HAZARDOUS WASTE REVIEW MEETING TOMORROW AM. Report from Earl Hatley Sorry for writing this so late, but there is good reason. What is going on is that the meeting tomorrow is a hearing to delete a state statute to comply with a bill that was passed in the last legislative session which called for that specific deletion. The language I was sent in the mail, as written, is such that I cannot vote to delete, in that it prohibits hazardous waste from being mixed with other materials to create a hazardous waste fuel (btu is not specified) as a form of recycling. (Further) This waste can not be burned in any hazardous waste recycling unit in Oklahoma. I and others in the environmental movement in the early 1990’s worked hard to get this type of language into the statutes to prevent low level waste from being burned in cement kilns, furnaces and industrial boilers in order to protect our air quality and human health in our state. At that time we were not protected from this practice. The problem right now is that the new rules for kilns, furnaces and industrial boilers appear to disallow mixing low level btu wastes with wastes at or above 5,000 btu or higher (which are acceptable for kilns, etc.) So, the DEQ Land Protection Division right now is still researching to see how this should play out tomorrow. I did find out the bill last spring was brokered through the legislature by LaFarge Cement Co. (surprise, surprise) because they wanted to do this and the statute we are to delete (due to the bill) was seen as getting in the way. I also found out that Lafarge did a permit modification this summer that allowed them to do the mixture. This without public comment or before hand knowledge. Normally I get these notices in the mail, but didn’t. Neither did the interveners in the original haz waste incineration case. I told this to DEQ and they are looking into that also. So this is where we stand today. DEQ is supposed to get back with me after lunch, I hope, and I will get back to you with the “final” scoop on tomorrow’s hearing. Tulsa Technology Center Riverside Campus, Rm. A229 10:00 am 801 E. 91st. St. On the road to here! Earl L. Hatley, Grand Riverkeeper, Oklahoma LEAD Agency, Inc. 19257 S. 4403 Dr. Vinita, OK 74301 ehatley@neok leadagency.org
Posted on: Wed, 09 Oct 2013 18:12:25 +0000