NCD980602163_20031119_Warren County PCB Landfill_SERB C_Press Clippings, 1999 - 2003-OCR

T· ___ . -' .-.--~-· ··---w.. ~I ,.l .'. ;.:;·...,_ ,-~r?."i'"'-;;;....,.,. "'•"'.,.,~.·~••ll:"z ~'-t..4,.,,;..,,.. -,,-•• ~ ... ··>'lillli'~~•;'@::r: :,:~ ,!9'-'~11~·171.,..-Pn_-_;;.• Ii ..,,,. 'd·e. WAR!tENTON ~-The PCB office is cloaed this week; 'the administrative aide who has stafl'ed it 'the past fuur years has moved OD t.o other work. For about 10 yean, th, office W8' the centnl point far li>caJ, committees that worked . with I the state, pliilhed the'atate an:d fought the atat,e t.il,~tbe,PCB !andfill.detoxified-. ·-' " Now tbat-t.hejob is done, tbe Jateat'Yeraioll of-the c:ommlttee is p~ OU~ 'but tbeni'\a1 •ml!C\!-wor) ID lie dope., ·,r:, . . , From -the standpoint: pf Pat Baclr.i'is, the ~ oversee. ing the cleanup for" t.iie_ ~te. there's paperwork t.o do, 1, ' From the:sf;andpojnt of the· C91ltractora, there's some more • equipment · t.o. move out, and · grass t.o sow on~ the bill of cleaned dirt. " From the · standpoint: · of Warren County, there are deci-sions t.o be made, about assum-ing ownership of the land and · about what t.o do with it. And from the· standpoint of Dolly Burwell, there's the mai-ter of a celebration nezt apring ""' -iill'"' 'bi_i""ia....,dj,-iiiiea-'Dii:..--""'1.-w-.iieii,....._~'1l:"i and a permanent monument t.o -• -. environmental justice, the Mike ~ • ol!lde.l ha tile DIOl!ement said t.o have atarled, 8'at.e ~ ol ..,._. here when the atat.e first chose meat and Natunl Reaou,cea, the_ W~ Bite, t.o hwy the willn,po.rtt.ofiheW-Baard toxic cliemicala. "' of Commiseioaera. Back~ said . ~-~t Pl£ASE S!E IMllflL -IA some of the litill-~ -~ -~ _ ,----~ . flie _ ua of the cleaaup, landfill to be. ~-,wed. the e1allllc ~ And »urweJl; -a diltrict ad....., af1:be ... wblch aide to eo.-an PnDk )llllbablJ wlll be ~ by Bellance, aaht ..... to, tblll, ad die ----af--l'8lllllin bnGl9N ill .... ltap-lhiparettaad!Gmybe-p.-attbelitll_.Aftcm. 8Nll Dec. 1, · "I hope, I plin to wan • SameaftbeatJia,illllllma, llllllih • h1111,"a ..W, "11r a be dilcuad Dec. 10 w1-die IIUlll1llllllll to eiuit--1 ~......, .... lialda jaalim.· wim-Wbeillllllllilllllmg. lfellllwllile. olhera aim -· Bm,t,iill,wllobMbemc:lialr-wmm(ODthttlltme.Aillnir--..Wallapea a..n-mal pilp ii, ir jz1j,.,.,,,.. er poap-wlll----to plan a iible -· ol6e ·19-JliOW' caWnlillBmtht.,..._ . owiied b,Jtbe..., a•--And a ..... BIIWD GINn, roande4 by -ium 100 the' Ullllniid;rat;m aaietant --alreacty owned by the who -left, wlR 'fQbmtarily comity. ' bllpwithlClllll~ Tbatq;trjll beleiftwitb actirita tA the lacal ~ -----........ ' tee. Iii a CiJ.-d lUICl'8t.e floor nearly St.epe 111118t be tMlll to 1ft' the size ,Aa ~.8eld--"" 11e1Wanbh>alllrlllldaatawlle~· Mu,ytbink ............. , wlD lbldy' ·t111, atlr--1 Jap:al-ButtJilltiluptodie ~-:.-:.:-=::.w:! :'!:::..,:.~ lulUill.udto ........ queeti.on. "_,.._..._.~ _,._ .,...,.to .. _a-nity tW .., ...... tbe
l i. 1
me go1<1en !eat without the bur-
den of leasing an allotment.
The effort was bipartisan.
House members who joined
L' Etheridge in signing the plea on
behalf of tobacco growers and
quota holders. Rep. Frank Ballance·· Rep. Bob Etheridge ,. 'We strongly· urge your sup-
Rep. Brad Miller
Etheridge and fellow North Car-
olina Democrat.s Mike McIntyre
~d · David Price worked closely with the likes of Repuolicans
Ernie J!letcher ~f Kentucky and
Vl.fgil ~4e of VI®nia;
port for passage of a federal buy~ . opportunity for Democrats and
t out of the government's tobacco Repul;>licans to work together
1 program before Congress and put the people's interest adjourns for the year," the one. a,hea(J.Qfpolitical iiit.erest.s.
page letter read$·. ''This is an '1Vediop, .Ai:µeridi$1 ,Wbal!CQ
--~ :. • r ~-~.t "i tt~i-::• :-. ••
farmers can count on your sup-
port." •
The House's to!ij.promise
$1~.7 billion. bill, th buy. out the ·: :· ·,,, .. ; ":~. ~!~E~i(ll!!D.IJ.1. PAGE 3A ,,;.•,1;;. ,; . " i! < , • " '
· •. : ~ ft . ·i 1?€11F·: • · , J,;,11dfill de.,,,.~~ r ~<· . ·.
DAILY D1SPATCH/CLAYTON KEARNEY
Jr high school hoops
)Ulis up for a jumper over Webb's Gerry Koinis in the Vikings' 48-35 win n opP.ner tor reversed the result of the girls' game. Stories, page 1 B.
· , · ·No~~~r~~e1'ob' ;;, •.1.\:. . : ', ·.:"~'~,I?':: '· t ., !!(; !,n~.c lat,e~t'W;~OD' of:tqe eonimittee iS ph_asin{()~t; ·.b~t·."~~i-~.,is
tnUclt"WQrl!, ~ l>e doni/-' '' :· • .
Ftoil!. the standpoint of Pat
Backus; the enginetit oversee-
ing the cleanup for th~ state,
there's paperwork to do.
From the .standpoint of the
contractors, there's. some more
· equipment to . move out and
grass to sow on the hill of
cleaned dirt.
From the standpoint of
Warren County, there are deci-
sions to be made, about assum-
ing ownership of the land and
about what to do with it.
" . ~-stm REPotn$ .,_. ~. , ·:---1 . \! .: ,.~ ~ ...
.•WMREwfuN-~A··
i month after gettillg l)~ck to . full strength; ·the Warren
County Board i>f Elections
is moving quickly to get its
office settled into a regular
routine.
A meeting of the board at
5:15 p.m. today could result
in the appointment of a
director of elections,
Chairwoman Mary
Somerville said. An interim
administrative assistant
Robin Green, already w;s
staffing the office Tuesday.
PLEASE SEE ELECTIONS, PAGE 3A And from the· standpoint of
Dolly Burwell, there's the mat-
ter of a celebration next spring and a permanent monument to will be addressed Dec. 1 when environmental justice, the Mike Kelly, an official from the movement said to have started state Department of Environ-here when the state first chose ment and Natural Resources,
the Warren site to bury the will report to the Warren Board toxic chemicals. of Commissioners. Backus said Tuesday that
some of the still-to-do issues PLEASE SEE LANDFILL, PAGE 3A ----------
~ C. COUNTRY LEGEND DON GIBSON DIES CAL & STATE, PAGE 4A ving Henderson, Vance County and surrounding areas -MOORE ·POTS PRESSURE "8N MUTUAL FUNDS BUSINESS & FARM, PAGE 5A U.S. LAUNCHES AIR OFFENSIVE IN II WAR ON TERRO'R, PAGE 6A WEDNESDAY,. NOVEMBER 19,-2003 X·--. ·. ,': LU : tf·: :s,<f' ]~:~ .. .-. __ TCH· ::\:_ ··._ ' • \ • C :).'.-,; . ..' , • . : ~ ... -'} Volume XO, No. 275 ••• J :e,: ,.u· -----o· ------,1-· -a----:, ---.~:.-~ .. -:,·;· t.,~~C,,_:,-~-\1>,s, ·.:. ·e-\n--,--s'·t· ·_ -1-ya··.:: -s--·-p-e-·a·~ : · -· • ~-. '. : -' -· -. .· '"" ~'. * ~-,: -~-~-~ 11.l :~ · . • ': .-.: .·: f i! , . :. .1 :~ . .. r , ,., -. -· . ·y·-. ·U· . . . : -,:, .;. ~ .. i(i; ~ '_', • ;." ; 'j ;~ I • : •• ; (•. ·_. : ", -. . '' ~ i.\ '. : ."":_ . . .· . . . . .• ' Council member o-. Bernard on shared his wisdom with the ·1 Something group Monday. 'ouths ,tart --1\1 Ii IJI Bv MICHAEL JACOBS DAILY DISPATCH NEWS EDITOR With no more than a week left to salvage a tobacco quota buyout, the Tri-County area's three congressmen made a plea Tuesday directly to the.speaker of the House to bring the legis0 lation to the floor. Rep. Bob Etheridge, D-Lillington, the only Washington veteran representing the area and one of the leaders in craft-ing a compromise buyout bill during the summe_r, wrote the-letter to Speaker-Dennis Hastert, R~Ill. Freshmen Frank Ballance:, . : D-Warrenton,. and Brad Miller, ~1 D-Raleigh, were· among rn_-;j House members: wno •. joined;-~ Etheridge in sigI,iing the plea oil.,,-, behalf of tobacco growers and 1-:':~1• •••~ qu?ta holders. -_ -.\$ij>'.;'Fi'ank~·an'ance. 'We strongly urge your sup-. · . _ port for pas_sage,of-afederal buy~ :o~po~ty for· Democrats and out of the govepunent's tobacco .Republicans to work together program . b«?-fore Congress and put the people's interest adjourns for the year;?' the ,one-ahead of political interests. page letter reads. "'l'his is an ''W-e hope America's tobacco system would funn ed $6 billion to N farmers and quot would allow farm switch crops or con the· golden leaf wit den of leasing an a The effort -wa1 Etheridge and fello olina Democrats lY. and David Price VI farmers can 'count on your .sup-with the likes of port.'' . Ernie Fletcher of l The House's compromise _ Virgil Goode ofViq ·$15.7 billion bill to buy out the Depression·0era tobacco quota PLEASE SEE I PCBs cteare, -• .. . N·ftAl·ftl-ftMft .... II I
. FROM .PAGE ONE
SNIPER, from page one,_
"His body twitit:ed this way; so
I couldn't get a body shot/'
Malvo said ..
al!P.earod to be out of contact
with teMty clurlrtg the conver~
"He went down," M.i:jtvo s~d ·
when Walker asked what paJh-
pened to Meyers' &fter the sh.Qt.
. -.,. . . . liWttid .an 'hour
; . ; .J ~ • ~ .. .:: .
Walker testified Tuesday
that he questioned Malvo oh
Nov. 7, 2002 ~ two weeks after
Malvo and Muhammad were ·
arrested -and "marveled at
how intelligent he was."
He also said Malvo was can-
did and cooperative and never_
~ ·f~ers growing an
· -~ ~}!Jn on,e regjo~ of
, ~lsoµiethfugla:w•
':~X.Ui outsi(te · th~
_ ··are·llkely to want to-
But since a disput.e in' the
S~na:t.e stopped legi~lation t.<> .
allow Food 81,lt:1· Drug A(lmj:ri-: ·-·
ism.ition r~gulati({n, 0£ fubadcij · · ;
-a hill seen' as a . neces$MY
companion to win enough su~
port for the buyout· -frustra-
tion in the House has taken a
mqj ,~ Jo·coristituents. .
Th{lt's bad riews for growers
who have watched their quotaa
cut in half the past five years; partisan shift.
Etheridge has urged Presi-
dent Bush several times this
fall to declare his support for
the buyout, orily to be met with
White House silence.
Last week Etheridge called
on the Republican leadership in
both chambers of Congress to
push the buyout forward, but
he got no public answer.
All 14 lawmakers who signed
Tuesday's letter to Hastert are
Democrats.
"If the speaker of the House
and the Republican leadership
will get off the sidelines and
into the game, we could pass
this tobacco buyout now,"
Etheridge said in a statement
issued with the letter. "This is
an opportunity for Democrats
and Republicans to work
together and put the people's
interest ahead of the political
interests. I hope the speaker
will do right by our farmers."
