Group forms to challenge proposed tires-to-energy project

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May 20, 2010

By Keith Gushard Meadville Tribune The Meadville Tribune Thu May 20, 2010, 07:00 AM EDT

MEADVILLE — Charlotte Dracup is concerned for Crawford County’s health and safety — not only now, but in the future.

“It’s what we don’t know,” said Dracup, vice president of Crawford Area Residents for the Environment or CARE. “We want to inform people in Crawford County and other areas about potential health, safety and environmental hazards.”

The group, which has about 15 members, formed after plans were announced in early April for a $375 million tires-to-energy plant in Greenwood Township — in the Keystone Regional Industrial Park — about 10 miles south of Meadville.

The proposed plant would incinerate waste tires as fuel to power electric generators.

Erie Renewable Energy LLC, backer of the plant, wants to burn about 900 tons of waste tires a day and sell the electricity generated — enough to power 75,000 homes — to electric companies.

From December 2007 until this year, the plant had been earmarked for the former International Paper site on the shores on Lake Erie, on the outskirts of the City of Erie. But the plant ran into vocal opposition from Erie County residents concerned about the environment.

However, no air quality permits for the plant have been issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for the now proposed Crawford County plant, Freda Tarbell, spokeswoman for DEP’s Meadville regional office, said Wednesday. DEP is charged with regulating emissions from the plant.

Tarbell said there are public comment periods built into the permitting process as well.

Erie Renewable Energy did file for an air quality permit for the Erie site in December 2007, but DEP only gave conceptual approval of a draft plan for emissions in March of this year. That was to only start discussions on a finalized draft plan for emissions, Tarbell said.

Since its planning a move to a new site, Erie Renewable Energy has to file for a new air quality plan, but hasn’t done so, she said.

Construction of the plant promises to create about 200 jobs during its two-year construction phase. It then is supposed to create 60 full-time jobs at the plant and more than 200 other jobs in related and spin-off industries supporting the plant, such as trucking, recycling and metal industries.

Health hazards considered

However, Dracup said CARE is concerned about any potential long-term health effects from the plant.

Numerous potential problems have been cited by some critics of the tires-to-energy proposal. Those include risks of air, ground and water contamination — not only to humans but to all plant and animal life. The dangers of storing waste tires before they are burned also brings potential risk from difficult-to-control fires and from vermin, some have noted.

“Regulation is a concern — we need to protect the community,” Dracup said. “Our ultimate goal is not to allow an industry into our community where negative effects may outweigh the good. Even if one life is harmed, it’s not worth it.”

She said there is a concern over the plant’s possible impact on tourism, too.

“A lot of our lifestyle is hunting and fishing,” she said. “We’re a very rural area.”

CARE wants to hold its own public meeting some time later this summer to discuss possible emission concerns of the plant, she said.

It also plans to publish informational brochures to help get its message out, Dracup said.

Keith Gushard can be reached at 724-6370 or by e-mail at kgushard@meadvilletribune.com.

BREAKOUT

Crawford Area Residents for the Environment has formed with Scott Hricsina as president and Charlotte Dracup as vice president. More information: Contact Hricsina via e-mail at scottnebula@yahoo.com or CARE@stopburningtires.com.

CARE’s Web site is stopburningtires.com.

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