Last Update: August 18, 2010
About FixTheMLO and the Ad Hoc Review Committee
The FixTheMLO group and this web site were formed in 2004 in response to the International Dark-Sky Association's release of the first public draft of their proposed Model Lighting Ordinance (MLO). A group of us realized that the MLO would not serve its intended purposes if it were promulgated and implemented in its then-current form. We therefore formed this Ad Hoc Review Committee, whose principal interest is "to preserve and protect the nighttime environment and our heritage of dark skies," to identify any deficiencies and oversights of the draft.
The Committee participated in the formal 2009 MLO Public Comment process. It has also organized two petitions, each garnering nearly 200 signatures, asking the IDA Board of Directors to address severe shortcomings in the 2004 and 2009 drafts. The Board never acknowledged the 2009 petition, but you can view it here together with the list of signatories. After seven weeks of detailed review and discussion of the June 2010 draft, the Committee has now completed its analysis and made public its findings.
The Ad Hoc Review Committee is a group with diverse backgrounds, whose members represent, cumulatively, decades of experience working on dark-sky legislation. If you are concerned with the beauty of the night, with energy conservation to sustain our planet, with improved nighttime safety, and with protection of the nocturnal environment as it affects the ecology and biorhythms of wildlife and humans, we hope you will submit comments on this draft MLO. Please feel free to adopt for your own comment submission all or any part of the Committee’s findings.
The 2010 Ad Hoc Review Committee includes the following members (listed alphabetically):
- Drew Carhart
- Illinois. Founding member, Illinois Coalition for Responsible Outdoor Lighting (2008). Founding member, Naperville Astronomical Association (1973).
- Gail Clyma
- New York. Member IDA, 1995-present. Member IES, 2004-present. Member of the original (2002) MLO Working Group. Liaison to sponsors of light pollution legislation for New York State and the Town of Southampton.
- Dan Green
- Massachusetts. Founding member of the New England Light Pollution Advisory Group (NELPAG) and long time webmaster of NELPAG website; also established first IDA website for IDA, ca. 1995. Co-author of pending state legislation in Massachusetts to curb light pollution. Co-organizer of many light-pollution meetings. Astronomer at Harvard University.
- Patric Johnstone
- Oklahoma. Photojournalist, neighborhood advocate, and outdoor lighting reform proponent.
- John McMahon
- New York. Member, Syracuse Astronomical Society (1999-present); Board of Directors (2000-2003, 2006-2010). Zoning Board of Appeals, Town of Tully, NY (2000-present). Member, Town of Tully Comprehensive Plan, Environment and Recreation Subcommittee (2002-2005). Co-author of Town of Tully Outdoor Lighting Ordinance (Local Law 7, 2007). Practicing amateur astronomer since 1956. Professor of Classics, Le Moyne College, Syracuse, NY.
- Debra Norvil
- Illinois. Member, IDA Board of Directors. Founding member, Illinois Coalition for Responsible Outdoor Lighting. Co-author of the Village of Homer Glen Outdoor Lighting Ordinance.
- David Oesper
- Texas. Member IDA, 1988-present; IDA Board of Directors, 1994-2000. IDA Information Sheet editor, 1996-1999. Astronomer. Ames, IA, Outdoor Lighting Code Committee, 1994-1999. President, Outdoor Lighting Associates, Inc., 1994-2005. Past member, IES.
- Tim Poulsen
- New York. Member of the Board of SELENE (IDA Affiliate). Former Editor, IDA Newsletter.
- Julie Schaar
- Texas. Member of IDA and founder, Texas IDA. Member, Texas Astronomical Association of Dallas. Member, Dallas Green Building Task Force. Consultant to residents near Dallas’ White Rock Lake wanting to reduce and improve outdoor lighting (2009). Chair of Steering Committee for EarthHourUS/Dallas/KeyCity/2009. Sierra Club, Dallas LoneStar Chapter, conservation committee.
- Stan Stubbe
- Pennsylvania. Member Emeritus, IES; member 1959-present. Lifetime Member, IDA; member 1996-present. President, Pennsylvania Outdoor Lighting Council; member 1996-present. Chapter Leader, PA Chapter of IDA. Member, CIE, 2002-present.
- David Toeppen
- Illinois. IDA Illinois Section Leader at Large. Built 8" reflector in 1944 from pipe fittings, wood, sheet metal, and other stuff. Had to hang cardboard sheet on nearby street light to use. Now, still chasing bad lighting for many very important reasons.
The opinions expressed in this document were developed through discussion among participating members of the Committee. As with most such consensus documents, not all participants hold exactly the same position on each point. By listing their names above, the signers indicate general agreement with the Committee's findings.