George Miller Speaks Out On No Child Left Behind And the Ozol Yard

No Child Left Behind, the controversial education reform movement signed into law by then President George W. Bush in 2001, is due for an overhaul. Congress is in the process of putting together a number of bills to do just that. Miller is one of the leading proponents of education reform.

Meanwhile, California Department of Education chief Tom Torlakson has requested a waiver from the "inappropriate rules and ineffective interventions" of NCLB for California this year. Miller doesn't think the state will win the waiver, because of its refusal to adhere to federal accountability rules.

Miller, who lives in Martinez, was also asked about the security risks of the Ozol Switching Yard, which houses many rail tanker cars often loaded with hazardous and explosive material. The yard has little if no security, and is very close and upwind to downtown Martinez. 

Miller said the time has come for industries to look at ways to reduce rail transport of hazardous materials, and pointed to Pittsburg's Dow Chemical Plant, which no longer ships in chlorine to its plant by rail.