City Council rushes to approve this deal the Mayor and Council need to answer some questions.

Here are a few:

1. Mayor Nutter, when you ran for office you said you respected City workers
and wanted to treat us fairly. How can you promote the same proposal that
the Street Administration made to give the BRC to a company, Synagro when

Background: The Philadelphia Water Department wants a privatized biosolids plant in the South West Philadelphia area. But, there has been a heated debate raging on for more than two years concerning the future of biosolids treatment in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Water Department has been exaggerating the benefits, intentionally misrepresenting data and cleverly omitting the drawbacks of the project. All the while they have been spreading propaganda that the only reason AFSCME Local 394 opposes the project is because of Union jobs; here are the facts:

Statement: Commissioner Brunwasser states human waste is stored on site.

Fact: Human waste is not stored on the Water Department Facility. Biosolids is a processed organic material which is approved by State and Federal regulators for use as a fertilizer.

Statement: Commissioner Brunwasser states the new plant will “eliminate the putrid smell that can extend more than a mile in any direction”.