Buyout backers are desper-
ate to push through the legisla-
tion this year because the elec-
tion-year partisanship next
year makes passage unlikely.
"A lot of older guys want to
retire," Vance County Coopera-
tive Extension agent Harold
Thompson said last week. He
said growers "are in limbo now
as to what to do about next
year."
Without a buyout, the Agri-
culture Department will set the
2004 quotas next month, and
Etheridge's office said a reduc-
tion of 15 percent to 30 percent
is expected.
A Blake Brown, an agricul-
tural economist at North
Carolina State University,
wrote in his annual tobacco out-
look last month that "continued
declines in quota ... could cause
the federal tobacco program to
implode, · with or without leg-
islative intervention."
He added that many farmers
could be forced out without the
cash infusion of a buyout.
"As long as Congress is in
session there is some hope of
passing tobacco buyout legisla-
tion this year to help families
stay on .the farm and out of
bankruptcy, but that hope is
m, · 1 1 •11.: __ ~ _r . ,-. .1 ~ ... -_ r , "P.t.1 . ,
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2003 3A
Meyers' car and the location of He also said at one point: "I'm
the he~d w~up~ ~Qg! . never going to be set free."
0ft We ta , ,1 ¥ · · the IIi lhe ftmalty: Q~~s.e of
~hooi4i~$ w~t a~'ft , , . ,. Yi . ¥rthpmf d s,ir-1~. a;;rat;bf from
but Jie-· l:\Ud ,,M\ma:Ql:in,aij;'w~re· Tacotna, W~h.-·. · · '--•· · ',about
not desj,erl;\te, Atith6rities have how hit~ig _, ... , li9it~p ,·
said the shootings were intend-during S~tutday, ,sehiices in
ed to terrorize the nation's qapi-May 2002; ProseQutors blame
tal area and extort $10 million Muhamtnad and Malvo. -·
from the goverirln.ent. Earl Lee Dari~ ·ij( Tacoma,
At one point Mhlvo said there who let Muham.nia4 and: Malvo
was no reaS()n to. cooperate stay ~t his home; testified that
because "the only thing twould Muhanun8;d often made ·anti-
want is my tune,·my freedom." Semitic statements.
' LA~D_FILL, -from pau, one -
ThEr status ,· of, the-cleanup, landfUl to be.
which ~ completed; th'} 'clQSU:ig · ¥d Burwelli no'Y'.:: a -district
and,s~e~ 0£ thtr $1~i wblch; .. aide_ to Corlgi:~s-~rit~t:t . Frank nrobably/wfil, lie . cotilple®il).y . ~~Jljnce, · srod1\sfi~,_,Jiq~~ -to
theh, iilia: thi•tt1att:e'l':of o~e¥-teqWh irlvo}ve·d in what Half
ship: ate itell:ls that may lie cov-pens at the site near Afton!,. .
ered Dec: 1. "I hope, I pfan to work as
Some of the other issues may much as I can," she said, "for a
be discussed Dec;· 10 when the monument to environmental
Citizens Advisory Board holds justice."
what could be its final meeting. Meanwhile, others also are
Burwell, who has been chair-working on the future. An infor-
woman, said she hopes a small-mal group is investigating pos-
er group will continue to plan a sible uses of the 19 acres now
celebration in the spring. owned by the state, a site sur-
And she hopes Robin Green, rounded by more than 100
the administrative assistant acres already owned by the
who has left, will voluntarily county.
help with some phasing-down That site will be left with
activities of the local commit-water and electric services, plus
tee. a covered concrete floor nearly
Steps must be taken to pre-the size of a football field.
serve archives for students who Many think recreation is the
will study the environmental logical use. But that is up to the
justice issue, how citizens tried county government, after it and
to block trucks going to the the state decide the ownership
landfill, and to preserve records question.
of how citizens fought to recov-
er from the blow to the commu-
nity that they considered the
The writer can be reached at
[e-mail].
ELECTIONS, from page one _
A clash with the state elec-
tions office led to two of three
members of the board leaving
office and the positions of direc-
tor and assistant director being
vacant.
action by the Board of Elections.
Green is familiar to many in
Warren as the administrative
assistant who served the past
four years in the PCB office.
That office originally provided
. ' ' se "ON-JINl)t WJJ.J. Jno-96flJ. B:JU/S AIUfKY.J us.&nPM /JutNes PCB landfill isn't \ safe for recreation ' . ' I "' To the Editor: Just imagine this scene. You are sit-' it'.: .. ting on a park bench watching your children or grandchildren playing with " See'LEnERS, page 3 I
Continued from pa~ 2
ilieir neighborhood friends. You see the nated because the landfill has been sig-
children's anns and legs hard at work-.nificantly leaking into the:surrounding
running, swinging, climbing. You love water and air. The landfill was built ·
their laughter and their noise and smile illegally, with EPA's approval, and
to ourself because they're happy, without the critical leachate collection
healthy, and active. system of,r,erforated pipes; it was su~
Now imagine that this park was built posed to be a "dry-tomb" landfill but
on a site where a landfill has been was instead capped with a million gal-
silently and invisibly leaking toxic Ions of water in it. The cap was co.m-
PCBs and dioxins into the air and promised within the first two months
water for over two decades. It's much · when ·gas pressure blew holes in the
harder to picture this scene because it's top liner, and a month later EPA found
difficult for most of us to envision how "significant" levels of PCBs in air
responsible adults could knowingly emissions one-half mile away; water
choose to put the public at risk, espe-has been entering and exiting the land-
ci Uy growing children. fill for years.
Yet this is exactly what some county, Officials have lcnown about this con-
state, and EPA officials want for the tamination for years, including Ms.
children of Warren County since they Burwell. In a letter to the editor of the
advocate redeveloping contaminated · Warren Record on March 1, 1995, she
land, in this case, building a park and writes, "Out at the PCB landfill, three
r~reational facility at the Afton PCB of four ground water monitoring wells
landfill site. According to state officials are contaminated with dioxins .. .along
and co-chair of the PCB Citizens . wi~ vis~~~~ ,see~a e from the side of
. Advi~ .b: .. B ar<;l,,PQ lie'i~urwe ", .. the landfill. I • '
.,., s:,.~ hr addftfon · jti !eve ol ins are
are nearly gone," and they've turned a found in nearby Richneck Creek sedi-
"lemon into lemonade." ment and water, and also in an outlet
The state has vested interest in promot-basin. Surface soil on top of the landfill
ing the perception that the landfill site near the air vent is contaminated with
is free of PCBs and is benign, that the dioxin."
landfill problem is nearly over, once Even with all the evidence, state gov-
an<J for all. What better way to achieve ernment has never.planned nor budget-.
the~e goals than to put a county-run ed for cleaning up the widespread con-.
park, a recreational facility, and possi-tamination that has been spreading the ,
bly a daycare center on the site? past two decades. Remember, the
There are two reasons that a park and state's own data revealed in 1995 that
recreational facility are unacceptable. there are' devastating levels of dioxins
First, the problem is that without inde-in groundwater (71.6 ppq); Richneck
pendent testing, the detoxification Creek sediment (277 .4 ppq); in the
process it~elf has been suspect since seep on the side of the landfill (578.2
cleanup levels· can be validated only by ppq); in the creek outlet basin ·
stat~ data. There's an obvious conflict · (1,889ppq); and in surface soil near the
of ipterest, and with the state's track air vent (2,948 ppq); (the acceptable
record of deception and negligence, limit for groundwater.is 30 ppq.) As
only a betting fool, or one who is com-recent as March 2003, state officials
pr9mised by self-interest, would have announced that more PCBs were found
confidence that the state:run, PCB outsi~e of the landfill, but they had not
cleanup has been especially safe or yet migrated off of the 137-acre buffer
effective. zone.
In addition to cleanup data that is dubi-. It is important to note that PCBs are
ous, there's another important reason very environmentally mobile. (Polar
why the Afton PCB landfill property is bears in the Arctic have calamitous lev-
untenable for a recreational or any · els of PCBs in them from airborne con-
other facility. The state's own data tamination that runs through the food
revealed that the 137-acre buffer zone chain.) Also, PCBs are persistent; they
that surrounds the landfill is contami-don't break down in the environment,
and they bioaccumulate.
How has state government been able ~
blatantly ignore the evidence of wide-
spread contamination? By working
with so-called "old adversaries" and
creating the PCB Citizen's Advisory
Board, which it controls, and by block,
. ing qualified, independent oversight,
state government has been able to
focus on detoxification of the landfill
contents while avoiding responsibility
for what has been leaking out. The
county now owns the 137-acre buffer ·
zone, aµid if state government "gives"
the five acre landfill site to tbe county
for redevelopment, then the state can ·
relieve itself of long-tenn liability for
the contaminated property.
Local and state officials who advocate
a high-risk PCB park over other risk-
free properties in the county (r:isk-free
land is available at the National Guard
Armory, the airport, and Soul City)
not ~?e ,~!l ~ei~~an~ to d~ ~.
ubhc. mtere _ . . , . . l' -~. •
Jus ~
reported that the Environmental
Protection Agency has now "relaxed
restrictions on selling land contaminat-,
·ed with PCBs for redevelopment,
reversing a 25-year-old policy." What
better place to implement this new.pol-
icy than here in Warren County, the
very birthplac,e of the environmental
justice movement? Wh.at better place
for government to flex its muscles and
to let citizens know that polluters will
be protected?
The redevelopment of the PCB site
into a recreational facility would be the
ultimate travesty. of j:~1stice and the ulti-
mate humiliation, especially for this.
community of color which has cried ·
foul to enviropmental racism for so
long. Yet perhaps something good
could come out of it. Perhaps and
· Afton PCB park could be the next
Tuskegee, a land of experiment, "'.here
government "gathers data" by studying
children who play at the park to learn
just what are the synergistic and long-
terms effects of PCBs and dioxins on
humans.
DEBORAH FERRUCCIO . .
Route 2, Norlina
WARRENTON NomHCARl;l..JNA Wq ' -• ,,,,.,.~-,_,.-.,,,__.:.J"·"""IJ':\! ··_ -. e ·. ·.·. tlrrtri;"1· ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAl~State Senator Frank W. 8a11ance. Jr., fer left. ~ is ~-fQ' _ First Congressional District. made a stop at the PCB t.an<a in lhe Mori cOl'MU'lily last~ update ori the site~ cleanup progress. Pictured with him isht 8ildOJS, pmject engfMel; ceetes; and M • w; 1 ager with Shaw E&I, l,:i~. Ballance also visited HealthCo. i" Soul ~ as well ill several points il'I VaNe ~ a district-wide tour.
• ~~ J~ 'I ! .. ~ C I .y-\J ·" . ,r.; ,' •. landfill to ._.,month. .,..~~1-~ . '· ~ .. "' ~/~~~~ ; .. '•_,,;;,~ L"~_,,..--~\·;, :•.} ': ~N>_,: 11jy,L,UCI W~LDON. Assistant Editor ~f"-.,,; ! \ ~; ~--'.o:,i\~-J 'l'f?,;'-~•,j· ._;,, :·"'· _.: ,~ ..... Toe p,rocess-·of ~toxifying ·the PCB landfill is · almost'fi:nished. .,_ · • · '-"~e. are at ;:t'tie~Jast .. comer of the landfill," Pat B..ackus; project niana_ger ,with the N.C~ Department: ,.of Environment' ari.<t"Natural 'Resources, -said last, weelr~ ~-C. ~Jal' . ~. •: < , -~ , . ' ~ t,,_ '"i' ' -J!,Thtough a process Called tiase catalyzed decompo-ijitiQn, heat is us&i:'to separate t)le PCBs· from the soil 'in. the.landftll:fhePCBs.are destroyed separately .• The treatment of. the soil within -the landfill is ·• expected to·~ c0ihpl~~d by the end of September: '' After that,, we will start the decontamination and. -demobilizatiof&f equipment fr:o1t1 the site," Backus -said;:"Tfiis sheutd. 1,e ·c~niP,leted by the end of Octobed' .}' _ Jt' . . The-site,,will ·then be'·real'iy,·for final grading and planting grass:~ ~ . '·' ' · _ . ~-•~Ope go3! is_ to be c~~teted with everythi~g in Qe.fell)ber ana;off the.ii;iW b¥ Jhe e_nd of the yellr;" Baakus said.~,: ~--ll-.~-.,.,.. • .....,.,,.,.,.. •. ~.,. ~ Plan~ ~e ii\~ wgrlcs for.~~ open. house at tlie PCB landfill, possibly: in "November, More definite · -· ---t. .1 • • • ' lans abQut the~6pen~house will be c,b_scussed at the . ~xt meetj.ng , of die Warren -County PCJ3 Citizens_ Advisor£Board '(€AB)':which will oe held· at 2'p'.m. ... .. -"'-.___..,.__ _.,_,,_ ......... __ . . . --M0·re· . ... / .. ·. : -·. ,..~ -I'. -i,·. --·:..,_~VT . ( .. • • f,/ ·-c--•··_ It,·Bs found at hin-dfill ■ Completion of-clean·t~p ,process delayed. · By LUCI WELDON Assistant -Editor The process of detoxifying the PCB -landfill is progressing well., but Confpletion will be delayed because conmtetors have found more tons of PCB$ than expected. . That was the report at the Warren . County PCB Citizens Advisory Board.(C:AB) meetihg on:Sept. 10. I.n· late August, the detoxification process was expected to. be finished around the end of this month. However, at last week's CAB meeting, contractors reported that 6,000 more tons of PCBs were dis-covered. Detoxification was under-way in the north portion of the land-fill, and the area. to be covered was found to be greater than indfoated on drawings of the landfill. Taking this report into considera-tion, it wili ·be about the middle1of October when the detoxification process is ,complete<;! with the
. . f The ·Jaodfill cons ·on Commission, in COl)-
in 1982 It» toQ · junction with the Citizens
roadside ..... by Advisoly Beard, i working on
polyc lnplleayJs plans for-deve)Qping the site aaa
(PCBs-}, in the recreational facility as part of 1-1979s . over 210 miles · &he · county' comprehensive
of North roadsides. ~pJan,'~:WarrenCounty
lnformatioa provided by the Manager -Loria Wuliams. said
state rt:vealecl that fqads · Tuesday.
