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Redding Record Searchlight December 23, 2005
See Also: Document: Appeal of Inentec permit Red Bluff Daily News, 10/12/05: Citizens send loud message to county Red Bluff Daily News, 10/11/05: EDITORIAL: County should require EIR on InEnTec project Red Bluff Daily News, 9/9/05: InEnTec opponents air their concerns Red Bluff Daily News, 9/10/05: InEnTec appeal date set Red Bluff Daily News, 7/12/05: S.F. group calls for more thorough review of InEnTec For more information, contact:
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Appeal slows waste plant By David Benda, Record Searchlight Tehama County air board wants more environmental details from InEnTech RED BLUFF -- Construction of a $10 million medical waste plant south of here is on hold. Washington-based InEnTech Medical Services suffered a major setback late Wednesday when the Tehama County Air Pollution Control District Board voted 3-1 to uphold an appeal filed by Red Bluff area residents and a San Francisco conservation group. In July, InEnTech received an "authority to construct" permit from the county air pollution control district. Wednesday's ruling sets aside the permit, Tehama County Counsel William Murphy said Thursday. " The citizens sent a strong message that the process of approval was flawed, and we brought that to the attention to the community," Lupe Green of the citizens group said Thursday. Officials from InEnTech couldn't be reached for comment Thursday. Plant opponents want more environmental study on the proposed disposal plant, which would use a melter to sterilize and disintegrate hospital waste. It was the first appeal ever filed with the Tehama County Air Pollution Control District and capped a fight that started in late September and included 10 hearings and an estimated 70 hours of testimony. Wednesday's vote came after 11 p.m. Board members Linda Henderson, Tyler Christiansen and Fred Richelieu were in the majority. Mel Oldham voted to deny the appeal. Board member Don Webster recused himself because his son works for Pillsbury, Winthrop & Shaw in Sacramento, Murphy said. The law firm's San Francisco office is representing InEnTech. InEnTech had broken ground on its Reading Road plant, which would employ between 12 and 15 people. The plant was designed to process up to 6 tons of waste per day. The appeal filed by the citizens group and Greenaction cited "serious and significant" defects in the permit application process. Protesters complained that the plant was described in its application as an electricity producer when its primary purpose is to get rid of medical waste. County Counsel Murphy said the next step is up to InEnTech. The company could ask the Tehama County Superior Court to reverse the board's order or it could re-file for another permit. Bradley Angel, executive director of Greenaction, said the message should be clear to InEnTech. "The community wants them to pack up and go back to where they came from," he said. "We hope InEnTech has learned their lesson." |
