Tell the Truth is an organization that promotes truth and accuracy in local public policy debates and publishes results of their investigation into issues.

Tell the Truth recently investigated the debate surrounding the Haystack Landing Project. Tell the Truth sent letters to The Dutra Group and Moms for Clean Air with the results of their investigation. The following is a letter by The Dutra Group responding to Tell the Truth’s letter which follows our response.

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May 28, 2009

Jo Timmsen
Executive Director
Tell the Truth
P. O. Box 3354
Santa Rosa, CA  95402

Dear Ms. Timmsen:

I received your letter dated May 26, 2009 regarding the Dutra Haystack Landing Project. Your letter and newspaper ad suggested the statement appearing on our website stating “the asphalt plant would support 1,000 living wage construction jobs of local construction companies” could be confusing if the reader believes the word “support” means “creates.” This letter is to confirm our statement is valid and the use of the word “support” did indeed mean “support.”

Your letter noted that “…if the statement is read within the context of the web page in which it appears, there is less confusion. In that context, the “1,000 jobs” appears to be an estimate of the number of construction jobs in local companies that would use or benefit from a local source of asphalt.” That is correct.

To avoid any confusion, we added the following text to the website page “Community Benefits” where the statement regarding supporting 1,000 local construction jobs appears.

“A local source of asphalt will reduce road construction costs enabling cities, counties and other local governments to use the millions of dollars it would have spent trucking materials into the south Sonoma County area on more road construction and maintenance projects. More local road construction and maintenance projects will translate to more work for local construction companies who combined employ over 1,000 living wage jobs. The Haystack Landing project would support these 1,000 local living wage construction jobs by being the local source of asphalt which can create more road work projects by saving millions of dollars on the cost of materials.”

Thank you for your interest in the Dutra Haystack Landing Project. Please feel free to share this letter with anyone who desires more information on this letter.

If you need any further information, please contact me at your convenience at 415-307-1592.

Best regards,

Aimi Dutra Krause

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Below is the letter that we received from Tell the Truth:

To the Dutra Group,
I am writing to you as the Executive Director of Tell The Truth regarding a complaint we received about statements which you have posted on www.petalumaasphaltplant.com concerning Dutra’s proposed asphalt plant at Haystack Landing. After researching the
claims, Tell The Truth found the statement below to be potentially misleading to the public.

In an effort to ensure truth and accuracy in local public policy debate, we will be publishing the results of our investigation, and are asking you to immediately correct the information referred to below so that the public will not continue to be misled.

Misleading Statement : (Found on the Dutra Website at www.petalumaasphaltplant.com)
This plant would support 1,000 living wage construction jobs of local construction companies.
http://www.petalumaasphaltplant.com/petaluma-plant-benefits.html

FACT:
As a stand‐alone statement, the above wording could be misleading if one took the word “support” to mean “create”. The Dutra asphalt plant would not create 1,000 jobs. According to the EIR for the project “the proposed project would not directly induce substantial population growth in the area because it would employ only ten individuals”. “Additionally, the facility is a re‐location of an existing facility that would be closed. … the project would not result in long term employment growth in the
area.” ~ Dutra Environmental Impact Report (Vol. 1, V.I. General Impact Pg. 1)

However if the statement is read within the context of the web page in which it appears, there is less confusion. In that context the “1,000 jobs” appears to be an estimate of the number of construction jobs in local companies that would use or benefit from a local source of asphalt.

Conclusion:
The statement found on the Dutra website is potentially misleading to the public. With complex issues such as the Dutra debate, one must be careful to look at information in context and not merely rely on “sound bites.” One is then less likely to confuse such terms as “support” and “create”.
We are sending a similar letter to Mom’s for Clean Air asking them to correct information posted on their website which Tell The Truth has also found to be misleading. Your attention to this matter would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Jo Timmsen
Executive Director
Tell The Truth