amouotina to $16.2 million ba-ve The long ,anae p.lali outtims
· been ·spent on the detoxifkauon . the aoaJ of developjng acre-
proeeas, poridiog has ~ pro-ational · facilities in each qud-
vided through a numbc;r of rant of the county. The PCB
sources, including appropria-landfill site• could tie developed
• tions from tile North Carolina' into a . iecreational facilitr for
Genera1 AssemblY., a U.S. .the southwest ~t.
Department of Justice $570,000 Grant opportunitios for the
settlement with Ward fedevelopment project are btinl
Transformer, the source of the pursued.
PCBs, .and transfers from envi-Plans for redevelopment of ronmenial · projects that were the PCB landfill site aN ex~-
completed under budget. · eel to be brought before tile
With the end of the -de~xifi-Warren County Board : of
cation process, the focus will Commissioners at ·the . board's
then be on redevelopin9 the ·site. September work session.
"The Warren County
. . ! . • '. . . • . \ ~ . . . . . • • • . , -~,.. • •
, Is ·1e1t In a hole that used to contain PCB-contaminated soil at the. Warren landflll. Bla'c!',, treated soil Is being pushed
,-----■•-··--·--·•-.•-... -........... _,, •• LANDFILL, from page one · : • ' -' ! • ~ ! 'l\t~ay, the project manager -Local residents, environmen-layer of good top soil and acres, with the, county owning f~ the state, Pat Backus of ~e talists and . state officials grassed over.. · stUTQunding land for a total of Department ofEn¥jronment and .researche..d detoxification possi-As far as PCBs are concerned, 142 acres. · Natl.Ujl} Resources, visited the bilities for years and made a Backus said, it will be one of the w,hen, Shaw leaves, in addi-site for one-of her regular checks. choice· a few yell!'S ago. Then safest sites · in the sta~. . tion to the clean and grassed· She found that D~ve Dit.cher, there w~s a ,battle· to get thti, · Throughout the.year, samples of mound, it~ leave a_water~e managefforthe'S~w,-m>ui>, the necessary millions. ofdollars the treat.ed soil have ·been sent onto _the site, electnc service cleanup eontract.or,.is".occupied ip. aP,propriatetl by the legislature. to an independent faboratory', and.lights, a concrete· pad, and planning the s1!,ut.d,own.:'' t, ·' " Finally, -everything w;ls in · .and the ~tate · will send final. a s«:el pole .s~ed. . . . He will l>e putting a .11~ cov,.ei: i p1~ce a year ago. reports to ·the fe<le:ral Environ'-. ~1tc~er said th~!8 have been on the detoxilied dir,tjusf'iibput · An expanded contract' called men~.Protecti9nAgency, whj.ch no mcidents dunng the treat: 20 years after th_e state-~-~v-· for treating up .to 72,000 t.<i_ns, permi~ ancl oversees such ment proces~. ~ork_ers ha!e ...:c.J th · 4-.;._;_".__ . .J il d B k 'd th. tra...4--cl· • worn detection devices that ereu e conLCUUµmU::U.SO . an ac us sai . e. con , "wr eanups. · , b th . • 4--be t ff d . · .~ ~-· · . . · . rea em arr w sen o an It was 1983 when the state ha,s processed about 65,000 The 'fedefctl standard calls for · al d Th h . rted . l ted ·. . .. "' th to than 1 000 M~-f PCB an yze . ey ave repo . . comp ~ . scpop1ng ,pp e . ns. no ll).Ore . ,. . p~u:, o .. . · bl. , · · · PCB t . t d h•1 fr Th t . t t billi' . .b t t1i N rth. . no pro em exposures. -con-amma e ,. soi '., om · e rea men proce~s, per · . _ on, u . . . ,e . o . The crews did· find a .Jew llfflh"900~~netal~filbly:~~-4'-" ·"'~t~;a••·•i~,,j.,,,._t,p;,,;-r,···· .. -1;,;;~, '¥~ J:1~.;:M;•s~iij~.;.:,~~,,:1~:1,t'!'it2:_'"'--~""'.if4-.!.Slilili!&~~;,~.,,tif°.,t',j,'.!,.--;w~·" 'i.°':-tt,,t' i::'i~_.;;,J~~ ... ti,.-" n~ ~"'j;.d· £"'."1..~-L...:~e~~l.\!!~~.:.1~ms2!!i;tlie,-. · ....:.~~;Z, F"t-~• w·1.;'-!u~-~!i~\'!J'~l-.!.,¥1~~.Ynlt· ¥~~1:i-9l·!'1P« i ~y,..~_,Jai.µ-,g,.:ui:: ~~ ~wy..-us,µ, ,Q,.;. '"PJ'.9.-W. .. ~<"'!:4-'-•w· .. fill m· i:il,u'· -1_;._,,.,.on·e· ¥i.,e,a·pp"'-n~ b. ' a,,_...,_. :·.l"th·-,-~:::':.~r•·,1o~ ..,,,.,,, ............ ~•·'·•··•~·'L~ ... ,.:__,1f'~.:..":!~·l"U''~ , ... ,.,. ·•ruro1 ·1.::-·'kM~··:::.-....1.::-···5'!11!'"'"""''"'"· , "' !"'L''-6•·. _.,,.,.., ...,_,,, If-· }!mP~..,.,..,~IJ!.~~:'.~.?"13Z:lt'4-r.~~£ :.~4~Illl~i';~~ ?,oe~oo~:1ti' · ... J~,.f"";{ p~ per., ~0!¼: ~r ,,,. 1~ · leA-b'v""the '/:.Oril-l:f.'.i:, l" land:tilit-L. !;,°· Thtpeople'ony~~§un~~, )!!ettl bY;fhe ·e~d"ofSep~li~t-";.; ~ Tlie~~:r\~ ~.i s1:u~' \4~;~~~l ~r·E!:ci:1antl' ~t fought ~he.! s~1e~~!.1?f oCtl>:eir -. ~ Sh~w and ~e s~te shduld be. . abledor ~gh.:. tesittenqtJ ~~), .. fans scooped up from, .the road~ , commumty; for'}he\ l~d@l~to. .gone by the end. of the year. . ,!lf,, even for child care, pr for rette-. · side along with the. PCB fJil/ · :house the soil, :and CMv/Jim , The dirt mound wfil ~•baek ., .ation,. which is"'on~~ idea the :L '' " • .. M •• • "'· -. Hunt. promised somed11Y,,. to in place. Because the dirt is pommunity is considering. , . The writeii can'be: reached at . .. clean up the site when feasible. sterile, it will be-covered with a ·· The state owns about 19 [e-mail]. .. · DAILY DlsM!at/AN.E\' l1EVEII AYSCUE what's nex· · . . " iJ_ .. for·· cleanun sit BY CHARLIE RICHARDS DAILY DISPATCH WRITER WARRENTON -The state· of North Carolina has moved a mountain over the past year in Warren County a few miles· south of here in the Afwn aiea. About a year ago, there was a grass-covered mound the size of a domed stadium, made up of soil containing the toxic chemical PCB: In the time since, the mound has been moved from one spot t.o another, each load of dirt det.ouring on its way through a thermal process that evaporates the toxic substance mt.o its harmless components. , ~1 Soon, the pile of clean dirt will be completely returned to the original spot, filling the hole and rebuilding the mound. · . · Groups in Warren County are turning their thoughts seriously to the site's future uses. A 4t •• ~ a, PCl-clllllndnattd IOII for treatment In one of the Int aran at tbe ~ ......... _....., ................ ~........ . --.. ---·--~
i ,1; I I I I MAYORS SEEK HELP FOR POOR HOME BUYERS I TRADE Bill COULD AID TEXTILE-INDUSTRY' BUSINESS & FARM, PAGE SA _ ., . • . . NATIQN, PAGE 8A . · -_ ~•~·L. 'CANES CARRY CONFIDENCE. INTO GAME 4 SPORTS, PAGE 1 B THE·DAJLy. ,... • '. ' :,. • r D1SPiTclt f ~ I • . ,·,,I/ ,, .I.. •,i Strv1n11'ttenc1er1on; V.. County and 9UITOWldl!'41 ••• ~ t CLEANUP, from page oae "You keep plugging away, County whole again." doing _\ill you can," she said. · Ballance, a high-ranking "You're happy when it goes right. leader in the Senate bu,t a lame Burwell said she is thankful duck in that he is not running for that former Gov. Jim Hunt "lived .re-election because he's seeking µp to his promise" and found a seat in Congress, said the fai:t fµnds to start the detoxification.· that the. governor included funds It is unfortunate the state is in in his budget "makes it easier for •.· the econo~c doldrums, she said, us" in the legislature. . but it was necessary to find a The other problem is that the way to continue the cleanup. $4.5 million is not the full ".(lov. Easley is being prudent" amount state officials have said to continue the work and not they will need to complete the waste the millions already spent, cleanup. · she said. · · The state has used a phased -But two problems remain, and approach to the work and the as Barnes said, "You don't want · funding. Dollars previously to count chickens .... " made available will finance the · Will the General Assembly phase now · under way, which keep the funds in the budget? includes pre~ the site, set.-Sen. Frank Ballance, the ting up equipment and support Warren Democrat who shep• services, and putting the system 1 herded PCB funds through the through demonstration tests legislature in the past, said: "W~ necessary for federal permits. ought to be able to keep it in. An estimated $7 million more We've got to make Warren will be needed. ~-.. · Backus said Wednesday that the Deparbnent of Enviro~t and Natural Reso111'01l8 "is still . continuing to look for more funds" and "sharpening our pen, cils. • For example, contingency amounts included in the tint phase have not been used and can be carried forward. Ballance mentioned continu-ing efforts to get more help from federal agencies, which so far have made "in kind" contribu-tions of services and waiver of fees. The governor's recommenda-tion would definitely continue work through the test phase and start actual treatment, Backus !lllid. "We think, with some more funds from other sources, there should be enough to finish.• The writer can be reached at [e-mail]. •>,• ··Governor:: ·.··.··• • •' • ~•' . • .) • J,f'.l -I· 1.•.t. :,, fillds flllldS tlJ:fix:PCBs .. _.·. . '. ' . 1Y CU1U RICIWIDI · , QAILY DISPATCH WRITER WARRENTON -"Go(id news, good news," Dolly Burwell said when she read an e-mail message about . Gov. Mike Easley's budget proposal. "This is outstanding news,• ,. said Patrick Barnes, who received a copy of the message about $4.5 million in the budget for the cleanup of the PCB landfill near here. Burwell is the chairman of the local citizens advisory com-mittee working with the state. on the· cleanup of the toxic dump. Barnes is a scientist who serves as consultant and advis-er to the committee. They and others received word about the budget request fivm Pat B$Ckus, the state's ·¢ ' ' manager of the cleanup project. She ~nt a copy of a memo from · Bill Ross, the secretary of_envi-· ronment and natural resources. In addition to explaining tbe many jobs that will ~ lost in his department because of the. state's tight budget, Ros& men-tioned jlOme appropriations E;lsley wants, one .of which is the $4.5-million "to continue cleanup efforts at the PCB landfill in Warren County.• Burwell acknowledged being a little worried about the pro-ject because of the drastic cut.ii the state will be making. "But we have been worried for 20 years," she said, referring to the concerns of Warren County residents since the state deposit-ed the t.oxic PCBs removed from the state's roadsides. ___ .PuAsE_. ..... , ..... ,~~:~llP:f~ .. ! . :~ ';I . :.~ »j 1; ·~.J
..
n , it bnngs
: C ' . · . workillg,on
WARRENTON' -'A.by south well 1!8id, pl ~ n , citizen
'!I~ resiclen~. wtio ~?ped ~8J:'V!lUS, _co 'lest runs also are ~en.ta} nAil'iala
,µiontliePOBC1~nsAdV1SOey ·welhis.en . ~OD the new p ~ J · -~
Board :meeting Wednesday Because , ils said Mike Kelly · .enVll'O • • ·
· :-pf!)bably-woula have been com-· traced t,o 'tJ'ie ~ f · En · d •.....,.,.,...._ · . tem will be~
forted by th! conversation. . cap, not originally scheduled for ment 'Reeo d the ront.nict.or cleallmg the result.a of-the1ests of$1Je
The-robably. would not · detoxification, the concerns '1'he obj if th SDSWers. around the mte ~d tbot!e ve
, were ~heth61"< toxic • y pel'IIOI). it was ~ fug .
