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Hanford Sentinel April 6, 2006 
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No money for trash, Kettleman City says By Seth Nidever, Sentinel Reporter HANFORD - No more cash for trash. The message came through loud and clear Wednesday night in Kettleman City as a group of local residents rejected a Chemical Waste Management Inc. plan to donate money to the community foundation for every ton of future trash dumped into a proposed landfill. The company operates a hazardous and regular trash disposal site 3-1/2 miles southeast of the tiny, impoverished community. In an emotional, often chaotic meeting, a crowd of 50 mostly Spanish-speaking residents told Chem Waste director Bob Henry in no uncertain terms that they don't want dollars in exchange for more waste near their town. Henry wants to donate 35 cents to a community foundation for every ton dumped in the yet-to-be approved landfill dubbed B-17. B-19, an existing landfill, is nearing capacity, and Chem Waste wants to build a new one. According to a 1998 legal settlement, Henry had to donate 25 cents per ton of trash sent to B-19. The money helped create a nonprofit called the Kettleman City Foundation, of which Henry is a board member. The cash also went toward the construction of the Kettleman City Community Center, a two-building facility currently used for a variety of programs. One of those, a Family Resource Center designed to serve the needs of low income families and children, started last year. The agreement stipulates that the donations end when B-19 fills up. Henry put forward a proposal to kick in 35 cents for trash coming to the new, yet-to-be approved, B-17 landfill. The foundation board voted him down 5 to 1 at Wednesday's meeting. Board member Maricela Mares-Alatorre introduced the successful motion to kill Henry's plan. “ I have to listen to what my town is saying. They don't want to be dumped on anymore,” she said. Board member Greg Kumbera was the lone dissenter. He tried unsuccessfully to persuade the crowd that the Chem Waste-funded community center, and the programs that go on there, merited a yes vote on continued donations. He had more success explaining the the audience that the decision whether or not to approve the B-17 landfill rests with Kings County. A disappointed Henry resigned himself to the decision. “ I honestly feel like I was doing a good thing,” Henry said. The director took a lot of heat Wednesday night, mostly from women, some of them irate. As soon as the meeting started, the din from the crowd made it almost impossible to hear the proceedings. No official Spanish translator was available, so Mares-Alatorre and FRC employee Ynez Lopez pitched in to translate. Finally, Henry stepped in front of the crowd and attempted to explain the rationale behind the 1998 settlement. He said the money was used to build the two buildings constituting the community center. He said the funds would also be used to fund programs in addition to the FRC. Henry said the new landfill would bring in $3 million to the foundation before it filled up. Others argued for the value of the center and its incipient programs. For the most part, the crowd didn't respond positively. One lady said something to the effect that the community center didn't amount to much. She said promised sidewalks, curbs and streetlights hadn't materialized. Another woman said the center could make up for asthma in her family that she blamed on the Chem Waste site. Martha Torres presented Henry with a petition she said was signed by 240 Kettleman City residents. The petition asked for a halt to all landfill expansion, an end to the 25-cent per ton settlement agreement and the death of a plan to put the Chem Waste logo on Kettleman City Foundation literature. Torres is a leader in local environmental group People for Clean Air and Water. One particularly angry woman said that her asthma had gotten worse since Chem Waste arrived. “ I don't believe that I am (affecting) your health because of this facility,” Henry answered. Kumbera had no more luck with the crowd than Henry did. He tried, and failed, to convince the audience that the coming of the new landfill without Henry's 35-cent plan would mean that a lawsuit would be required “to get any money at all.” After the vote, Henry defended his company against the accusations that it had endangered residents' health. He said all asthma and cancer concerns aren't “attributable to the Chem Waste site.” “ There's health concerns throughout the Valley,” he said, adding that his company is “environmentally responsible.” He questioned where the funds would come from to keep the center and its FRC afloat. Mares-Alatorre said she isn't worried about the FRC going under. “ There's other sponsors. We need to just extend ourselves,” she said. Henry was in for a long night even before the public part of the meeting began. As he and board members sat in closed session, the sign-waving crowd outside chanted loudly enough to disrupt the proceedings. “ We don't want the money. We want our health,” Torres said. Erica Swinney, a community organizer from the Bay Area environmental group Greenaction, led the crowd with chants of “Nuestra salud no se vende,” and “Si se puede.” Those phrases translate as “Our health is not for sale” and “Yes we can.” “ They don't want any more trash,” said longtime Kettleman City resident Guadalupe Villareal. After the vote, Swinney said the fight would continue against the B-17 proposal and Chem Waste's plans to expand its hazardous materials capacity. All are enmeshed in the long environmental review and permitting process required before construction can begin. Bradley Angel, executive director of Greenaction, told The Sentinel last year that his group would fight the hazmat expansion “every step of the way.” “
This is going to be a long, tough fight. And we intend on winning,” he
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