Los Angeles Unified School District Calls for the Return of State and Local Rights to Limit Antennas
On May 26, 2009, the Los Angeles Unified School District unanimously passed a resolution calling for repeal of Section 704 of the Federal Telecommunications Act of 1996 that prevents states and local governments from taking environmental (including human health) effects into account when denying a permit for antenna. The resolution was introduced by Board member Julie Korenstein who in 2000 was responsible for getting an ordinance in place to ban cell towers at Los Angeles City Public Schools.
Many groups have endorsed this resolution, including the California School Employees Association, Associated Administrators of Los Angeles, Los Angeles School Police Association, Healthy School Coalition, Teamsters Local Union No. 572, Central Group of the Sierra Club and others.
Repeal of Sec. 704 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 is one of 4 points in EMF Petition to Congress. It is because of this provision that state and local governments are currently powerless to protect citizens health from the ever-increasing levels of electromagnetic fields. While the provision facilitated the extensive roll-out of telecommunications infrastructure beginning in 1996, assuring little resistance at the local level, Congress included this provision at the expense of both human and environmental health to accommodate the interests of the telecommunications industry.
ElectromagneticHealth.org hopes other government bodies across the country will follow suit in calling for the repeal of Sec. 704 and that they also formally request the FCC review the health consequences of microwave radiation exposure, as Portland, OR’s City Council has just done.
Please sign the EMF Petition to Congress if you have not already done so and lend support to the very important activism on this environmental health issue.