Pa. OKs toxic fly ash with a twist -- from burning tires

I'd like to draw your attention to a report from Tamaqua-based environmental watchdog Dante Picciano about a new environmental hazard facing the people of Pennsylvania. Owned by Charlotte, N.C.-based Cogentrix, the Northampton Generating plant is a 110-megawatt cogeneration facility that burns anthracite waste coal ("culm") to produce electricity that it then sells to Reading-based Metropolitan Edison Co., which in turn is owned by Akron, Ohio-based First Energy Corp.

NEW INDUSTRIAL-STRENGTH FLY ASH
by Dante Picciano
www.dante7.com

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has done it again. This time they have approved the generation of a new industrial-strength fly ash that is guaranteed to contaminate your water and to give you cancer in less time than conventional fly ash.

The DEP has issued a permit to pollute to Northampton Generating Company, located in the Borough of Northampton, Pennsylvania, which allows the burning of up to 23 tons of used tires per hour at this facility. That is right -- the burning of up to 23 tons of used tires per hour! This facility is a plant that burns waste coal (culm) that is transported from the Wilkes-Barre area. The coal combustion waste or fly ash generated at the facility is subsequently transported back to the anthracite coal region for disposal of this toxic waste in abandoned coal mines under the guise of mine reclamation.

It must be emphasized that burning tires release pyrolitic oils. These oils contain a variety of organic compounds and heavy metals. These typically include volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes, and styrene; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) like anthracene, naphthalene, and benzo(a) pyrene; and heavy metals including manganese, lead, and zinc. These toxic and carcinogenic chemicals, especially VOCs and PAHs, have been detected at high levels in the surface water at many tire fire sites across the nation. These chemicals have also been detected at lower levels in creek sediments after the oils entered into streams. Groundwater has also been adversely impacted at many tire fire sites.

We are willing to bet that the DEP will not find it necessary to monitor emissions from the plant or the resulting fly ash for any of the toxic and carcinogenic compounds released or created by the high-temperature combustion of used tires with waste coal. The DEP will say that they haven't seen any problems with the process. Of course, if you don't look, you won't find anything.

Millions of tons of the new industrial-strength fly ash will eventually be disposed of in unlined, unmonitored surface mining operations in the anthracite coal region and be referred to as mine reclamation where in reality it is disguised unregulated hazardous waste disposal. This practice, without the inclusion of burned tires, has already been shown to cause significant damage to the public health and the environment.

DEP officials said burning up to 23 tons of tires per hour will not cause unsafe pollution. We guess DEP is saying that burning 23 tons of tires per hour will only cause safe pollution, whatever that is.

This creation of a new industrial-strength fly ash is strong evidence that the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection doesn't give a damn about the health and safety of the residents of Pennsylvania and is only concerned about protecting polluting industries that contribute heavily to the campaigns coffers of our elected representatives.