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CASE, Friends of Hudson discuss Lafarge permit application
Comment period extended to 60 days
By Francesca Olsen
Members of Friends of Hudson and Community Advocates for Safe Emissions (CASE) came together at Stuyvesant Town Hall last week to discuss the Lafarge Ravena cement plant’s Title 5 permit renewal application, its implications, and the ongoing studies associated with the plant and the permit.
The Title 5 permit, up for public comment from Nov. 12 to Jan. 11, includes a cap on mercury emissions of 176 pounds a year. According to Jeff Baker, a lawyer for Friends of Hudson, it’s the first time a permit for the plant has included this. “Which is good,” said Baker, adding, “we have some significant concerns as to whether it’s good enough.”
The period for public comment was extended from 30 to 60 days by the state Department of Environmental Conservation earlier this month.
Several studies are taking place relating to Lafarge Ravena, including a study by the Harvard School of Public Health, a public health study by the state Department of Health, an ongoing analysis of heavy metals by state Department of Environmental Conservation Wildlife Pathologist Dr. Ward Stone, and health data collection by CASE, among others.
Erin Brockovich and Weitz and Luxenberg, the New York City-based law firm Brockovich works for, also plan to conduct tests relating to the plant’s potential toxicity. Weitz and Luxenberg paralegal Daniel Coulter said the firm doesn’t have the details of the test ready yet, but that it would likely be for heavy metals and emissions.
“We’re working with experts to figure out what the best method would be,” Coulter told the Register-Star during a telephone interview Monday. “We’re looking to start pretty soon.”
According to Elyse Kunz, a founding member of CASE, there’s a lack of data on emissions from Lafarge. “There’s really not a lot of research that has been done on this subject,” she said. CASE is currently conducting fundraising efforts to test for dioxins and poly-aromatic hydrocarbons, which are known to be carcinogenic.
Dr. Stone has already found high levels of mercury in animals, plants and insects in several areas.
On average, Stone said, it’s not unusual to find levels of mercury at 50 parts per billion (ppb); downwind from Ravena, Stone said he found about eight times that much in surface soil testing, as well as elevated levels of calcium.
“We’ll look hard at the permit,” he said. “Because you’re on the receiving end of it here in Columbia County, and in Rensselaer County ... I’ve taken some samples. I probably need to take about 50 times as many.”
Stone tested for heavy metals with money raised via donation; Kunz told the audience at Stuyvesant Town Hall that the DEC had denied Stone’s request for $2,000 for lab fees.
The DEC did not respond for comment before press time, but a representative from the Region 4 office said the DEC has asked Stone for the results of his study, but that he has not given them to the agency yet.
Stone said he also wants to test for cadmium, and plans to test water in Smith Pond, Kinderhook Lake, Copake Lake, and Lake Taghkanic, among others. He’s already taken samples in Ravena, Coeymans, Stuyvesant, Castleton, and Schodack Island.
Baker told the public the permit renewal application was “just a renewal of their current activity” and would have no bearing on Lafarge’s submitted application for modernization of the plant, which is currently going through a lengthy approval process with the state.
“We support the modernization of the plant,” he said. “It would make it much better than it is ... our job is to make sure it is truly a state-of-the-art plant with state-of-the-art pollution controls.”
Baker added that a lot more research will have to take place to form a comprehensive stance on the information in the permit application. “We’re going to need technical support, and experts,” he said.
Susan Falzon of Friends of Hudson explained the potential role of the community in the permit approval process. The permit, when approved, won’t be up for renewal for another five years, she said.
“It isn’t easy to change ... these changes are incremental. It’s absolutely imperative that we be able to apply expertise,” she said. “What does it take for us all to learn and understand this? It takes money. The DEC can budget for it. We not only have to budget for it, but raise it ... we also need to understand the technology of controlling these emissions ... we really need legal knowledge and skill.”
To create a concrete argument, Falzon said, “we have to be sure that what we are saying is true and substantiated,” with legal and technical knowledge. She encouraged individuals to send letters to the editor of their local newspapers, contact the DEC and Department of Health, and come forward with any professional resources they might be able to provide as soon as possible.
CASE is also taking volunteers who would like to have their land tested for heavy metals.
Baker encouraged individuals to send letters to the DEC asking to hold a public hearing on the permit renewal application; one person in the crowd added that hearings should take place on both sides of the river.
“The public has to be ready to respond, almost on a dime,” said Falzon. “We can prevail. To the extent the law allows us to, we can make this the cleanest possible cement plant in the country.”
