Only Four Days Left... -- Columbia County Talk

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Subject: Only Four Days Left...

Author:
Ned Depew

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Date Posted: 10:29:14 09/29/05 Thu

in the comment period for the LaFarge Cement Company proposal to burn whole tires (5 Million each year) in their Ravena plant.

The single most important fact you need to know is that research demonstrates that in actual burning conditions in cement kilns (as opposed to "projections" and "computer modeling") the burning of Tire Derived Fuel (TDF) results in increases in emissions of Dioxin (and other volatile organic compounds).

Dioxin is the most toxic carcinogen know to science, and the EPA concluded in a 1995 study that there is no safe level of exposure to dioxin - therefore any increase in dioxin (no matter how small) will inevitably lead to increases in cancer in populations exposed.

The idea that people in Columbia County should be exposed to increased toxic emissions and increased risk of cancer solely so a giant Multi-National Corporation can increase its profits by lowering fuel costs is simply unaccceptable.

This isn't about jobs or about cement. It is about the health of our families and neighbors who live in the region. At the very least, you should demand more time to get the facts (an extension of the comment period) and hearings held in Columbia County, where those who would be most affected by this plan live.

You should also request that the DEC reverse its "negative declaration" of environmental impact on the project, which allows it to be ruled on without requiring a full Environmental Quality Review - which would be a chance for the public to review information submitted to the DEC by the company and check it against independent authorities in the field - to get the facts and make an informed decision.

You can write to:

William J. Clarke,
NYSDEC Region 4 Headquarters,
1150 North Westcott Road,Schenectady,
NY 12306

But you have to get your letter to him by 4pm on Monday. You can also Fax him at: (518) 357-246 any time before the 4 pm Monday deadline.

Regardless of your impressions of the LaFarge operation or your opinions on industrial development in the region - you do owe it to yourself and your family to get all the facts before the DEC makes its decision. If I am proved wrong - so be it. But I ask you to find out for yourself - and to ask the DEC to give you the time and information so that you can make an educated decision.

This is not about "stopping" or "shutting down" LaFarge. It is about making sure that all applicable scrutiny is done to make sure that their application is complete and accurate, and that if the permit modification is allowed that all possible safeguards are in place to protect the health of those who will be exposed to any possible emissions.

My research indicates that there will be increased risk for all of us - if this permit modification is allowed, there will be increased cancer rates in Columbia County.

I invite others to do their own research and share their conclusions. But please don't ignore this problem, or sit silent while the quality of the air that you and I, and our children, families and neighbors breathe is degraded even further.

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