Minutes - Council - 07/14/1988 - Public Hearing

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Dan Rydbom - 8021 177th Avenue - I am with the STERN Committee and over the past few weeks we have done a lot of research. Technology is not proven to warrant putting an incinerator that close to a residential neighborhood in my community. Greenpeace and the citizens clearing house in Arlington, Virginia helps people in our situation. Some of the information I have received from those agencies is rather shocking because it relates to the EPA. For instance, this comment was published by the EPA Science Advisory Board in April, 1985: 'Land based hazardous waste incinerators are stationary point sources which emit pollutants into the air, land and water. Emissions may occur as part of the incineration process, as part of the scrubber operations or as fugitive emissions. Uptake of emissions by terrestrial life may occur through air, water, soil or via the food web. ~ Does anyone know how well hazardous waste incinerators are working? No. No reliable methods exist to measure or monitor the performance of hazardous waste incinerators. The complexity of the incinerator process, the difference in incinerator designs and the difficulty in monitoring changing operating conditions makes the accurate prediction of absolute incinertion performance an essentially impossible task. EPA requires destruction and removal efficiencies (DREs) of 99.99% of some hazardous waste and 99.9999% for critical items such as PCBs. Unfortunately, DREs are not measured during actual, routine operations. DREs are determined during a one-time only 'trial burn' of selected chemicals under carefully controlled conditions. A~cording to EPA report, this trial burn method provides only a 'snapshot' of the incinerator's efficiency during the trial burn. No information is obtained about how the incinerator's performance might fluctuate with future changes in operating conditions or waste feed characteristics. I talked to Lou Chamberlain, head of PCA and he said it would be very difficult for Atlas to predict incinerator efficiency because of varied waste streams. I talked to Tom Kelly and he said incineration is a proven technology but said I couldn't quote him on that. I have a lot of information I will leave at City Hall. John Reinen - 6370 143rd Avenue - I am with the STERN Committee and am definitely opposed to Atlas. I have attended the Planning and Zoning hearings and talked to Mr. Labat and several other people. I am concerned when our City allows MPCA to license this company to incinerate or literally burn within 400 feet of my yard when PCA has allowed Waste Management of Minnesota to pollute the water I am drinking when there are landfills with liners available to prevent further contamination to water. I received information from Senator Dave Durenberger that deals with water pollution laws in effect and MPCA does nothing about it and yet they are to be the body that will protect the air I breathe. I have continuously asked that Atlas locate where a buffer area would be possible. Hunter's Hill was here first. I have purchased land within the last two weeks in Andover; I wii1 move from Ramsey; some of my neighbors have also purchased land in Andover. I also heard that Councilmember Cox sold his property that touches the land Atlas would be building on. There is water 300 feet away from my water supply that is polluted. I don't want to take a chance with my air. Mr. Labat said he asked to acquire land in Ramsey where there is more of a buffer zone; if there isn't such a place, move Hunter's Hill because we're just too close. I hope Council really hears the people because we are going to do everything possible because we feel we have been City Council Public Hearing/July 14, 1988 Page 7 of 15