#-I
The Pendulum
NEWS
Thursday, September 11, 2003 • Page 9
Public hearing lield on permit for Haw River incinerator
Steve Earley
News Editor
A public hearing was held in
Graham Monday night regarding
the approval of an air permit for
Stericycle, Inc. The company
operates two dual-chamber hos
pital, medical and infectious
waste incinerators in Haw River,
just off 1-40/85 at exit 150, about
12 miles from Elon.
The hearing, organized by the
North Carolina Department of
Environment and Natural
Resources’ Division of Air
Quality, was held to illicit citizen
input before the division makes a
ruling with regard to Stericycle’s
Title V air permit, which most
notably defines allowable emis
sion levels of toxic pollutants.
The permit, issued in June
2002, took effect in August 2002,
but is being reviewed in order to
clarify existing monitoring con
ditions, define previously unde
fined terms and conditions and
better organize state and federal
requirements.
The current draft of the permit
allows Stericycle to annually
emit 19,272 pounds of hydrogen
chloride, 1,394 pounds of mercu
ry and 8,760 pounds of chlorine.
All are defined by the DAQ as
toxic pollutants.
Other conditions of the permit
require Stericycle to limit the
amount of waste burned each
hour to 3,822 pounds, test con
trol devices within 180 days of
initial startup, annually inspect
the incinerator scrubbers — the
primary air pollution control
devices — and continuously
monitor the scrubbers for acidity
and pressure.
Speakers at the hearing —
which included those who have
lived in Alamance County for as
little as two months and for as
long as 48 years, as well as high
school students — for the most
part echoed the sentiments of
GASP for Clean Air, a citizen
organization opposing the per
mit.
GASP Co-chairperson Martha
Hamblin said the ultimate goal is
to stop incineration. In the mean
time, the group calls for strict
government oversight. She said
non-toxic alternatives to burning
waste are autoclaving — essen
tially steam-pressured steriliza
tion — and microwaving.
In addition to objecting to the
level of allowable pollutants,
speakers commonly contested
that not only is Stericycle burn
ing the region’s medical waste,
but waste from 17 other states,
the District of Columbia and
Puerto Rico.
“There are some states that
don’t even allow incineration [of
medical waste],” Alamance
County resident Amy Edgar said.
“We allow it and we say, ‘Give
us yours.’” Edgar turned to
Chapel to mark anniversary of attacks
Laura Somerville
Reporter
At today’s Chapel, Chaplain
Richard McBride will take time to
recognize the second anniversary
of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist
attacks.
Activities at the 9:50 a.m. serv
ice in Whitley Auditorium will
include the viewing of a portion of
a PBS documentary on spiritual
questions rising from the World
Trade Center attacks, and the for
mation a “Circle of Hope” in
cooperation with September
Eleventh Families for Peaceful
Tomorrows.
McBride will also discuss
broader issues in attempt to move
on from the attacks.
The service will address the
practice of hope, a theme from
McBridc’s series “The Art of
being Human.” This series of
devotions focuses on the “spiritu
al practice that helps us to become
fully human,” McBride said. “We
must first pay attention,” he said.
“If we’re not attentive we don’t
get to be human.”
Understanding that the nation
is paying attention to the tragic
events of two years ago, McBride
said, “Our nation is not going to
I
m
Tim Kosner / Asst. Photo Editor
Students filled Alumni Gym at last year's ceremony held on Sept. 11. This
year's service will be in Whitley AucSton'um today from 9:50 a.m. to 1020
a.m. as a tribute to the nabond experience and to remember those lost
forget September 11. That is for- McBride also invites members
of the Elon community to observe
a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m.,
9:03 a.m., 9:43 a.m. and 10:10
a.m. - the time of the plane crash
es in New York, Washington,
D.C., and Pennsylvania two years
ago.
ever m our consciousness.”
However, this year he said he
would rather “give hope as a way
of being healthier in the future,
because we are inevitably going to
encounter difficulties in life.”
President Leo Lambert will be
a guest speaker at Chapel.
McBride said students will be
given a chance to speak as well.
We’re asking our trusted officials not to be
poisoned. Why do we have to press to have
limits not expanded?”
—Anne Cassebaum, associate professor of English
Hearing Officer Steven Vozzo, a
DAQ regional air quality super
visor, rhetorically asking for an
explanation. “You’re going to
have to answer that,” she said.
“Why are you allowing this to
happen?’
Associate professor of
English Anne Cassebaum, who
attended the meeting along with
Janet MacFall, associate profes
sor of biology, was also asking
questions.
“We’re asking our trusted
officials not to be poisoned,” she
said. “Why do we have to press
to have limits not expanded?”
The lone speaker to hint at
supporting Stericycle was
Eastern Alamance High School
student Christopher Pratt.
“Personally, I don’t see the
effects of the toxins released,” he
said. “But I could just not know.”
Pratt’s peer, Eastern Alamance
High School student Katy
Champion, was more certain of
her opinion. “I don’t have any
fancy words or statistics,” she
said. “All I know is these toxins
aren’t good to be breathing.”
Written comments were also
accepted at the meeting, and will
be accepted until 5 p.m. Sept. 19.
Vozzo said a decision should be
made on the Stericycle permit by
early-to-mid October.
Contact Steve Earley at pendu-
lum@elon.edu or 278-7247.
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