To reach reporter Francesca Olsen call 518-828-1616, ext. 2272, or e-mail folsen@registerstar.com.
The Title 5 permit, up for public comment from Nov. 12 to Jan. 11, includes a cap on mercury emissions of 176 pounds a year. According to Jeff Baker, a lawyer for Friends of Hudson, it’s the first time a permit for the plant has included this. “Which is good,” said Baker, adding, “we have some significant concerns as to whether it’s good enough.”
The period for public comment was extended from 30 to 60 days by the state Department of Environmental Conservation earlier this month.
Several studies are taking place relating to Lafarge Ravena, including a study by the Harvard School of Public Health, a public health study by the state Department of Health, an ongoing analysis of heavy metals by state Department of Environmental Conservation Wildlife Pathologist Dr. Ward Stone, and health data collection by CASE, among others.
Erin Brockovich and Weitz and Luxenberg, the New York City-based law firm Brockovich works for, also plan to conduct tests relating to the plant’s potential toxicity. Weitz and Luxenberg paralegal Daniel Coulter said the firm doesn’t have the details of the test ready yet, but that it would likely be for heavy metals and emissions.
“We’re working with experts to figure out what the best method would be,” Coulter told the Register-Star during a telephone interview Monday. “We’re looking to start pretty soon.”
According to Elyse Kunz, a founding member of CASE, there’s a lack of data on emissions from Lafarge. “There’s really not a lot of research that has been done on this subject,” she said. CASE is currently conducting fundraising efforts to test for dioxins and poly-aromatic hydrocarbons, which are known to be carcinogenic.
Dr. Stone has already found high levels of mercury in animals, plants and insects in several areas.
On average, Stone said, it’s not unusual to find levels of mercury at 50 parts per billion (ppb); downwind from Ravena, Stone said he found about eight times that much in surface soil testing, as well as elevated levels of calcium.
“We’ll look hard at the permit,” he said. “Because you’re on the receiving end of it here in Columbia County, and in Rensselaer County ... I’ve taken some samples. I probably need to take about 50 times as many.”
Stone tested for heavy metals with money raised via donation; Kunz told the audience at Stuyvesant Town Hall that the DEC had denied Stone’s request for $2,000 for lab fees.
The DEC did not respond for comment before press time, but a representative from the Region 4 office said the DEC has asked Stone for the results of his study, but that he has not given them to the agency yet.
Stone said he also wants to test for cadmium, and plans to test water in Smith Pond, Kinderhook Lake, Copake Lake, and Lake Taghkanic, among others. He’s already taken samples in Ravena, Coeymans, Stuyvesant, Castleton, and Schodack Island.
Baker told the public the permit renewal application was “just a renewal of their current activity” and would have no bearing on Lafarge’s submitted application for modernization of the plant, which is currently going through a lengthy approval process with the state.
“We support the modernization of the plant,” he said. “It would make it much better than it is ... our job is to make sure it is truly a state-of-the-art plant with state-of-the-art pollution controls.”
Baker added that a lot more research will have to take place to form a comprehensive stance on the information in the permit application. “We’re going to need technical support, and experts,” he said.
Susan Falzon of Friends of Hudson explained the potential role of the community in the permit approval process. The permit, when approved, won’t be up for renewal for another five years, she said.
“It isn’t easy to change ... these changes are incremental. It’s absolutely imperative that we be able to apply expertise,” she said. “What does it take for us all to learn and understand this? It takes money. The DEC can budget for it. We not only have to budget for it, but raise it ... we also need to understand the technology of controlling these emissions ... we really need legal knowledge and skill.”
To create a concrete argument, Falzon said, “we have to be sure that what we are saying is true and substantiated,” with legal and technical knowledge. She encouraged individuals to send letters to the editor of their local newspapers, contact the DEC and Department of Health, and come forward with any professional resources they might be able to provide as soon as possible.
CASE is also taking volunteers who would like to have their land tested for heavy metals.
Baker encouraged individuals to send letters to the DEC asking to hold a public hearing on the permit renewal application; one person in the crowd added that hearings should take place on both sides of the river.
“The public has to be ready to respond, almost on a dime,” said Falzon. “We can prevail. To the extent the law allows us to, we can make this the cleanest possible cement plant in the country.”
To reach reporter Francesca Olsen call 518-828-1616, ext. 2272, or e-mail folsen@registerstar.com.
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