The Inside Dope: Chad Pregracke brings Living Lands and Waters to D.C. rivers

April 7, 2005

Chad Pregracke brings Living Lands and Waters to D.C. rivers

Chad Pregracke, the area man who has gained wide attention for his remarkable efforts to clean up rivers and streams, has gained corporate sponsorship and has taken his organization to D.C. The effort focuses on the Potomac and Anacostia rivers.

This project is sponsored by Koch Industries, an enormous business run by one of the most arch-conservative families in America. Koch Industries was founded by Fred C. Kock, a John Birch Society activist, The two Koch brothers who now run the company are worth an estimated $4 billion dollars.

David and Charles Koch own virtually all of Koch Industries, an oil, natural gas, and land management firm and the second largest privately owned company in America.[139] The brothers have a strong interest in libertarian theory; the three family foundations operated by the Kochs (the Charles G. Koch, David H. Koch and Claude R. Lambe Charitable Foundations) made possible the libertarian Cato Institute and Citizens for a Sound Economy ($6.5 million and $4.8 million contributed between 1986 and 1990, respectively).[140] Unlike the Bradley, Scaife and Olin Foundations, the Kochs focus exclusively on free-market philosophy.

The effort is laudable, no matter who is sponsoring it, and Koch Industries deserves credit, but one hopes that Pregracke knows who he's dealing with.

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2 Comments:

At 4/08/2005 9:38 AM, Anonymous said...: Chad Pregracke is the best thing that ever happened to the mighty Mississippi river. keep up the good work through this whole country.
At 4/10/2005 7:05 AM, The Inside Dope said...: The guy deserves our admiration for A. Wanting to address this problem in the first place, B. Actually being committed enough to go out and do it, and C. keeping the ball rolling and increasing it's visibility and range until it's become a major movement.

The results are wonderful, and having volunteered to help on a local effort myself, one can scarcely imagine a more difficult or unpleasant task than wading around in the muck pulling out old tires and other unimaginably gross junk out of our streams and rivers.

But what a difference it makes. And not only that, one of the benefits is that it raises the public's awareness of the issue and will hopefully make people value their rivers and streams enough to not treat them as a dump.

But getting mixed up with these rabid libertarians might have an effect. I hope we dont' read next that Predracke will come clean your waterway ..... for $50 per yard.