Hanford Sentinel

April 6, 2008

For more information, contact:

Bradley Angel Greenaction

(415) 248-5010

Waste dump growth sought

By Eiji Yamashita

Chemical Waste Management's Kettleman Hills landfill operation wants to expand its hazardous waste dump capacity, a plan that would likely draw strong opposition from green groups and emotional reactions from nearby residents.

The project proposes to expand the existing hazardous waste landfill by 11 acres and construct a new 64-acre landfill to continue the hazardous waste disposal.

Officials of the company tout the benefits of the project saying it's an environmentally responsible way to ensure safe disposal of residential and industrial trash. But opponents say it's another example of ongoing environmental racism against the predominantly low-income, Hispanic residents of Kettleman City.

With an environmental impact report now out, the public has an opportunity to learn more about the Chem Waste project and make comments to Kings County.  The public has until May 7 to submit comments in writing to the Kings County Planning Agency.
On April 19, Chem Waste officials are holding an informational community picnic at Kettleman City Park, from noon to 3 p.m.  A management team will make a presentation about the project said Helen Luibel, company spokeswoman.  "We're looking forward to providing information in both English and Spanish to the public," Luibel said. "We're doing anything we can do to make sure the public is informed."

Some 450 copies of the bilingual-version executive summary of the environmental impact report have gone out to all mailbox holders in Kettleman City, Luibel said. "We're looking forward to public participation and full disclosure of information to the public."
That's hogwash, says Bradley Angel, executive director of San Francisco-based Greenaction, an environmental justice group with a long history of opposing any new projects at Kettleman Hills landfills.
Angel charged that the notice issued in late March by the county about the project is defective and the county-planned public meeting is unaccommodative to the people affected by the project.

Angel slammed the Chem Waste project and called the county's description of the projects "bogus and wildly misleading."

In the notice of intent to adopt a subsequent environmental impact report, the county planning agency said the Kettleman Hills project would "provide continued disposal capacity for designated and hazardous solid waste from Kings County and surrounding areas."
That is false, he said.

" For the Kings County Planning Agency to try to mislead people saying it's only locally generated waste, it's bogus and wildly misleading," Angel said. "It's part of the propaganda."

Kettleman Hills' 474-acre operation is one of the largest toxic waste repositories in the country.

Angel says it receives waste from across the country. According to Luibel, one-third of the waste Kettleman Hills landfills receive comes from the Valley, one-third from Northern California and one-third from Southern California. A small percentage of the waste also comes from Mexico, she said.

Also, Angel criticized the public meeting to receive oral testimony scheduled for May 7 at 1:30 p.m. in board chambers in Hanford as an inconvenience to the public and called it "an example of ongoing environmental racism in Kings County."

Some would argue that Kettleman City, a west Kings County town of 1,500, is about three and a half miles away from the landfills.

Angel won't buy that argument, pointing to the fact that more than 600 trucks haul waste everyday, often through Kettleman City, to the facility.  "Hundreds of trucks carrying hazardous waste go through Kings County every day. That's not three miles away," Angel said.

Amid anticipated tough opposition, the company says the project is a necessary waste solution for the region's future. The project is expected to extend Kettleman Hills' hazardous waste disposal capacity by 32 years.

" It's important because we're serving society's need," Luibel said. "We all have trash at home, and we need to safely dispose of that for the future of our community. We are a green company with an environmentally sound technology. Our landfills are highly engineered landfills with a double liner system."

Chem Waste is also under close scrutiny by Greenaction and other grassroots groups.  The company is planning to continue its storage of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB), a toxic chemical once used in electronics. The proposal is awaiting a permit from the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

The company is also converting 30 acres of its facility into a so-called bioreactor, which accelerates waste decomposition with the injection of nonhazardous liquid so that more waste can be crammed in and future needs for landfill expansion are reduced. Opposition groups asked the state waste regulators to rescind the permit, but that appeal was denied in January.

How to comment:

The subsequent environmental impact report is available at county clerk's office or at the Kings County Planning Agency, 1400 W. Lacey Blvd. CD-ROMs of the report are available to the public for free. Paper copies are $380.

When: Deadline for comments is 5 p.m., May 7.

Where: Comments should be directed to Kings County Planning Agency. RE: Conditional Use Permit No. 05-10. Kings County Government Center, Building No. 6, 1400 W. Lacey Blvd., Hanford, CA 93230.

Notice: A public meeting to close the review period will be held at 1:30 p.m. at the supervisors chambers, 1400 W. Lacey Blvd., Hanford.
Information: Chuck Kinney, senior planner, 582-3211, ext. 2674.