· , -had ~~ the si,te ~ •
· • ,t.ii ill! wifli' those soils onal details. -Bu
· Patrick l3arnes, · \Beemed sa '
meetingnfthe , who is t.ecbnical ad
»-~ t ,.._· . ----------. .. ~.. ,_-'!="--" •
;cj-. .. ~·t·~. ~~~-~~~~---,. ~-. .1 •• • .. { ' • r ... v -~ ' ,_ ,, . ./; -· :.J· 96un/y· becoming . . ,,-1· ' .. -• To the.editor.'-· As.I·carefu'l:ly5harreu. througQ_ the ·de~p<tgu-Hi~s t tees, heavy rainf'ruid i'Ce,'. -.,, -4-_-'--:'--;;, ... ,._; -.~ the long dirt road,t<:Fmy;: fields so' saturated that'tb! •:, .' ~ : ''( J•· ... . ~-~ --.,; lakers~ I 9m 'fh~lP~b.i!t. ~ PCB landfiU,;-~•:cu,.~~~h ~-, ing its',aead1y ·years·artd fia's riafion_-by air ~. I realize th' dti.z~ns feel attention to ,t property vilu, economic ~o __ to protect the ·eo1 officials have.opt, mii~ ilie·fanures · .-.<-··. ,:fi,-., ..;, .•. P-, but I believe•tfiiS.: ,ifs one truni ·-:-' ,,. · -~ '.'-"~;,f··tr:Mf.-,-r-:rftnC-~ef--·y 1>·»···-;,: rz_.,..,.,-x'·· -~-.,:-,-..,.-._ "Jlr, -)'...-ti.,·:· ill'latiRlrp!C.J. -': #.'M#~ 'W ih:"'.'.t!kT;1P-f11 '·~·U,_ J -l t: '6$$Lb¥3)!t! ~ $ ' -' -~ ......... _, __ ... -,;,;c, ,,, .-If,~ -''. ,__~..,..;.;,;;~~---~:if' l ..... ~'1-~'-"':r-,,:_'t~~
a --~
~-
'
. I
=i w .. t: 1Z .
~ ' ;---.,...,.
for the N.C. Departm~t Qf
Environment and Natural
Resomces, said earlier this week
• · that a trial run on treatment of
the contaminated clay will be
performed nMt ~sciay.
. The COIDfNlded clay is heavier
than the sandy soil aJready being
treated and may not respond to
the detoxification method cur-
. rently being used, Kelty
explained.
"We're not sure once the clay
is treated that it will meet our
treatment standards," Kelly
said. "The nature of the material
makes it harder to treat than
sandy soil."' 1
The detoxification contract
bas been modified to include
treatment of the additional soil.
The PCB Landfill was creat-
ed, despite vehement local
opposition, to handle soil con-
taminated by 30,000 gallons of
PCB-tainted oil illegally
dumped along 210 miles of
North Carolina highway in
1978.
During protests in the ear~y
'80s local leaders spoke out
against what wa deemed a
political decision to construct
the landfill here, in a low-
income, mostly minority cowtty.
National civil rights leaders
joined in efforts to keep the
landfill from locating in Wamm
County, and protests led to
arrests, as -demonstrators who
sought justice placed their l>od-
,ies in the paths of trucks sent
here to construet the site.
· In 1982, then-Gov. Jim Hunt
~ade a c~tment to the peo-
ple of Warren County to e~lore
. detoxification· of the . l~l if
appropriate technology bfcame
available ..
In 1994, a Working Group,
i:nade up of community and state
leaders, formed to study the fea-
sibility of detoxification. They
· later selected Base Catalyud
Decomposition, or BCD, as the
most appropriate technology.
Last year, after federal and
state funding had been secured,
workers began the process of
detoxification.
I ,··◄ •• ',,.-Q''.'11"''[" ID Q, ·l .~'~" ~ ~ , •'-\;,.. n··•.,;,,, J ~~ :~a ~r --~.:~'~?,/li~l/f~i,1_•· 'J'c'f,)\", md.'t~ts;,1~1i ~Q?~~t~o11):,~~ ~-\~~$~i 11,~"l,9,!~d.:t,rbJ: rf l ~--1· , ,;} , .. ',. · ''-~'-_.,.., .~:,.:::t;h nR~AWicrtlCi:~"· ,,. •1111f'!Dw1·w,c·w1~1 ;, -d Ladc.siii~(tlie landfilL dis'cqvere,c;l oontlun• ~ouldt~rs~ooo too§ M int.Q:a suig: ' -·.contamiliatiori --~ the '72 'ooo tooS'.i,f .~~ ;.-;'Ille thick~ otaayii~ to ~: soil,~~tmint aild .. llisJ t~;the',ihree-acre',1addfill 000-' -~'Safar, wod<ers,have treated '·jtajnili,wleyelso{~~(,f~'ii fl!lrd oitihe:st1il. , ! ' "-'' '' "state,•·-· 'Th 'tio-· 'h-'tlr 'be• . -~-· .. ~~~~-~-'.~~fa¥nfi;;.~.·M_··~t~-• concenttatiolis of'fflBs> 'liazl, onsife,'astheotfiet-!l!>il,Orhlluled 1wous .waste \wd '~ -iii ' ·, t6 a \lahdfiil'm·i<emetsvine !lor liasinl5de's'igi(~.to: ,, .' "\ " , '-• , tt~hitent' and dis!--ci>~ect' ~t·~?J• .· .1; 'i1tf1.m',:,;. , ~·~-'.l'fie '1Jai .in Slidiment4llat-r.aiidlm1'1,l,;,~ _ff',Jtfff<i.H,<;-<>-"iJ, is more difficult and o_lfrsfte~lieayy,_,1"'_•. -'. · ._steQd/.as(~.f'~.,,,, .. -11.-·'e!i•pensive _to tf.eal -'rams····•-·~:...n.,,. lf""'•A-. .-_J'l!~,1·"~•·· ;,fm .1'•-· ''~"'di" se·· f "·· --'"".'•~, >•}' ·onnn='r<!moV, ·,{ -'•0• spo ,!o, ', .t,"Some,oftlie,~_)itw•fi~,i;;;ij',t1'i 'i~lrf:ii ,~.· . I J -' f!ll~fe)fal hacl·be~ , ofp.nJ;,miiteriaJ: ·.:. ~e-will~~OQ·· .. lcolitaminate4'11Jke"irW).J111.i,.'i'mS,\l~J¥,11u '..i;toiisof~ ll'eai ·· ~.,ti~ eon-. J~~m tnf!J ie .. • •, , It on•site and lree · stnictti011otlhl!,tafidtJ .,a'lul:'1lr-Jnor-wwft.t• ~~,;;~ -1 fl)l;",saidMike~,, ' • 'v ~,-~{ • ,"' • ~/• • ',' ! ; 'dewfy,-difector,'for~~-~t~·stlz,1,l1Q.W:\(/• ,, l\bol\i~ •Bur-wtu} 'lih'eiillYi9ioo 61 ~1 .," .;,-, :, ,, ,_ .. :.~. . .1,ti.1.;....,,;ttian ¢the ~ ;,J,,,.~"'tal 1."JJ..:~,r-fi1.~ DOtLIErau.RWEL'\/'' .,,.,,,m•"!,,. 'Ad' •1 • :;i . ronmen ......... a . . ,' -,,1nzens vtSOt'Yi • tlie::l)epili-tjeijt"~ffi.1.jeANDFILt ~'ci~rM~·.lr l1;J9lrdf*1" ,waryed' · Env'i'roiniiint'an'li ~¥ . . , . '' County, wllich mo~ · .()Nat)lral J,lesoufce,li/,~'-t!'\• '_ •fi )i. I. lr'' ri J'<,lilor{t,ffie'lahdfilltf°' .ft1ie-~ -~'.,•~,.~ -.. · . -· _ !he oomml@iY-~a \.ble,forc~~-1lil!tiii ,the she; and ·otbe\l ·~,,~~is :'of :tilt -· ih-"'>_'-• '..,_"r..WI -""'•L '," .'uccl.'..:l..s,/~~:,;.,1th~ -l~'" •, ,, ,u,ruu·,we ·1111!" =-"WIUI now UUIIIU Ul'l""'S' ·-·-e 'I ,. lt1we'are ha~ to &eac~~~-; · · More,thao 100 trucks:of ~ · -~efi:-,of;tbe•contimi¥'.:, w&ald have to Be hliided' off, sM i'i•y,,ia'1;le'lati!stt~ili"\3sai&IJ tit ·~ . 'i; ' l 1 ~Jjistorym,thistfny. ~~e•~ ~ ~. :Ifill ill a "nifi(ciibity& abubi•' :,feiii>valof, ,> • "lilaterial\froin 'the \'jrgibiajjne IIO(th <it~aie, site for ,dl~I' and do noi.wimt · · '. ~--0 ·Attoo l O ijiili.' -"-' . -sfart ~Bufwelt said; l,-y_, '~d~~'~ ' o/F::1,1/P, _:_~J.!_flf'Wtbis"·' <' ,, 'I.\..~. be -f ~ ' . ents ~•to 'Ollr,VJO:W•' WOWQ·~ envu-,Rt oil-i&ke,l''s'oil contaiiib .~·~ -'.Ibat iswbY, we fw'tt1i~•i'1WH•li '1i ~,;t::t.,:ilawirioH11lli'.so~~an~.-'-', e toxins· h:id:been-~·-' solution to decontaimnate ,}Ii~ . _ ay~;al<f~g;,roa'diides!•~'tl.t1, :pe1Hand6Jl ~..,_~. • ! ; • i~.:-:.:-~f'Y-7.0J.1,;'....(._1:_..i.!i_;.,_~ >t-• .;i... I • -. \ '\ ' ·,;; ....
