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November, 2009
To: Letters to the Editor
Erie Times-News
Erie, PA 16534
Re: Power to the people
Work started on the tire plant development nearly three years before it was publicly announced in March of 2007.
Numerous conversations had taken place between the PA DEP and ERE before this announcement. ERE hired the retired PA
DEP Air Quality Manager, Joe Pezze. Pezze now writes permit applications for major sources of hazardous air pollution.
Pezze has also taught college level classes on how to do this and what to charge (I have several of his PowerPoint
presentations he uses in class).
ERE preceded with the impression that between Pezze's experience/connections and the conversations with the PA DEP
that it would take 6-8 months to receive an air emissions permit after submitting the application. If that had
happened then the permit would have been issued during the summer of 2008, construction started and the plant
running a year later in the summer 2009.
The above scenario would have played out for ERE except for one obstacle. The one obstacle was public
opposition. At the East High school ERE public meeting in March of 2007 they had a large aerial picture of the
Hammermill site which included Lake Erie and Presque Isle. A person stood beside that picture and asked those
in attendance "are we going to let this be built on the shore of Lake Erie?"
The loud vocal response given by most of those in attendance was no. A few hours later that evening the domain name
stopburningtires.com was registered. Within a week a meeting was held at the TREC and attended by some of those
concerned that were at the East High meeting. Research showed that the statements ERE had been making to the
politicians, the DEP and the media were far from accurate and truthful. Within a month the public started speaking
at Erie City Council meetings warning of the dangers of incinerating 800 tons or more of tires daily.
In June of 2007 KEEP was formed and began educating the public which includes of course politicians, members of
the media and the PA DEP. In just 6 months over 6,000 signatures opposing the tire plant plan were gathered.
KEEP relied on experts in the fields of air quality, meteorology, medical, environmental and other related areas to
confirm that its concerns were well founded. The delay with the PA DEP awarding the air permit partially led to the
GEIDC saying time has expired and the extensions have come to an end. KEEP initiated a campaign earlier this year to
educate the GEIDC and its Board regarding serious flaws in the ERE business plan. Among those flaws were no tire
supplier and no financing.
There are numerous examples of questions and issues the public brought to the attention of the PA DEP that led
to delays. One example that shows the effect of public influence in the permitting process is the request for the
inhalation assessment. KEEP and the public deserve credit. The events that played out over the past 2 years and 7
months have shocked many politicians, bureaucrats, business people and members of the media.
There is an important lesson that can be learned from the events of this ill-conceived tire incinerator.
When a project is wrong no amount of campaign contributions, "getting into bed with all the right people,"
or yacht rides for politicians will change the public's resolve to protect what is rightfully theirs. The public
has the right to clean air and water.
Future generations require us to fight to preserve these basic rights.
Randy Barnes
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