×

Follansbee Council asked to block medical waste treatment plant

DEFENDING A NEW DEVELOPMENT — After hearing from about a dozen residents opposed to a medical waste treatment plant in the city, Follansbee Council heard from Scott Ewusiak of Empire Green Generation, the plant’s owner, who refuted many concerns raised about it. -- Warren Scott

FOLLANSBEE — On Monday, about a dozen residents asked Follansbee Council to block the opening of a medical waste treatment plant while a representative of the company behind it stepped forward to refute their concerns. 

During the last several weeks, officials with the city and West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection have heard from residents concerned about air pollutants to be expelled by the proposed facility and the handling of medical waste transported there. 

Plans call for the plant to be built at the former site of the Koppers plant near the Ohio River. 

Many of the residents’ same concerns were voiced on Monday, with Duane Nichols, a former chemical engineer serving as coordinator for the Mon Valley Clean Air Coalition, submitting multiple pages of information and conclusions to council. 

Nichols said the plant will release fine particles invisible to the eye but still harmful to the lungs and heart while contributing to global warming. 

He said the plant also will produce odor and noise, with resident Natalie Rocchio adding residents near a similar plant in New Mexico have complained of odor. 

She and others said the area has been dubbed “Cancer Valley” by various hospital staff because of the high incidence of cancer attributed to exposure to industrial pollution. 

Some suggested such pollution has helped to drive younger generations away and deters new people from moving to the city. 

Scott Ewusiak, president of Empire Diversified Energy — parent company of Empire Green Generation, owner of the proposed plant — said he and his family also live in Follansbee and he and the company have done much to clean up former industrial and other sites there. 

Ewusiak said a landfill had existed on the property where he opened a car wash while companies led by him have removed drums buried beneath land now occupied by ball fields behind the Walgreen’s drugstore and asbestos that leached the ground of the former Koppers property.  

He noted an environmental cleanup of more than 400 acres of former Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel property by his company earned an award at the West Virginia Brownfields Conference in 2017. 

“I spent 25 years cleaning up Follansbee and now I’m getting bashed. This is a green project. Learn about it before you bash it,” Ewusiak told attendees. 

He said rather than have medical waste deposited in a landfill, as occurs now, the plant will convert it to energy. 

Ewusiak said emissions from the plant will come from a generator powering it, not the process, called pyrolysis, used to dispose of the medical waste, which he maintained involves a closed system.  

He said the pollution is equal to that produced by a school bus in a year. 

In a notice for the permit application, the WVDEP’s Division of Air Quality stated the plant could release the following potential emissions: particulate matter less than 2.5 microns, 9.5 tons per year; particulate matter less than 10 microns, 18.5 tons per year; particulate matter, 31.6 tons per year; sulfur dioxide, 39 tons per year; oxides of nitrogen, 24 tons per year; carbon monoxide, 99 tons per year; volatile organic compounds, 24 tons per year; and total hazardous air pollutants, 2 tons per year. 

But pollution wasn’t the residents’ only concern.  

Rocchio noted the company is seeking a state permit to treat up to 99 tons of medical waste, one ton shy of the amount that would require it to comply with stricter federal regulations. 

In addition to a permit from the Division of Air Quality, the company awaits approval through the state Department of Health and Human Resources’ Infectious Medical Waste Program. 

But resident Frank Slanchak told council there’s more it must do to be authorized to operate the plant. 

Slanchak told council under Senate Bill 409, made law by the state Legislature in 1997, approval of a commercial infectious medical waste management facility is pending a pre-siting notice filed with the local county commission and public notice of the facility’s proposed location through a legal ad. 

The law also states “Upon an affirmative vote of the majority of the county commissioners or upon the written petition of registered voters residing in the county equal to not less than 15 percent of the number of votes cast within the county for governor at the preceding gubernatorial election, which petition shall be filed with the county commission within 60 days after the last date of publication of the (commission’s) notice…” 

It goes on to state, “the county commission shall, upon verification of the required number of signatures on the petition, and not less than 56 days before the election, order a referendum be placed upon the ballot.” 

The law states after the commission has determined the required number of signatures has been submitted, it may, not less than 56 days before the next primary, general or other countywide election, place the matter up for a public vote. 

In the event a majority of voters oppose the facility, it may not open under the law. It notes that a majority vote in favor of the facility doesn’t bind the secretary of the state health department to approve it. 

On Monday, many appealed to council to do what it can to prevent the facility from opening. 

Noting council had approved a building permit for a structure to house the equipment for pyrolysis, resident Tom DiBattista told the panel, “You people are responsible for this thing being here. It’s up to you to get rid of it. This was your fault.” 

Some residents noted a sign in council chambers that reads, “May the voice of the people be heard, discussed and acted on.” 

Resident Megan O’Shay told council, “I don’t know that the people are being heard or that their best interests are being acted upon.” 

A few council members have said they were given the impression the plant would produce no emissions. 

Fourth Ward Councilwoman Alexis Russell earlier suggested council could revoke the building permit on the grounds its approval was based on false or misleading information. 

Council started the meeting with a 17 minute executive session to discuss potential litigation and ended it by agreeing to seek legal counsel to represent it in such a matter, which City Attorney Michael Gaudio said he couldn’t discuss. 

Mayor David Velegol Jr. told attendees at Gaudio’s advice, the panel wouldn’t vote on the matter Monday.  

“We need to have further discussions,” he said, adding any decision “could be two weeks, whatever, but we need to work this out.” 

The mayor thanked everyone for attending, adding, “Your input does count.” 

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

Starting at $2.99/week.

Subscribe Today