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In his letter, Gordon Clark cites the cost and frustration of
complying with state and county environmental regulations as the
reason for his decision to close up shop.
 The
primary concern involves Clark Foam's use of the toxic chemical
Toulene Diisocynate, or TDI. Exposure to TDI particles in the
air can cause severe and chronic lung problems.
Clark does not dispute the seriousness of the concerns. He openly
acknowledges that "our official safety record as an employer
is not very good" and that "we do emit over 4,000 pounds
of styrene fumes per year."
However, he contends he spent nearly a million dollars to comply
with regulations, eating away at profits.
Clark complains the government put him out of business. "It
is a terrible feeling when one person walks in and says what you
are doing is wrong. Now and then it is OK, but when an agency
does it over and over you finally get the message. …The state
of California and especially Orange County, where Clark Foam is
located, have made it very clear they no longer want manufacturers
like Clark Foam in their area," he said.
Government officials reject Clark's allegation they are to blame
for his company's demise.
 The
Environment Protection Agency says Clark has had some problems
in the past but is currently in compliance.
"There's a whole bunch of surfers out there complaining
we shut them down," EPA spokesman Mark Merchant told the
Orange County Register. "We didn't shut him down."
Merchant described Gordon Clark's decision to close his business
as "an excessive response."
As for Clark's complaints, Merchant counters that "the agency
understands compliance can be costly and difficult, and we have
an assistance program to help people out. Shutting down business
is not our goal."
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Compiled by Anne Bell for NewsHour Extra
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The
price of a custom surfboard went up $200 overnight on news that
Clark Foam - the country's primary supplier of foam used to make
surfboards - was shutting its doors. 
Gordon
Clark "undercut all competitors, and he froze out shapers
who used other sources. He was shipping a thousand blanks a day.
There's nobody who can replace him," explained Mark Massara,
a San Francisco area surfer and director of the Sierra Club's
California Coastal Program, in an interview with the San Francisco
Chronicle.
It's important to understand both sides in an election, and I think it will be interesting to hear the Republican opinion on big issues. As a writer, it will be my job to take that perspective and share it with the youth of the country, a crowd that mainly supports Obama.