C"') ~ Cl ~---l =., .. :·· ,. ~~:?c1;:1 ~,-"'t"',,t.,;,. ~,,;•,It', ~','is;:-"h,:~{~l ~i-~ ~ .• .-, .. ~·,;,\ .. 1; !J'. W!}J,;:·-. '. '•>~:.· a·. ,, .. ;~:.r-.. .~i~~r~.-~t::t:-,.'. •, •I •~ ~'; ~-.,·~~-1 ~ 11;.;-}1 -:••; ·, ,. :,r ·11f{i1~-fJJ£1~ ,~; !:!;~rl[;, t?. ~: ,,, ~,...-.,, .. ., ·-· j-.s ll 5 -.s !'l 1l " I :$ ~ e~~~""~~t~ ~ .•:■·~ ---~~· ., .a gi il"" Iii " i: ,s :-i~ ',, --i ~ 8 -~ -,s s ::, s g," • ~ •• ~ .. ~• • .] ~ ] 0 l §" ~ ~-l ~;~ :-.. .... ' ''cl s l'l g, lf .a ~ ; fl :5 ,.... . ' ~ .o ~ ~ j ~ .. ' ix ~' J~.,,if-o ~ ~Jllei ;_..._, ·_lj{liil · "o..,o.""'"'«'! .,. '::l! i,;•J!l., l'l "ti ~.a!!• -'1'· all'-I■ !l ~ 8. i ..:3 ~ ,;: il: ~ " 1■1111■: ~ s tl Iii -5 ~;:iJ··~·; ];.§ t-" -3" · ·:·~"' ,•,;i : • ,. ,_ . " ~.:5. ~ ~ iil -~ ·I :5 "· L1t, •'. .. s' • ~Q•,!lt;I: c ~ iiJ-' 2•,fi "t · · .!l'l! ~.] !•,e ~ !l :"'!l'; . . 1<.·,.,"·> ' . ol.~-..;.-~-:5 ij .· i:u:. it;~.n<. -.-t!ll~1i 1 ! l·~J-: _;;•!!\'.-' .. _,.;l:5.:-§·i.c hi c.·;.,.,a_~--1 ,-1,.~·_._: !J!IIIII· . .,. J :t•·s.:" i, ",1 .2._ ir"~~-' · ·-•··:!CD" r :-,_,: t:<;'f,.a,ii§ ]-:!sol:.&?.i'.J!•1 : · '· · ,,;.1HU3 rlll;,:{§l~',.ll· '. 8 --~'.]:f i~ .8lJJ!l ;.s ~-,'· ·,-j"''a~ ~'i'-s Ill ,.l·, ,~ -1 !lJ ~·d s ~-.[lf ' ,. ~ !l ] -~ 8 e,.f: f;·t,;1,·. !l .t. 1l ~ "'.fas]'.i;. ": :if::3 -~. •·• • i ,So"'!:!""""°·' ~-0' ..... ,;.. [ , , M O ".fl OI ~ :a ~ -··JLt.1! , ,-,., ,;., . -~ . o ~ -c ~ • o' i.c -., i-a· ... ,"" ·~ . .. .. s .. ~ ~-~I" -{!l:"o·· ;-··· · · "-~ 1, '"· a ,,~ § !l f.,;j __ ,,,.·\ ,· O -" --0 S .ll"~ 0 · • •• ·. . · · · ,11 ti!~ ~-~ 1.;i;~rf,'r i ·'"
.0, :! I:·~ .a " ~""!&~ ',, ... .-~, .. -, . . .: .· 1a """Iii,<,.& I'.,'-•: ', [. · p> .;· · : , , • '., col ' 1.,:~/:,'.." Jl ,sJ:] :5 l!'-=f "':-,;~,-:·· . ~ !'ii ~-·s·:·r.,~!llif~~:ii,f ~ _flJ!l-il·-1·_~-lii .. ·,:;j-.., •, .• ·i,J·oi' c30 . ' •,j ... . . >, '3 f ·. " .!l . . :. .a_g,..1n·,-.·iJ ,e: '·""' · .. l-~ ij..:• ~ ::iy~ -,, .. ••&.""Si:>.a . : ' ·'f g, I'.? :;-~ -... ,Ji'. .,o-..... , .. , ~ !I.' .:, :,;.,!. _,1 l'l; i! <:;I J!l :ii ,;Ji_: .:i~;i'!i ::) 'iJ] 1,_;•-· M ,, ) ::!.;•~·djil, e.l:."•"---.. .::• .,,'$.;ll ·iil,·il',,3· t, . --~j ?1~J8 j;::i-.s~· .. ·.c. 'i ,-J'"' p a-·gJli,a~e~~,.;, .j ;: ·f'. _l~ .:i:t 'f$;,l!li'l"::~.,.;'j>'; I '! · 1f ,;::fl!!' ~ ~~,it5::..!!i~) ; · :.c "+' ;8 :5 ~-1-i.,·•·, :::;,; ' it-... ;s:a ,; -.. -c• . Ji. ~•.!!\l~i)l• -P ,;n!,:~1I~~1:., .· ... , ~Iii,· ·1,a:tl:lii.;] ,-! :i ',. , ] ·'.il, 's;ll! $ L·IJ, i!! !i . f~j1:;s_;2· • e g' .. 1·p•,;·lijiJJ:S ~'.i§, iz .. ~/'fi,l!'~~t )i'] : \ ~--: ~i•!l~1:h·1 • ~ 0• "·8 8 ililli" i'l il:ii~ ~·;,f "'(-"'h.8~tH LANDFILL, from page one f In November, according to a treatment process being used on state official, PCBs were diarov• the regular landfill contents. ered in:a sedimentalion,-blll!in That ·.will· be determined in wheretheywerenotsuppoeed to Man:h. , •· ·, ,, be, Backtracl<ing the handling . ,,The alternative of hauling to process ,and further testing of another facility, baa been samples showed that the PCBs opposed in the past by local citi-had been in th~ cover dirt on top zens concerned about the risks of the landfill, · during the transfer and opposed Some of the chemical · has to moving the problem to some escaped the immediate landfill, other community. ',' but officials say they are com• Dolly · Burwell, · the chair-fortsble that it baa not reached woman· of 'the · citir.en.s group, private, off-site property. said, •. "We •.have steadfBBtly Patrick Barnes, a technical opposed removal of any material adviser to the citizens commit-from the site for disposal; and we tee, said it is "imperative that we do not want to start now." ,. collect additional samp[es': to Such a transfer wouldn't be determine the extent of the cont-environmental justice, she said. amination and if there are pot.en; · And citizens and environmen-tial !1"'11th copcems." , ta! groups might object to its dis-The theory about how the posal at a site in the Kemenville PCBs got into the cover dirt sug-area that could be considered. geets that· contamination· from Meanwhile, officials are look-the ooil being buried was Iran&-ing .at '·options to pay the fem,d on the tracks ofland-mov-increased coats. So far, it is ing equipment used in building . understood, the, detoxification the landfill has stayed within budget, oo the However and. whenever the addition of 1,744 tons to the problem developed,•.the cover main 72,000,tons 'of material material, ·estimated at 1,744-may be sheorbed. That, too, may tons of ooil, is contaminated and depend on the treabnent tests. must be dealt with. Engineers The landfill cleanup· is on said the level of contamination is ~!4,,~,.)!e:,\X>mpleted ,this not a heal!h risk but has to be Jit'U'~.~-problem is not secured. , ~~1'1..i:i~ .' that Because the rover is made up timet.ahle~·, •. '':'i:· · ~·-of~ moisture-l)olding clay, ~~;1'-· ·.· · .,, it baa' not been determined how ~)vriter can be .~ed at well . it would respond to· the ~rd~@-~n.d.e~ondlspatch.com.
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l · newsobserver.com Thursday, February 20, 2003 4:14AM EST
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Extra contamination could renew 25-year conflict
over PCBs
By GARY D. ROBERTSON, , Associated Press Writer
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -Additional PCB contamination at a toxic dump in Warren County could aggravate relations
between the state and local residents over how to handle tainted soil at the two decade-old landfill.
Regulators and local activists announced Wednesday the recent discovery of scattered amounts of the
cancer-causing compound on the clay cap over the dump.
Contractors already are using high temperatures to flush out chemicals from some 60,000 tons of PCB-laden soil
collected from 14 counties when a Raleigh company sprayed unwanted transformer oil alongside dirt roads in
1978. State officials must decide now how to remove the chemicals another 5,000 tons of contaminated clay.
The contractor will use the heat on a batch on the clay, but it's harder to sanitize, a state official said. The state
could be forced to haul untreated clay soil to a hazardous waste site, a move strongly opposed by residents on a
state-local board overseeing the cleanup.
"We have steadfastly opposed removal of any material from the site for disposal," said Dollie Burwell, a
chairwoman for the Citizens Advisory Board for Warren County. She was involved in protests in 1982 when the
state created the landfill in the Afton community.
Mike Kelly, the state's senior representative for the project, said the state would prefer to keep all the earth onsite.
Regulators believe the clay shoveled in at ground level must have been accidentally mixed in with some of the
contaminated soil by construction workers when the landfill was completed in 1982.
The PCB-laden soil in the landfill was covered by another level of clay and surrounded by a plastic liner before a
final layer of clay was heaped on. That final layer was believed to be free of carcinogenic polychlorinated
biphenyls, or PCBs.
Contractors that began last summer to detoxify the landfill soil noticed readings in November for the sentiment
basin that catches site runoff following heavy rains, Kelly said. They traced the compound to scattered portions of
the top layer of clay.
The highest concentration found to date in the clay is 44 parts per million; the EPA considers 10 parts per million
or more to be potentially hazardous at a controlled industrial site, Kelly said. Readings in the landfill soil reach
several hundred parts per million.
Kelly said the contaminated top layer isn't a health threat because PCBs generally are immobile and the site has
been closely monitored for years. Some contaminated sediment overflowed from the basin and off the landfill site.
The affected offsite land has been tested and will be dug up, he said.
A technical adviser for the landfill's state-local Citizens Advisory Board for Warren County says additional samples
are needed to determine if there are potential health concerns.
The man who lives closest to the site says he's concerned about the recent development.
"This cap is supposed to have nothing in it," said Massenburg Kearney, 73, who lives about a half-mile away. "I
don't know how much I've been exposed."
The state has already cleaned up about a third of the soil held in the landfill by using high-tech ovens to bake it
and flush out the chemicals.
The state and Warren County residents began to fight in 1978 when the state sought land there to build the. landfill
for the soil containing discarded chemicals used to insulate electric transformers. Local residents said the site was
selected because the area was rural, poor and largely black.
A federal judge eventually sided with the state. More than 500 people were arrested in protests at the landfill site in
the fall of 1982 as trucks began to haul the contaminated dirt. Then-Gov. Jim Hunt promised that the toxic ciump
would be cleaned.
2/20/03 9:34 AM
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,
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The detoxification is projected to be completed by Nov. 15, but the clay contamination could push that back. The
next phase would complete the detoxification and possibly turn it into a park.
A© Copyright 2003, The News & Observer Publishing Company. All material found on triangle.com (including newsobserver.com,
carynews.com, chapelhillnews.com, smithfieldherald.com, and easternwakenews.com 1s copyn~jhled The News & Observer Publishing
Company and associated news services. No material may be repro uce or reuse without explicit permission from The News & Observer
Publishing Company, Raleigh, North Carolina.
The News & Observer Publishing Company is owned by The McClatchy Company.
[BACK]
•
2/20/03 9:34 AM
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newsobserver.com Thursday, February 20, 2003 12:00AM EST
Warren Co. landfill clay tainted, too
By WADE RAWLINS, Staff Writer
The cleanup of the polluted Warren County landfill has run into a snag: more contamination.
The thick layer of clay used to cover the three-acre landfill contains low levels of polychlorinated biphenyls, or
PCBs, state testing revealed. Sampling showed low concentrations of PCBs, a hazardous waste and carcinogen, in
basins designed to collect sediment and in sediment that ran off site during heavy rains last fall.
"Some of the cover material had been contaminated, we assume, during construction of the landfill," said Mike
Kelly, deputy director for the division of environmental health at the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources, the agency responsible for the cleanup. 'That is the material we are faced with now that we are having
to treat."
The discovery of the contaminated clay is the latest chapter in the tumultuous history of this tiny landfill in a rural
county that abuts the Virginia line north of Wake. 'fhe dump in Afton was built, over residents' vehement protests, to
accept oil-soaked soil contaminated with PCBs.
The toxins had been illegally sprayed along roadsides in 14 counties in 1978 by workers hired by Ward Transformer
Co. of Raleigh. A health panic ensued. State workers dug up the contaminated soil, and Gov. Jim Hunt sent
troopers in riot gear to clear out protesters blocking dump trucks carrying the soil.
Workers closed the landfill in 1982 by placing the four-foot layer of compacted clay atop it.
Last fall, state workers began digging up and detoxifying the landfill at a cost of nearly $16 million by placing it in
high-tech cookers that render it harmless. The clay, previously believed to be contamination-free, was stockpiled for
use when the treated soil was placed back into the landfill.
The newly discovered contamination would add 5,000 tons to the 72,000 tons of contaminated soil needing
treatment and disposal. So far, workers have treated about a third of the soil.
The question is whether the contaminated clay wlii be treated on site, as the other soil , or hauled to a landfill in
Kernersville for treatment and disposal there. The clay is more difficult and expensive to treat than to dispose of
..---elsewhere. ---~.
"We will fake 200 tons of material, treat it on site and see what happens," Kelly said.
Dollie Burwell, chairwoman of the Citizens Advisory Board for Warren County, which monitors the landfill for the
community, said she and other members of the board oppose removing the clay. More than 100 trucks of material
would have to be hauled off, she said.
"We have steadfastly opposed removal of any material from the site for disposal, and do not want to start now,"
Burwell said. "In our view, this would not be environmental justice. That is why we have worked so hard for an
on-site solution to decontaminate the PCB landfill."
Patrick Barnes, technical adviser for the Citizens Advisory Board for Warren County, said it was imperative to
determine how widespread the contamination is and whether there are health concerns.
"While it's too early to determine the extent of the problem off site , I feel confident that we can work together as we
have in the past to quickly remedy further off-site contamination," Barnes said.
02/20/2003 8:41 AM
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A@ Copyright 2003, The News & Observer Publishing Company. All material found on triangle.com (including newsobserver.com, carynews.com,
chapelhillnews.com, smlthfieldherald.com, and easternwakenews.com) is copyrighted The News & Observer Publishing Company and associated
news services. No material may be reproduced or reused without explicit permission from The News & Observer Publishing Company, Raleigh,
North Carolina.
