Sierra Club
Acadian Group
Position on GTX Incinerator
17, February, 1999
The Acadian Group of the Sierra Club is opposed to the Incineration of Hazardous Waste at the old Marine Shale facility in Amelia, St. Mary Parish, Louisiana for the following reasons:
1. The burning of hazardous materials, many of which are chlorine based organic chemicals, is
not safe. The combustion of these materials produces dioxins and furans. This is discussed in the September, 1998 GTX brochure on page 4. Dioxins and furans are the most toxic substances known to man -- are cancer causing agents of the worst order.
2. Transportation of these very toxic hazardous chemicals along highway U.S. 90 through communities that have no emergency response capabilities is very dangerous and threatening to citizens of the area. This is a life-threatening issue and risk we do not need.
3. Rules and laws such as the St. Mary Parish Hazardous Waste Regulations and the state's hazardous waste rules are being set aside, ignored or disregarded in favor of permitting the facility. The 200 foot buffer required by state DEQ rules is being circumvented by using the Intracoastal Waterway as that buffer. The Intracoastal Waterway is a highway of navigation and every vessel going through this area is carrying crews and or passengers. The one mile radius required under St. Mary Parish law where no residence, business, church, etc. can be located, is being ignored. Within one mile there are 49 businesses, four churches, one school, and 1200 residences. The health of these 5000 or so people is at such great risk that they should be relocated if this facility is allowed to open.
4. The GTX facility will operate at 1200 tons per day with 75% reduction of waste leaving 300 tons per day as ash residue--this material is highly toxic and must be moved to a nearby landfill-where? No one has answered this. This landfill citing is driven by economic issues. The company's attempt to downgrade this material to non-hazardous is an attempt to lower the disposal cost and would allow it to be dumped at any of the so-called nonhazardous oil field waste sites, many of which are located in St. Mary and surrounding parishes. The second alternative of getting, a nearby Hazardous Waste Landfill permit would allow not only the dumping of hazardous materials from GTX but also from any other customer that purchased the right to dump it.
This proposed incinerator creates a great hazard to the health and well-being of the people of south Louisiana as well as the wildlife, endangered species, fisheries resources, plant life and many other issues that are dear to us all. It provides very little economic benefit except to a few. The permits should be Denied!!
Harold Schoeffler Chairman
Acadian Group
Sierra Club
