Our generally acidic soils, shallow water table and the reliance of many rural residents on groundwater wells for their domestic use are all conditions that increase the potential impact of land applied sludges. We have worked with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation to bring our findings and expertise to their policy-deliberations. We accomplish this through the scholarly processes of research and publication of results in peer-reviewed journals as well as through outreach via the Cornell Cooperative Extension and direct outreach from the campus. Cornell faculty have thus provided advice to growers in NYS, following a long tradition of publishing recommendations concerning many agricultural practices. It should not take courage to publish scientific findings and prompt open discussion.
Science is a process of investigation, the testing of hypotheses and pursuing questions that remain.
I am proud to be part of an institution that upholds the value that process. When then EPA Assistant Administrator Perciasepe copied the President of the Cornell on correspondence to the Deputy Commissioner of the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation critical of our work, we were confident that academic freedom and integrity would protect us from any recriminations at the University, which they did. Rather than trading allegations or attempting to discredit scientific research, we need to move forward to ensure that needed research is carried out in an objective manner. Currently it is my understanding that EPA funding for research in this area is being channeled through the Water Environment Research Foundation and related organizations. There is always a danger of conflicts of interest when government resources are channeled through special interest-based mechanisms.