Key points:
o Call into WDEL, Al Mascitti Show, after 10:00 on Thursday, Aug 22nd. Ask your questions and share your thoughts on the tire/plastics incinerator in New Castle.
o Call on Gov. Markell and DNREC Secretary Collin Omara to publish a proper public notice and press release about the extended incinerator comment period.
Send comments to Collin. OMara@state.de.us, Michelle.Jacobs@state.de.us, jack.markell@state.de.us
O’Mara’s office phone: 302.739.9000 Markell’s office: 302.577.3210
o Get your comments on why the incinerator is an incinerator ready for the Sept 9th deadline (detailed suggestions upcoming on this).
Friends:
The Markell administration has agreed to extend the public comment period on the “status decision” on whether the proposed tire incinerator is an incinerator to Monday, September 9, 2013, at 4:30 pm. This is a step forward, due to YOUR advocacy.
On the other hand, Gov. Markell’s people are refusing to issue a public notice about the extension. They say they are only going to notify “4 or 5” people. Now, the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) has a public affairs staff of nine full-time people, and pumps out press releases and public notices on a wide variety of subjects. Here’s one from today “Send your best summer and fall shots of anglers to the Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Fishing Photo Contest.” Here’s another “Grand opening of Go Ape Zipline Treetop Adventure at Lums Pond State Park.”
People need to know about this stuff, but not about a proposed tire/plastics burner near two schools and hundreds of homes, parks, churches, and so on? The DNREC needs to public a legal notice, issue a press release, and otherwise make a good faith effort.
Let’s remember that the DNREC had already notified “Renewoil” that it intended to decide the incinerator is not an incinerator as soon as the public comment period closed, obviously not planning to take comments seriously:
“We will have to wait until after the public comment period to send the review committee’s recommendation [that the incinerator is not an incinerator] and draft decision letter to the Secretary …. Assuming no comments are received the committee’s recommendation to the Secretary and draft decision letter will be submitted immediately following the close of the comment period.” [July 18, 2003 email, found in the FOIA documents we have posted.]
Now, consider the reasoning used by the DNREC to decide the incinerator is not an incinerator:
“The question to be addressed is if combustion of the non-condensible gas stream meets the definition of an incinerator … In order to meet the definition of an incinerator, the proposed process must be combusting a solid waste. The SHWMS’ [Solid & hazardous Waste Management Section] position is that if a gas does not condense at standard temperature and pressure and is not containerized, it is not a solid waste. Therefore, as Renewoil will only be combusting non-condensible gases, there is no combustion of a solid waste occurring, and thus the process does not meet the definition of an incinerator.” [July 12, 2013 letter found in the FOIA documents we have posted.]
Does this nonsense make you feel better about the tire/plastics incinerator?
One more little thing: The DNREC is perfectly aware that the application is junk:
“Given [that] the applicant’s entire process description is verbatim from Wikipedia and the entire process flow diagram and list of equipment is the same as that found in an online proposal generated by another company, the applicant’s assertion that significant effort and money have been expended in developing this information has been rebutted.” [memo found in FOIA documents]
So why would the DNREC want to support this incinerator? Good question. After three calls, I finally reached Barbara DeHaven, Business Development Manager for the Delaware Economic Development Office (DEDO), who has been pestering the DNREC on behalf of Renewoil. I wanted to ask her how DEDO decided to promote Renewoil. She hung up on me.
Elected officials step up to the plate
The proposed burner is in the district of state Senator Margaret Rose Henry, who gave us this statement, as sent to DNREC:
“On behalf of the constituents in the Second Senatorial District I ask that you please extend the public comment period for at least 30 days to allow the citizens of the community the opportunity to voice their concerns about the proposal at hand. I am against and do not support the proposal of the Renew Oil Tire/Plastic Incinerator being built at 78 McCullough Drive in New Castle. Incinerators are known to produce chemicals and byproducts as a result of the burning of waste the is harmful to both the environment and people. If built, the incinerator can also have an impact on the property values of residents in the area.”
State Rep. J.J. Johnson is also working against the burner.
Senator David McBride was the sponsor of the incinerator ban legislation. He is also a civil engineer. He told Green Delaware: “It’s an incinerator and it’s against the law.” McBride also told us he has legal staff drafting language to strengthen the incinerator ban legislation “to make totally clear it covers this sort of proposal.”
Please let Governor Markell and DNREC Secretary Colin Omara know how you feel about this.
Two other incinerator proposals in Delaware are making their way through the system, one in Seaford and one in Millsboro. These, believe it or not, are intended to burn chicken poop. Please ask for an similar 30 day extension of the public comment period on these. Nobody in Delaware should have to breathe incinerator pollution!
Again, Key points:
o Call into WDEL, Al Mascitti Show, after 10:00 on Thursday, Aug 22nd. Ask your questions and share your thoughts on the tire/plastics incinerator in New Castle.
o Call on Gov. Markell and DNREC Secretary Collin Omara to public a proper public notice of the extended incinerator comment period.
Send comments to Collin.OMara@state.de.us, Michelle.Jacobs@state.de.us, jack.markell@state.de.us
O’Mara’s office phone: 302.739.9000 Markell’s office: 302.577.3210
o Get your comments on why the incinerator is an incinerator ready for the Sept 9th deadline (detailed suggestions upcoming on this).
People working together can Stop the Incinerator!
For lots of background on the incinerator see greendelaware.org . Feel free to contact us for more information.