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asthma or COPD.
Accordingly, it is only common sense for Hellam Township to attempt to work
cooperatively with Perdue to reduce or eliminate the hexane emissions from
their proposed plant, and that is exactly what we have attempted to do. We
searched for alternative mechanisms of soybean oil extraction and found
several. All current soybean oil extraction plants in Pennsylvania use what is
called the "expeller" method, which basically squeezes the oil out by spinning
the crushed beans. Perdue says they don't want to use that.
Our research turned up another method that combines the cold expeller
process with steam. Even if Perdue would have to generate its own steam,
which it would not have to do if the plant were to be built next to your mass
burn facility, the steam expeller process is more cost-efficient than the
hexane approach to oil extraction. But again, Perdue said they're not
interested, even though two steam expeller units would duplicate or exceed
the production capacity they plan for the site.
Finally we looked for ways to reduce the hexane that would be emitted. We
found a very commonly used pollution control device called a regenerative
thermal oxidizer abbreviated RTO. This device burns off the hexane. This is
the device that the American Lung Association and Hellam Township are
currently urging the DEP to require. Interestingly one of DEP's own engineers
has already stated that if Perdue were to use an RTO most DEP technical
issues would be addressed. And various engineers have stated that Perdue's
objections about safety and feasibility are without merit. Indeed, an RTO was
originally intended to be installed in Prairie Pride's soybean processing plant
in Missouri.
In a recent LNP article it was reported that your spokeswoman, Kathryn
Sandoe, said that the authority has concerns about unnecessary fossil-fuel
emissions - i.e., carbon dioxide - from the regenerative thermal oxidizer
Hellam Township is insisting upon. This is a bit odd, as for 2013 it was
reported that your mass burn incinerator was responsible for 414,466 tons of
CO2 emissions, which is 44% of the CO2 emitted in all of Lancaster County.
The RTO would add only 3,005 tons. Hellam Township's consultant, Osman
Environmental, responds, So LCSWMAs position is that they would prefer to
see emissions of hexane, a neurotoxin and volatile organic compound,
increase in Lancaster County by 2,222% rather than have CO2 emissions
increase by 0.3%.
There are other alternatives for eliminating the hexane without an RTO.
Current plans call for both steam and water to be piped to the proposed
Perdue plant from your mass burn incinerator. The exhausted hexane could
be piped back to the mass burn incinerator and burned by that facility for a
real win/win.
Perdue also says an RTO would cost too much, but it would cost only a
fraction of the $8.75 million tax payer dollars Perdue has been promised by
the State of Pennsylvania. An RTO is eminently affordable and is a very
reasonable and responsible solution that will help protect the health of the
people we serve.
Last week Hellam Township Supervisors received a threatening letter from
Alex Henderson of the Lancaster law firm, Hartman Underhill and Brubaker,
LLP (HUB) which represents you. Not knowing whether or not this board
authorized the sending of this letter knowing its explicit content, I can only
say I certainly hope not.
I have taken the time to review the brief online bios of each LCSWMA board
member and based on those bios I can't imagine that you knew what was in
the letter we received from Mr. Henderson. The letter began stating a desire
on your part to "reach out" to Hellam Township. Now that sounds cordial
enough, but ladies and gentlemen, may I suggest that if you were sincere in
your desire to "reach out" to Hellam Township you would not "reach out" with
a letter from your law firm, nor would a letter from you open with a nonsequitur and end with a threat. It is clear that such a letter is certain to be
seen as a club, not an invitation to dialogue.
Moreover, authority CEO Jim Warner, as reported by Ad Crable in LNP, stated,
"We think the township [Hellam Township] is going above and beyond in their
opposition and its impeding the Lancaster County Solid Waste Management
Authoritys business. Their actions are detrimental to every soybean farmer in
Lancaster County and its unfortunate. Now let's be honest, folks. Mr.
Warner's comments and the Henderson letter are most certainly not an
invitation to dialogue.
Mr. Warner was quoted in a second LNP article as stating that LCSWMA has
not even attempted to dialogue with Hellam Township. And yet the
Henderson letter condemns Hellam Township for not attempting to dialogue
with you and claims that if we do not make the attempt to dialogue then that
will be proof that Hellam Township is not "acting in good faith". So, by the
standard youre using to judge Hellam Township you yourselves are not
acting in good faith because as Mr. Warner clearly stated you have not
attempted to dialogue with Hellam Township.
Let's address the needs of the soybean farmers. What seems to have become
lost is the statement by Perdue that they are going to build the soybean
elevator and storage facility regardless of whether or not the soybean
processing facility is built. So, our local soybean growers will have a local
outlet for their soybeans regardless of whether or not hexane is dumped into
Michael C. Martin
Chairman, Hellam Township Board of Supervisors
Steve Wolf