| Subject: Important Tire Burning Hearing |
Author:
Ned Depew
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Date Posted: 16:09:31 08/26/05 Fri
Friends -
last night an important meeting, - the first Legislative Hearing held by the DEC on the LaFarge Building Materials (Cement) Company application to burn 5 million tires at their 1960s era wet-process cement plant in Ravena, about two miles from the west bank of the Hudson River opposite the Stuyvestant Landing/Schodak Landing/Kinderhook area Columbia County.
The hearing was held in Ravena - about 40-45 minutes drive from Hudson and most of Columbia County, the area that will be most affected by the proposal, being directly downwind in the prevailing wind patterns as documented by the DEC.
Some where in the vicinity of 20 people spoke during the two-and-a-half-hour hearing. Only one spoke in favor - for reasons that I missed, since I arrived a bit late. The remainder raised issues of importance, ranging from the LaFarge Company's poor record of compliance and many deviations from their currently permitted limits over the life of their ownership of the facility, to the extreme toxicity of some of the by-products of burning TDF (tire -derived fuels)
Procedural issue raised included: the location of the hearing - far from the areas that will be most strongly affected by the proposal; the failure of the DEC to communicate with those who have asked to be informed about developments in the process; the original very brief comment period of 30 days (now extended to 60 days, ending October 3) allowed for review of and comment on an application that LaFarge spent more than a year preparing, and that the DEC, with its large staff, required several months to review.
In addition, many people who have previous experience of the DEC permitting process were shocked to learn that the DEC had issued a "negative declaration" of Environmental Impact, allowing the company to bypass the close scrutiny of preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and submitting to a State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR), which is routinely required of projects ranging from small residential subdivisions to nay new manufacturing facility. This for a project which will certainly profoundly alter the chemistry of the air we breathe
Other issues included the controversial history of the use of TDF in cement kilns, where fluctuations in temperature - either intentional or accidental, can lead to incomplete combustion of fuels, and the release of bursts of pollutants well-above permitted levels - that are then "averaged" in statistical reporting of the "total emissions released" - despite the fact that those downwind are exposed to the full force of the concentrations of those relatively frequent events.
Also noted was the extreme toxicity of some of the pollutants known to be released by incineration of TDFs - including Dioxin and Furans - the MOST toxic carcinogens known to science. These toxins are so potent that there no "safe" level of exposure has been established - any exposure, no matter how small apparently increases the risk of developing cancer.
In addition, other Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC's) - many of whose ultimate effects on human health, both singly and in a "chemical cocktail" combined with other pollutants, are still unknown, will also be released, as will - in a worst case scenario - increased levels of toxic heavy metals including lead and mercury, which are cumulative (they build up in the systems of organic entities ranging from the plants and animals we eat to the breast milk of human mothers) toxins of great potency.
Moreover, the baseline against which possible "worst case scenario" releases of heavy metals and other toxins are being compared is permit levels established in the late 1960s, when the Ravena Plant was most recently reviewed - a time when many of the dangers of pollution were little understood.
This proposal represents a direct threat to the health of those in the surrounding area - and downwind for a hundreds of miles. Those in Columbia County, southern Rennselaer County and adjacent Berkshire County are most at risk.
It is our responsibility to hold the DEC accountable for protecting our environment and our public health. We owe it to ourselves, our families and neighbors, to educate ourselves on the potential risks of the Lafarge proposal and to speak out to make sure that we are protected rom unnecessary deterioration of the conditions required for our health - especially clean, safe air.
Here are links to some sites where you can get information on the science and history of such technologies (you can also try googling such keywords as "TDF" or "Tire-derived fuels" or "cement kilns" or 'tire incineration" in a variety of combinations, and do your own research):
www.notoxicburning.org
www.cementkiln.org
www.ichetucknee.org/health.html
www.greenpeace.org/usa/news/dioxin-closer-than-you-think
www.wvecouncil.org/issues/tires.html
There is another public hearing scheduled for September 21 in the same general location - this time at the Coeymans/Ravena/Selkirk High School auditorium, on route 9w just a mile or two above what is described as the "Village of Ravena" (which appears to be a four way intersection with a stoplight and couple of small strip malls).
You owe it to yourself, your family and your neighbors to study this issue, that could have far-reaching and long lasting effects on our entire county, and to make your educated opinion heard at this meeting and through the mail - you can send written comments to:
William J. Clarke
NYSDEC
1150 North Westcott Road
Schenectady, NY 12306-2014
Interestingly, noted "community activists" Tom and Gene didn't make the meeting. Maybe they already know too much about this issue to be confused with the facts? Perhaps the DEC should provide free hot dogs. caps and tee-shirts?
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