Opposition to medical waste plant voiced in Follansbee
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FOLLANSBEE -- On Monday, Follansbee Council heard of opposition to a medical waste treatment plant planned for the city's north end.
Natalie Rocchio, a resident of Highland Hills, told council she's concerned about air pollution from the facility and asked if council had been under the impression it would produce no emissions.
Empire Green Generation hopes to operate the medical waste plant at the former site of the Koppers plant between Follansbee's north end and the Ohio River.
While seeking approval for a building permit for the facility, officials with Empire told council it would produce no emissions.
But a permit sought from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection's Division of Air Quality states if it's approved, the plant could release the following potential emissions: particulate matter less than 2.5 microns, 9.5 tons per year; particulate matter less than 10 microns, 18.5 tons per year; particulate matter, 31.6 tons per year; sulfur dioxide, 39 tons per year; oxides of nitrogen, 24 tons per year; carbon monoxide, 99 tons per year; volatile organic compounds, 24 tons per year; and total hazardous air pollutants, 2 tons per year.
Rocchio noted the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management last year denied a permit for a similar facility citing, among other concerns, the proposed plant's proximity to a waterway and public schools and parks.
She noted the Ohio River and Follansbee schools, parks and ball fields also sit close to the proposed Follansbee plant.
Rocchio said she is speaking out against it because she wants "to ensure that we're safe, our kids are safe and our neighbors are safe."
She said she has circulated an online petition that has been signed by hundreds of people.
Rocchio said people in neighboring communities and counties also should be concerned about the plant.
"We all breathe the same air. We share the same air," she said.
The state Department of Environmental Protection will accept comment at a public meeting to be held from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Dec. 14.
Current plans call for the meeting to be held at the Follansbee Community House near Follansbee Park, but it could be moved to another location because of high turnout.
WVDEP staff have announced they will share information and answer questions during the first hour, after which attendees may comment.
Copies of the permit application for the medical waste plant and related information can be found at https://dep.wv.gov/daq/permitting/Pages/NSR-Permit-Applications.aspx.
Comments on the medical waste plant also may be e-mailed to: edward.s.andrews@wv.gov or mailed to: Edward S. Andrews, WV Department of Environmental Protection Division of Air Quality, 601 57th St. SE, Charlseton WV 25304.
The deadline for comments is 5 p.m. Jan. 3.
Rocchio said information about the facility, including the date and time for the hearing and an article about the opposition in Rhode Island, was posted on the city's web application, but she asked why council members hadn't questioned its opening.
Following the meeting, council members Wendy DeAngelis, Nick Cekinovich and Tammy Johnson told Rocchio they were told it wouldn't produce emissions.
"I'd like more information myself because we were told 'closed system, no emissions,'" said DeAngelis.
Asked about the issue, Mayor David Velegol Jr. said he'd been told repeatedly the plant would have no emissions but he also has seen the permit application.
"We need to get more detailed information from Empire Diversified (parent company of Empire Green Generation) and understand this better," he said.
Through the company's website, Empire officials say the use of protective materials during the pandemic has resulted in an abundance of medical waste, which they can dispose of through a process called pyrolysis.
Plans call for the plant to decompose the waste with extreme heat in a sealed environment, which produces a mix of gases that may be re-used in the process, bio-char, a black residue made up of carbon and ashes; and bio-oil, a synthetic fuel.
Empire officials say the medical waste will be transported in sealed bags and cardboard boxes to the plant, where it will be disinfected, shredded and dried in an enclosed area before it's processed.
They and other supporters of pyrolysis say it's an environmentally friendly alternative to dumping the waste in landfills or the common practice of burning it in incinerators, releasing harmful toxins and ash into the air.
They expect the plant to employ 20 to 30 people as well as requiring many tradesmen in its construction while generating tax revenue for the city and county.
Critics of pyrolysis say it's just another form of incineration, producing highly toxic pollutants, and doesn't generate enough energy to sustain its own operation.
The division of air quality also will be holding a public meeting next week regarding a permit for the operation of a natural gas compressor station at 4928 McAdoo Ridge Road by Appalachian Midstream Services.
That meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Dec. 15 at the Follansbee Community House.
The permit application for the natural gas compressor and related information can be found at https://dep.wv.gov/daq/permitting/titlevpermits/Pages/default.aspx.
Comments on the air compressor permit may be e-mailed to Robert.A.Mullins@wv.gov or mailed to: Robert Mullins, WV Department of Environmental Protection Division of Air Quality, 601 57th St. SE, Charleston, WV 25304.
The deadline for comments is 5 p.m. Dec. 27.
In other business, council mulled renewal of a $9,500 contract for Joe Edmiston, an independent grant writer for the city.
Addressing council, Edmiston noted he secured a $10.2 million federal grant through U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., for improvements to the city's wastewater treatment system.
He added pending approval by Congress, the city is expected to receive $2.7 million, through U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., for renovations to the city's fire station.
Edmiston earlier secured a $3.1 million grant for improvements to the city's two water treatment plants from the Army Corps of Engineers, which he said has applauded the city's consistency in submitting required documentation for the project.
Council is expected to consider the contract renewal at its next regular meeting at 6 p.m. next Monday.