The News & Observer Publishing Company is owned by The. McClatchy Company.
[BACK]
02/20/2003 8:41 AM
Michael F. Easley, Governor --
Noft"n-1 CAROLINA Da»AATME.NT 0,.-
ENVll"tONMe:NT ANO N.-.rvAAL RESOUR:Cl!:S
William G. Ross Jr., Secretary
N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Release: Immediate. Joint release with
Warren County Citizens Advisory Board
Date: February 19, 2003
Contact: Mike Kelly 919-715-0929
Contact: Dollie Burwell 252-257-1948
Contact: Patrick Barnes 407-353-4200
Distribution: Targeted
PCB LANDFILL DETOXIFICATION CONTINUES
ADDITIONAL CONTAMINATION DISCOVERED
RALEIGH --Routine sampling at the PCB landfill in Warren County has revealed low concentrations of
PCBs in the sedimentation basins and in some sediment that escaped the basins and traveled off site during heavy
rains last fall.
The landfill is currently undergoing detoxification, and about one-third of the 72,000 tons of contaminated
soil specified in the contract have been treated.
The sedimentation basins collect runoff from the cover material and soil cap placed on the PCB landfill
when it was closed. The cover material and soil cap, previously believed to be free of any contamination, were
stockpiled in a clean zone for use at a later time when the treated soil was placed back into the landfill.
Once the PCBs were discovered in the sedimentation basins, additional samples were taken from areas
feeding the basins as well as some off-site areas. All of the samples were analyzed for PCBs by the State
Laboratory of Public Health.
"It is suspected that PCBs in the bottom portion of the landfill cap came from cross contamination while
handling landfill material during the construction phase of the landfill," said Mike Kelly, a senior official with the
N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the state agency responsible for the cleanup. "The cap
is designed to cover and protect the contaminated soil and consists of four feet of compacted clay."
Officials estimate that this contaminated material will add about 5,000 tons to the total of material needing
disposal.
"It is imperative we collect additional samples to determine the extent of the contamination and if there
are potential health concerns downstream from the site," said Patrick Barnes, the technical advisor for the Citizens
Advisory Board (CAB) for Warren County. "While it's too early to determine the extent of the problem offsite, I
feel confident that we can work together as we have in the past to quickly remedy further off-site contamination."
----More ----
Barnes is currently working with the contractors at the site to identify areas where additional samples
Division of Environmental Health
Phone [phone]
1630 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1630
Christine Miller, Public Information Officer
FAX [phone]
[e-mail]
An Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer
should be taken, as well as completing additional on-and off-site sediment control measures. __ ,,..
State officials discussed the findings plus possible courses of action with the CAB at two meetings in
February. One option would involve transporting the cover material and cap soil to an industrial landfill in
Kernersville that is permitted to handle low-level PCB-contaminated waste. The cover material and cap soil is
primarily clay, making it more difficult and expensive to treat than to dispose of off site. The waste contained in
the landfill would be treated and remain on site regardless of the disposition of the cover material.
Dollie Burwell, CAB chair, said that she and other members of the board, who represent the community,
are opposed to any off-site disposal. This would necessitate in excess of 100 trucks of material being hauled off
site.
"We have steadfastly opposed removal of any material from the site for disposal, and do not want to start
now," Burwell said. "In our view, this would not be environmental justice. That is why we have worked so hard
for an on-site solution to decontaminate the PCB landfill."
The CAB asked state officials to find a way to fund on-site treatment that would not disrupt the long
process they have gone through to remove the stigma attached to Warren County by the PCB landfill.
Kelly has asked the site's project manager and contractors to carefully scrutinize the budget to see if there
is a way to treat the contaminated cap soils on site, and to get a better estimate on the total additional soil that
must be disposed.
"Thus far, there has been much less oil in the landfill than originally projected, so we hope that funds can
be shifted from oil treatment to on-site treatment and disposal of the extra soil rather than shipping it elsewhere
for disposal," Kelly said.
The state has asked the detoxification contractor to perform a test run to treat up to 200 tons of the cap
material to see if treatment of the clay soil is feasible and to help establish a cost.
PCBs, polychlorinated biphenyls, were used in transformer oil until they were banned in 1976. The PCB
landfill was constructed in 1982 as a remedy to the cleanup of more than 210 miles of North Carolina roadsides
that were illegally sprayed with PCB-contaminated oil in the late 1970s by a Raleigh firm, Ward Transformer.
After years of collaborative work between local citizens and the state, the actual detoxification began in
the summer of 2002 and completion is expected late this fall.
Division of Environmental Health
Phone [phone]
1630 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1630
###
Christine Miller, Public Information Officer
FAX [phone]
[e-mail]
An Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer
11/18/2002 16:37 2524300125 DAIL'✓ DISPATCH ; ii ., I
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. To the editor: ·J"
In 1992 Warren C,ounty citizens almost failed to stop a 1,600-
acre commercial waste landfill that was to have been opened to.
out-of-state trash and that was to have been built just a few miles
downstream from the leaking PCB landfill. Although hundreds ·
of informed citizens publicly voiced their sentiment against the
landfill, oounty commissioners and regional authorities went for-· 1
ward with their plan, even disregarding the public's right to bear-
ings on the matter. · , · !
In the 11th hour, however, citizens learned that the agreement, '
part of Oov. James. B. Hunt Jr.'s lmger plan to buport waste into 11
the state, was to be finalized behind the scenes, and therefore '
public hearings were demanded. It was clear after the first hear-1
ing that the Warren Coun!}' Commissioners, led by Chairperson' ·
Eva Clayton, bad no intention of backing down from the plan to ,
have Warren County "host" the regional waste landfill and that
public sentimen . was nQt going to .di~ t,lwr miJl(Js.
CommissioneJS · dn 't: believe that Wane~ ,:;ounty ,res· de ts r.
actually posed a politicafJhleat · o: th¢~ plan until. the:secooa. ;
hearing when citizens pointed out that to implement the plan ·
would be "to put Rosa Parks on tlie back of the bus again.''.
Embarrassed by the Rosa Parks ·sta~ement and under significant
public pressme, the commissioners. moved to ·withdi:aw Warren
County as regional host to the landfill just days ~fore Mrs. '
Clayton's primary election to the U.S. Congress.
Clearly, Mrs. Clayton's partisan politics had · made her a
regionalisfwho was willing. to offer up herowm cotmty a1/a s~c-
rifice. At her-political side was Rep. Frank Ballance who was ·
looking for the office of state senator. .
Mrs. Clayton and Mr. Ballance believed tbat they could dis,:-e-
1 gard publi~ sentiment becau_se they were loyal Hunt democrats
·· whose political careers were:bom on the c;oattails of his industri-
, al development policies which were to attract industries to the
state by establlshing toxic, hazardous, nucleat, and other waste
faci~~es ~n poor, u_ndereducated, low-,P,aid, often minority cqm-
' mumties m the region. · · ! • . ,
It is no wonder that under Mrs. Clayton's and Mr. Ballance's
political tenu,e tll.ese last 20 years, citizens in Warren, Franklin,
Grall'ville, Halifax,, Northampton, Wilsen, and Bertie counties
have had to oppose waste facilities in their communities. And it's
no wonder.that the regional landfill plan, having Been defeated
· in Warren County; succeeded in Bertie County, Mr. Ballance's
original home, and this is ironic considering that these landfill
sitings· are attributable in the South to environmeqtal racism, a
t~TID_ ~hat obviously need§ ~e~flning.
· Jt does not iiie a • , to t waste facil-
itie~ des,troy the en • , , llld NIIIOlrnY.Of communi
ties~ In Warren County, the poverfy rate has tfeubled over the pas
decade, and according to the latest U.S. Census, the average pe
capita income is $14,716, down from $15,874 in 1998. The real benefit, it appears, that comes with landfill facilitie
is "the trickle-down tpat comes fyom pretending to Glean them up
.For instance, for years now, at election time, the public has bee
· _ informed that. an important phase of the PCB landfill cleanu
P{OCCSS has ju_st been successfully completed, of cotirse due to)
Sen. Ballance's leadership. ~·
'What the public doesn't know is that state and local officials,
once they got rid of qualified independent scien 'fie oversight,
have used a dragged-out fr,audulent PCB detoxification pr.oces
as,a strategy to cover up the fa,ilures of the state's PCB landfiU
arid thus avoid costly litigation. In fact, just now,befoFe the elec-,
tion, the public is learning ·~at the state has found $2.5 million
·· t~ fi~ish PCB detoxification by next year. Five years ago, before
• independent oversight· :was! dr~pP,Cd from the cleanup project,
estimates for safe and effective PCB detoxification ranged from
$15 million to $24 million and the process would take at least
two years .
. What a feather in Mr._Ballance's.hat the cleanup appears to be.
While he helps the state .achieve a cheap ·cleanup based on fill-·
filling the governor's. d_etqxification promise and not on the fail-
ures of the landfield, and without the assurances provided by
independent oversight, lie is in actuality bringing the citizens of
Warren County and the ar~a a · hollow victory. To even think
about reoevelopiµg the contaminated area around the landfill for
recreation shows that the' polltics of public perception are still
more important to. officia~s than actual safety of cttize11s.
Cle.arly; the falloutf~qm.waste facilities can be long-term, and
co~t1y. Clearly, too, waste management poobleil\s. have not yet
, begun to be safely an9 equitably. solved, so citizens in the
regiom-Democrats1 Repubiicans, and lndependents-wili cpn-
tinue to have to send the message to politicians like Mr. Ballance
that toxic, hazardous,. nuclear waste ~d other polluting. indus-
tries are not welcome and will not be t0lerated.
DEBORAH FERRUCCIO
&t. 2, Norlina
(,
I of2
--~ves For The Daily Dispatch http://www.hendersondispatch.com/archives/ ... ~/October/29-1361-letO!.txt
October 29, 2002
This cleanup is no service to taxpayers, citizens
To the editor:
Ten years ago, Warren County citizens almost failed to stop a 1,600-acre commercial
waste landfill that was to have been opened to out-of-state trash and that was to be built
just a few miles downstream from the leaking PCB landfill. Although hundreds of
informed citizens voiced their public sentiment against the landfill, county
commissioners and regional authorities went forward with their plan, even disregarding
the public's right to hearings on the matter.
In the 11th hour, however, citizens learned that the agreement, a part of Gov. James B.
Hunt Jr.'s larger plan to import waste into the state, was to be finalized behind the
scenes and therefore public hearings were demanded. It was clear after the first hearing
that the Warren County Commissioners, led by Chairperson Eva Clayton, had no
intention of backing down from the plan to have Warren County "host" the regional
waste landfill and that public sentiment was not going to change their minds.
Commissioners didn't believe that Warren County residents actually posed a political
threat to their plan until the second hearing when ... under significant public pressure,
the commissioners moved to withdraw Warren County as regional host to the landfill
just days before Mrs. Clayton's primary election to the U.S. Congress.
Clearly, Mrs. Clayton's partisan politics had made her a regionalist who was willing to
offer up her own county as a sacrifice. At her political side was Representative Frank
Ballance who was running for the office of state senator.
Mrs. Clayton and Mr. Ballance believed that they could disregard public sentiment
because they were loyal Hunt democrats whose political careers were born on the
coattails of his industrial development policies which were to attract industries to the
state by establishing toxic, hazardous, nuclear, and other waste facilities in poor,
undereducated, low-paid, often minority communities in the region ....
It does not take a genius, either, to understand that waste facilities destroy the
environment, health and economy of communities. In Warren County, the poverty rate
has doubled over the past decade, and according to the latest U.S. Census, the average
per capita income is $14,716, down from $15,874 in 1998.
The real benefit, it appears, that comes from landfill facilities is the trickle-down that
comes from pretending to clean them up. For instance, for years now at election time,
the public has been informed that an important phase of the PCB landfill cleanup
process has just been successfully completed, of course due to Sen. Ballance's
11/18/2002 9:25 AM
...,
OL -·.J"1ives For The Daily Dispatch http://www.hendersondispatch.com/archives/ ... detail&doc=/2002/October/29-1361-let0 I . txt
2 of'.'.
leadership ....
Clearly, the fallout from the waste facilities can be long-term and costly. Clearly, too,
waste management problems have not yet begun to be safely and equitably solved, so
citizens in the region -Democrats, Republicans and Independents -will continue to
have to send the message to politicians like Mr. Ballance that toxic, hazardous, nuclear
waste and other polluting industries are not welcome and will not be tolerated.
Deborah Ferruccio, Norlina
Editor's note: This letter was edited for length.
