I’ve had an annoying head cold, two exams, and barely any sleep this week, so as I plopped down after this long day, I was feeling punchy and ready to yell at someone. Luckily, I came across an email from 350.org Bucks County that begun with the words “ACTION ALERT.” According to this email, an Isreali company called Elcon has resubmitted a previously denied proposal to site a hazardous and pharmaceutical chemical waste treatment facility about 25 minutes from where I live. The rest of the email noted that the PA DEP is set to accept their proposal unless there is significant pushback from the local community. However, the request for more in-person public comments was denied. Therefore, the last hope are letters and emails sent before the deadline of October 14th. To my delight, I had anger to channel and it’s only October 8th. Inspired by last night’s Rachel Carson discussion, the letter to the editor written by Olga from Boston, and my own sense of defending my home, I wrote the following email to RA-HazWaste@pa.gov:
Hazardous Waste Facility Siting Team Leader,
I am writing to emphasize to the PA Department of Environmental Protection that siting the Elcon hazardous chemical and pharmaceutical waste treatment facility in Falls Township would be a mistake. Not only would the siting of this plant dramatically increase, if not guarantee, the threat of contaminating the Delaware River Basin, the air, and the soil, but the potential benefits for the surrounding community are negligible. As an administrative body of the government of Pennsylvania, it is your job to make decisions which increase the welfare of the people, economy, and environment of this state. Allowing Elcon to site their waste facility in Falls Township would most certainly do the opposite.
There is no question that this site would further damage the air, water, and general environmental quality of the surrounding community, however I am sure many a public comment have touched upon these concerns. I would like to bring up another issue about the specific siting of the waste facility. According to this article, (
http://levittownnow.com/2015/07/17/hazardous-waste-treatment-facility-proposal-could-come-back-to-falls-twp/) the most recently proposed site is in the Keystone Industrial Port Complex. Hoping to learn more about this specific spot, I googled the name which brought me to these webpages:
Besides the Keystone Industrial Port Complex’s dangerous proximity to the Delaware River, I also learned that this complex has actually been a bit of an environmental success story. The Brownfields Conference website has dubbed it one of the most successful brownfield sites in the country. It has shifted significantly away from hosting dirty industries to hosting “renewable energy manufacturing, metals and coal recycling, soil reuse, and electrical power production from landfill gas.” The complex has impressive access to railways and huge potential for supporting even more socially beneficial industries.
If the depressing irony has not been apparent, here is a more specific example: Allowing Elcon to site their facility here would expose employees of Gamesa, a wind turbine manufacturer located in the complex, to carcinogenic toxins. People working to benefit society and the environment by manufacturing renewable energy resources would be disproportionately bearing the cost of an environmentally harmful facility. Allowing Elcon to site their waste facility here would be a slap in the face to socially beneficial firms, a hazard for anyone who benefits from the Delaware River Basin, and a painful step backwards for the state of Pennsylvania. Why would you reverse the progress of this complex and the state that contains it?
While deciding whether or not to accept Elcon’s proposal, keep in mind that more environmentally friendly opportunities for jobs will come to Pennsylvania. The Keystone Industrial Port Complex is a testament to that fact. Lets be the state that builds our economy by encouraging clean industry and saying “no” to exploitative dirty industry.
Thank you for your consideration,
Shawn Hogan
Resident of Newtown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Student at Lafayette College, Easton, Pennsylvania
I must say, I feel a lot better. The next time you feel like you need to send a strongly worded email, just google a potential environmental threat to your community and email your Department of Environmental Protection! It’s just as therapeutic as hitting a sheet with a baseball bat, but you could help protect the environment in which you live!