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flhJ) ,1~!Utrl? Warren County SklCtl 189tJ-Our 106th \'i 75 CENTS C 2002 WOIIIJOt. PuBI.JaHINo CoMPANv, INC. • ?.':•'.Ii. ,'.,"IC ~•·lJ' ,C g t ror. :co.un~! _:;i_office ~· ~ l-~ -~-.·,·~ii,' 111 -'." ,:...: ._~1-..,i' -Y1 • --~ ,.,' ,;,.,+.,.·t,'1 ~ ._.:_,'.tl Jk~. ~ , .• , • • It. ~ . --. -.dfill • -~I~an~up:,~pro)ects . ;;, ,.; By .IENNftR LYNCH Editor Updatel ginn at Monday nipt's county commissioners • meetioa on detoxification of the PCB Landfill and the status of county buildings revealed that. both project& could be complet-ed next year. Pat Backus, project manager for die laMaB pioject, updated board members on proaress io-date and aaid that demooslralion feltiDa at 1he site is expected to bepn this month and last tbrougll~._allowing for up to one-third of the contami-nated soil to be treated. H treated soil samples are approved, she said that clean up would continue through the end of January 2003. Backus projected that opera-tions at the landfill would end next May at which point equip-ment would be demobilized and site restoration could begin . However, the project is still $45 . . million short; and 011ly $2.5 mil-lil>n of that has been tentatively earmarked to come from the See BUILDING, page 3A ,· ... ~=~ I
tUffitilitf.Ui.'!1(~,r.·1;:n·~,~.~,r,Ml!!i.-in~!1·Ufi~d!.J ... ti·-,· =-~ .. }~·1u .. ·1· _''Ji·' I f 0 .. l i.i a-a.. •1 a.f ·" r? r ~ :r~li·er. .... ~18 s •• -_i.. tr 'i~ . .,la.s:•.IJ l~-.. -, ""f ·; __ ii,1= 't_•·. ..·r. ! I , -il '"if iii' ... -!,l•, 1(uie 1 • '. · ,~ .· ,I,,. ! .. ,:1 fil J .. [ bur~tlh!t,f hR~1;tf i!ti! 1!lh:rtf wui11. ·d1P ·•► r11 ·!! -l~i' ·rfl!JHi ·l!·}U!l·•11~1..,n•11''ljlf!fl' ·JRU: 1!11!11d1tµ1.t!11-n1u!t n n,u,·11'1 :1 f1iiJ,!i1,ni~1n1 'i it . r!l g·4. t rs· -l-1· ii [ lf in; g ii ill llf 1--= :J ,,1 i'! ·t•rs-·. ,., ~~i.f-!l ... s s . . !\ 1 5i ~ o. Q ,. t . .f · !I . · . • . I a. -• 1nl u ~J11 UHr!lt h. ulJ fhit -btb l!u:tli lid
~i', Burfttt·lerni~ 75 CENTS Cl 2002 WQW,!;K f'uetJsHING CoMPAN:,'/INC. ON THE CAlll\__,_ 'liMR.-Sfate Senefor Frank W. Ballance. Jr., far left. who is running,for_U:S. Congress from the First CMgitdot.al ·E>istrict; made a stop • the PCB Landfill in the NflJn communny last Wednesday where, he received ah update on the site~ cleanup progress. Pict:ul'ed with him iS Pat Backus. project engineer, center; and Bill Gallagher, site marl' ager with Shaw ·E&I. lr'IC. Ballance also visited HealthCo. In Soul Oty. as well as seve,:al R9ihts in Vance County as part of a district-wide tour. •• . .
.June '.'.'G, 200.2 31arrtu letni:h .,_c..a, .......... 11t ........... fCB .... dllllll,#$2 I 1h1_,__.._.._. .. ,.._. ___ ..... 1/11 ........ ,,.. ............. 1n ........... ~ .... ~~~s ._get ·close-up view~ of_ operation bolls which will be used in the n -e detaxificatioA proce~,. iµid -.-a.a ... _._ mea representatJves -of the IWS ~~es which will work ._.,. " ·1-. die projed. ntaras-.. .. n ~~-weilt a1on,1_ me . . . see , every-lkl ~ .,,bn. --• ,t from escaping from the land-fill~. DetoxificatiOI!, will be a thorough process, starting at one en4 of the landfill and not eodin& unlil the other end is racbed. .,, When aoil it ~. llliU .• .,. ~ separated from the soil illelf. TIie soil, which will go into a sealed drying unit, will be heated. Water, oil, and the PCBs.will evaporate from the degrees Fahrenheit. T,o cool the soil, it will be sprayed. w.ith water. _ The treated soil will be test• ed ao4, if it meets treatment ...._., wiU go back into the llildfill. ~ ~•ty sys&em \\','ill, Gllpl\1ie 'tllf7Ji't llll'.I ·PCBl whicll evafOrated from •~ soil ia the drying process. The sesult, after a cooling process, will be a substance' similar in~ to motor
page 1
The oil, which eontains PCBs,
will be tJC!ltcd at the landfill
using die base ~talyzed decom-
position (BCD) PlWCSS!
The prdcesl involves adding IOl8etbml limilu to vcptlbJe
shortdmJl# as well as dlbon
~ ........... .lier-,,.-, ._ oil is
teeted.. te --sure tbe PCBs ba\18 be@ destroyed. About
every two weeks, a slripinent of
the oil from which PCBs have
been mnoved will be sent to a
recycling facility in South
Carolina. If needed. a facility in
'.fexas will also he u&ilized. Before the detoxification of
After leambl&.about the treat-the whole landfill be&ins, a pre-
ment proceu, loal residents linunary test and three full-scale
were able to walk .-the site treatment tests (performance
control roo~ a com.-eriJcd demonstration) will be per-
ffllJ'IDl8Dd poat firm wlrieh the formed. The performanee
process can be naonit~. In demonstration is expected to
addition, persdmlel will walk begin in August •
around tho site to make sure 1hat Once results indicate that the
everything is working propedy. process has been effective and
On 1he edge of 1he landfill, safe, detoxification of the enm
equipment will be used to moo-landfill will begin.
itor the air for pollutants; includ-The detoxification ·process is
ing PCBs. A meteorological sta-· expected to take about six-to-
tion will monitor such factors as eight months, and is expected to
wind speed and wind direction. . be completed by June 2003'
, .. Mt,tl.lllll'fl fl J ••·---8'11111•.llllettlllllllllllMlllll•--llllcllllllcll 1111111111_.._..,... .. ,. 111111N .................... ..,.... · PCB,, from page ane With $a6 million available ing the choice of a mra1, poor from previous &JlpropriatiOJl8 ml predomi:AaPtly black com.-and other BOU1'C!18, said the1'. munity. · . sate's project IIIIIJl8Pl', Pat · . Sbuie the lancllll waa c:reat-Backus, the proce1111 can last~ ed, Wamm and 81lVironmental ~,Se~ and cWosi-irouPs have fought t.o get it fy '1>out Ol!,e-third of the 60,000 , cleaned up, first spending mil-t.one of~ soil.*" lions of state dollars t.oreiieardl :mated t.o be gpden:over on the amJ. find a feasible t.ecbnology, site. which ronner Gov. Jim Hunt A ~tion permit ~ bad made a condition of fund-1,eQ secwed from the U.S. ing. ~yiromnental ·, Protection · In his last year in ot1ice, Agency, with batches of PCB Hut helped secure additional soil t.o be processed under a con-millicms t.o start the pro.led. or tinuing permit. the ftmcls DOW· cm bmcl, a few The PCBs, COll8idered a car-' c:iuopn,-will then go through a chemical procel8 desipad t.o break them down into harmi.s components. The cleaned soil will be returned to the site. All the work will be done in a com-·plex llOil8trw:t.ed ~t.f.o the mound. .. . Warren bit.er!!sts hope t.o con, vert the .site,' left with electric aenice, waterlines, a huge c:on• cret.e slab • • st.eel roof. r.o public 1188, ·perhaps fir recre-ation. The procesa,will involve dig-hunclrei thousand dollan will · .ging up dirt that waa buried in bebeli back torecloee tbeiand-The writer can be reached at I 8 mound 20 yearl ago, after fill with the' job unfmished, crlchardsOhendend~,COR!, ~ acrapecl from areas wt}ere leawag in place what.ever PCS-laden oil had been illepl-tbnG the JancllUl poees to the ly dumped aton, highways, in embomnent and county. the state. The oil had been \188d But · until the money nma in ldectric tramt'onneil. . out, the tolie soil removed from 'lbe seleetion of die Warren the moua4 wiD be proceaaed lit.e spawned a national. pbe-· tmoiilh Cllaborate equipment nollieJlon called the •~-Uliped m _, bigh i-t to mll!lal justiee movement, as aeparate the oil trom the dirt . enviroDD1entalists Joined mcl,.. trapped beween lin-I minority cqumations ~ era 'and under a layer of dirt.
The Daily Dispatch http://www.hendersondispatch.cc
TIIIDAtJ
r Serving Henderson, Vance County, North Carolina and surrounding areas ---------
~ ................................................ , ......... , ........... ...,
:-111 111111 1111 1111 11"111 I II I ·11·1(
············· ······ · · · i TOP STORIES >> More News Headlines
► Friday, lune 21, 2002
; ► 1··;'-·"···'-·· '··""·'-····'·"········· .. : Equipment, not
[ ► • money, ready for
-------·: PCB cleanup <► : .... ,. -···"""·-• ...... , ..... , ......... 11-11 ---............ 11-,,1: WARRENTON --
',...i ► ______ ..,.= As the public will
I be able to see for
; • a.m. to noon, ► . . . d fu 1111" I Iii 111111 lilillllllfllllllllllil ~ equipment IS rea y
► . · to start the clean up
: • • ,_;_... t ' :,--,h,'\~~~,,.::
. ' ' .
THEDAJLY
DISPATCH
No" 11 vai.labl~ at
the cheeksiand
of the PCB landfill
south of here in
July.
Read About It
Cup's not a kick in
Vance
It's arguably the
Daily Dispatch/CHARLIE RICHARDS
Pat Backus, project manager for the state,
and Gary Duke, project manager for the
contractor, survey the equipment set up to
detoxify PCB soil. of )'OW' local
goce.t·y stor~ in
Vnnc,e and Wal"r~n
counties., and
in Oxford:
biggest game in U.S. soccer history, but Henderson residents have better
things to do this morning.
• Food Llon
• Low@'s Foodi,;
• Winn Dixie
Pick up yo,ur
copy today!
Read About It
SPORTS >> More Sports Headlines
State trap shoot set for Saturday
The Kerr Lake Chapter of Ducks Unlimited will host the state trap shoot
competition Saturday at Charlie Brown's Gun Club on Julie McKnight
Road in Kittrell.
Read About It
88 I
rnor·e
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.#• Equipment, not money, ready for PCB cleanup
I of2
By CHARLIE RICHARDS, Daily
Dispatch Writer
WARRENTON --As the public will be
able to see for itself during an open house
Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon, equipment
is ready to start the clean up of the PCB
landfill south of here in July.
Not so evident is the fact that the state
does not have all the funds necessary to
complete the process. If the General
Assembly does not come up with $4.5
million in its new budget, it stands to
throw away at least twice that much
already spent or committed.
That amount was in the budget submitted Daily Dispatch/CHARLIE RICHARDS
by Gov. Mike Easley, but it was not in
the budget produced by the state Senate.
Administration spokesmen said efforts
are being made through Reps. Stan Fox
and Jim Crawford to get the money
restored in the House.
Gary Duke of Shaw Environmental explains
that the stainless-steel tanks behind him
are where the chemical process will take
place to render harmless the PCBs buried
in the contaminated Warren County
landfill.
The situation at the landfill near Afton is that Shaw Environmental, under contract with the
state1s Department of Environment and Natural Resources, will start pre-testing
demonstrations the first week in July, with detoxification of actual contaminated dirt by the
end of the month.
Saturday will be the only chance for Warren residents and others to go on the site, where
several million dollars worth of equipment is in place, ready to process soil from the landfill.
With $2.5 million available from previous appropriations and other sources, said the state1s
project manager, Pat Backus, the process can last through September and detoxify about
one-third of the 60,000 tons of contaminated soil estimated to be undercover on the site.
A demonstration permit has been secured from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
with batches of PCB soil to be processed under a continuing permit.
The process will involve digging up dirt that was buried in a mound 20 years ago, after being
scraped from areas where PCB-laden oil had been illegally dumped along highways in the
state. The oil had been used in electric transformers.
The selection of the Warren site spawned a national phenomenon called the environmental
justice movement, as environmentalists joined minority organizations protesting the choice of
a rural, poor and predominantly black community.
(\f,/? 1 l')(l(l') ?. •'>'> PH
Printable http://www.hendersondispatch.com1<11sp1ay1mn _ nc:;ws,11cw~,.
2 of2
.,, Since the landfill was created, Warren and environmental groups have fought to get it cleaned
up, first spending millions of state dollars to research and find a feasible technology, which
former Gov. Jim Hunt had made a condition of funding.
In his last year in office, Hunt helped secure additional millions to start the project. Of the
funds now on hand, a few hundred thousand dollars will be held back to reclose the landfill
with the job unfinished, leaving in place whatever threat the landfill poses to the environment
and county.
But until the money runs out, the toxic soil removed from the mound will be processed
through elaborate equipment designed to use high heat to separate the oil from the dirt and
water trapped between liners and under a layer of dirt.
The PCBs, considered a carcinogen, will then go through a chemical process designed to
break them down into harmless components. The cleaned soil will be returned to the site. All
the work will be done in a complex constructed adjacent to the mound.
Warren interests hope to convert the site, left with electric service, waterlines, a huge concrete
slab and a steel roof, to public use, perhaps for recreation.
The writer can be reached at [e-mail].
©Copyright 2002 -Th e Daily Dispatch.
06/21/2002 3:22 1
. j .
The Warren Record, Warrenton, North Carolina, Wednesday, June 12, 2002-
, ... ,.
Locals '''i:O ·get· first-
hand ·took at PCB
detox. equipment.
■ Open house
set for June 22
By LUCI WELDON
Assistant Editor
Local residents will be able to
see the equipment that will be
used in detoxifying the PCB
landfill during an open house
planned for Saturday, June 22
from 9 a.m.-12 noon.
Providing one more opportu-
nity for local citizens to view
!he landfill before work begins
m earnest, the event will also be
a chance to review the history of
the detoxification project.
As plans were made at the
June 6 meeting of the Warren
County PCB Citizens Advisory
Board Detoxification-
Redevelopment Project, mem-
bers hoped that everyone from
government officials to school,
youth, and church groups as
well as other local citizens
would become involved by
attending the event.
It was noted that the open
house would provide a valuable
opportunity for children, espe-
cially, who may not have seen
the types of equipment which
will be used in the work.
Colleges and universities also
will be notified of the open
house as the work at the landfill
would be of interest to students
in a variety of majors.
Citizens Advisory Board
members are working. to plan
tours for students and other
groups such as church youth
groups prior to the open house.
Midwest Soil and
Remediation, with a main office
in Elgin, Ill., will be handling .
the detoxification process.
Project Engineer/Operations
Manager Carl Palmer, who
maintains a home office near the
See OPEN HOUSE, page 3
Open house----
continued from page 1
Research Triangle Park; attend-
ed the June 6 meeting.
In a related matter, it was
noted that, at this time, $4.5 mil-
lion is included in the state
budget for detoxification. Other
fund sources are being
reviewed.
The Citizens Advisory Board
is making plans to meet with
state Senator Frank Ballance
and state Representatives Stan
Fox and Jim Crawford within
the next few weeks.
In addition, the board would
\jke to plan a meeting with the
Warren County Board of
Commissioners after the budget
process has been completed.
The Citizens Advisory Board
scheduled its next meeting for
Wednesday, Aug. 7 at 2 p.m. at
Coley Springs Baptist Church.
air -I _. -:. Yr -,.. ,... y :::::-:; ~ a, 11-,/ -ti" .._, .,,....... ___.,--...;;,;,,_, --• -. -.41 -.. ,: ...
. p :e::::,:: .,~ ~.. ,.. Y n ,.. The Z. Smia RoyllOlds Foundation bas aWllde4 nbbet-ic:als to five leaders from North Carolina's DODpftlfit '10Dl0lll8i-ty, including one.,~ Wanm County. ~ ~tt1:al grants . are worth $15,000 each and Ille awarded annually so llOl$dit !~~ cap take extended . ~ Jroll! tbeir'rifprous jobs l9 ~~ .revi~ ~-pin new enqgy .. Cat4y Alston-Ke,amey, excai-tive director of l'tbc · Warrell f~y ~'!'fe in Wam,ptoo. bas;~ ~ as a sabbalical recnp•cnt. ,, A eanve of Nash C:Qunty, Abtoi,Keamcy bas served as ~xe1:1,Jtivc ~ of die Warren Family IDSlitute, a family-oca-teted, community ~.deVck,paiat cotpoJ:ation, for nine ,-.. •. . is R8pQlllibJc for adminilcllllive . management, Jll'Oll'llll ovanqbt and developmlm. ltaff 111p1m-sion, and fand l'llmDI• . In 1999, Alston-ltltltmey received the North Oiirolina Association of CDCa' Community Involvement of thc Year Award and in 11)95 WU named sa Wddacres Leadenbip Initiatir,~ ,Friday Fellow. Nathan Hawes, ~ of the Warren ,Family lns1iCute boanl of directon, said of Alaton-Kamey, "We have a peat deal of cbdr.ngina wodt ahead of us u •;Ian to expand our acdvi-ties. We Deed our executive ttlff flllly rested and able to focas u we So forward." , The ullbaticals may last from dlree montbs to' :18 year. tlcc:ipieota 9lnlCtUle their time away aa Ibey ~to llavci, work on apeciel projects. spend time with family,1re_ad, relax or ~refl=t. ,. 'hli c}o, •·· Flllll,UJliiy ' l, ~ ' ' Wamtn County Soard, Of Comllll•~ronet•. The Warren County Board of Commissioners wi1J bold a budget pubHc bearing !U 7 p.m. OD ~onday, June 10 in ~m_#· 2,Q2 of the. Warre11 CQunty <;:ourthollle. • • ,, . Warre,n County !:loarct Of ~mml$Sloner,.t1 · ' The Warren County ~d of Commissioners will hold a budget work session on Tuesday, June 11, from 1 tQ ~ 11,.m. in tl;te 1:.1\w Library of tire Waaen<;;ouatyCow:!bouae. ,, -:J, Warr.-Cqunty 9oard Of t;ducation . ~ W~ ~~of ~l!!>.!1 will meet at 7"p.m. on Mon-day, June 10 at die Wamn, County Schools' ~vc office building in Wamaton. .. , ' Norlina Town Board ' r..l/' ~ , " The Norlina Town Board will bold a ,budget work session on Wedncs-c!,ai,_!une 12 at 7 p.m. at the Town Office .on Division Street. i PCB Citizens Advisory Board ' The Warren County PCB Citizens Adviso!')' Board Detoxification-Re-devolopment Project will meet Tbutsday, ~une 6 at ip.m. in ·thdellow-llhip ball at Coley S_.erings Baptist Cllurcll. '" · PCB Landfill Technical Advlsotd ;; Wamn County PCB Landfill Technical Advisor Patrick Barnes will be · available today (Wednesday, June 5) from 2-6 p.m. to answer. questions about the PCB Landfill project. He may be contacted durillg those hours ' l!y calling the PCB_Ellldfill office •~2) 257-1948. '
CWNUP, tro~ "'8• one
"You keep p~ away,
dcring all you can," she said.
"You\oe happy~ it goes right. Burwell'said she ii thankful
tbattbrmerGov. Jbn H1U1t1ived
up to his promise" and found
fimc1s to it.art the detomication.
It is unfortunate the stat.e 1a in
the~ dol~she said,
but it was necessary to ftnd a·
way to mmmue tJie eleabup.
"Gov. Ealley is being prudent"
to continue the work and not
. waste the roiUiODS already spent,
she said.
But \WO problems remain, and
as Barnes said, "You don't want
to count chidums .... "
Will the General As,erob}J
keep the funds in tbe budget?
~n. Frank Ballance, the
Warren Democrat who shep-
herded PCB funds through the
1egislatore in the past, said: "We
ought· to be able to keep it in.
We've got. to make Warren
County whole again."
· Ballance, a higb.-ranmg
leader in the Senata W a lame
<luck in U..t be ill :&Gt111DDUJ8fbr
re-eJection ...... 8llllrq
aseaiinecm,,.,,..Wthekt
· that the mariaduded funds ~.
in his bucfaet ~it easier for
wf in tbt> legi•Jid:wa.
The other pl'9b)em. ie that the
$4.5 million II not the full
. amount state oftk:iaJs have said
they will need to 00Dlp]et'3 the
cleanup. . ·
The stat.e has used a phased
approach t.o the. work and the
funding. Dollan previouely
made available will finance . t.he
phase now under way, which
includee preparing the sit.e, eet-
ting up equipment and suppcat
. services, and putting the system
through demonstration t.este
necessary for federal permits.
An estimated $7 million·more
will be needed.
Backus said Wednesday t!at
the Departmentof~
and Natural Reeolueea "ta stall
continuing t.o · look for more
6mdl" and •abarpeningour
dla." For example, amtiqmcy .
8IDOlUlt9 included in the Int
phase have not been used and
can be carried forward.
BallaJJC'A! mentioned contpm. _mg eftbrt.s to get men help from
federal agencies, whieh so far
have made "in kind" eontribu-
tiens of services and waiver of
fees.
, The governor's 'l'f!OOJD~
tion would definit.ely c:cm11nue .
work through the teat phaeeand
start actual treatment, ~
said.
"We think, with some mon ·
funds from other sources, there
should be enough to flniah.,.
The writer can be reached at
[e-mail].
) ) j NCS spelling bee winners, WCHS .athletes honored, -page 12-page 10 Januar 30, 2002 ____ ---Taylor eams PFS designation, · page6 ID t llnrrtu lernrh -~RRENTON RlliCAoo.w.. Servfng_~il"~ Co.uni)' Since 1896-No. 5 75 CENTS Cl 2002 WOMN:.t< PUBU911tffi C-0MPANY, Ire. !CB Latldfill ) -' ) . contractor files for bankruptcy )Y JENNIFER LYNCH ~ Editor ~---------)' ~ ' < t spring years of work :l j detoxification of !he -..andfiU near Afton finally , to p,iy off as the clean-up ct was awarded and rbreaking · was scheduled .. 5 ompa'?ies vied for lucra-::: x:ontracts but now, some J · when they will get paid ~rwork, 3 IT Group, Inc., parent 5 y of IT Corp., the com-3 1,r was _awarded the $6.6 mi ll~on landfi II de toxifi cation con~act, filed for Chapter l 1 bankj:uptcy protection on Jan. 16 in a Wilmington, Del. court. Un~r the reorganization plan IT Corp. will be protected from credjtors including local sub-contractors. Companie.s from Warren and Sl . .lITOtmding counties were among those awarded more than $800,000 in subcontracts last spring for supplies and work at the landfill from June through November 200 I. ,, Keanieco Grading, owned by Paul Kearney of Rt. 2, Warrenton, and two Vance County compa-nies, Fogg's Exxon and Hargrove's Fencing, were among those subcontracted by ITCo.rp. Pat Backus with the N.C. Dept. of Environment and Natural Re.sources (DENR), an engineer involved with the land-fill project, said earlier tliis week that about a month before . . the bankruptcy filing. the state knew IT Corp: was having some ;problems. The company has already been paid $4 million for work on the landfill project. Backus said that officials with ~ ) -""'··""' .. 4 ....... .,.,......,_ -------· -~--·~-:"""'-.. ~"~ DENR sent a letter on Monday to IT Corp. giving the coinpany · 15 days to inform the state of plans for correcting its finaocial situation and how worlc will continue toward fulfilling its contra.ct. A copy of the letter was also · sent to the compan:11 that issued IT Corp. 's perfonn-ance bond. If no response is received to the stale's letter, Baclrus said a second letter will be sent to the bonding company declaring that IT Corp.'s con-.tract is in default. At !hat point the bonding company will deter-mine how next lo proceed. . ---·. -· .... -._~ -····. --·---~-"U this is turned o,·er to the bonding company, they could hire the subcontraclors direct-ly," Backus said. '°The bonding company could also hire lT directly or someone elr.e who bid on the project.'' If the boncling company choose!'> not to perform. Backus sajd the state would handle the project with any cost overruns to be paid by the bonding com-pany. IT Corp. was also bonded for payment, a .standard practice for government contraclors. Back.us said that several subcontractors have called her for advice on payment and that any who arc owed money by IT Corp. should file a claim against the payment bond. Also at issue with the bank-ruptcy filing is how it will affect wort at the landfill. Bacbls said it should not "We're still wading oo things off site, such as writing prooe-dureJ! and working oU1 details for a pern;l.itt Backus said. "Site work (for Ph~ I) was original-ly scheduled to be finished in See LANDF1LL, page 3
.\
·\ ) . -
The Warren Record. Warrenton, North Carolina, Wednesday, January 30; 2002-Page 3
Lnced bv, Health Plan
,...,r"a • I ,-.r-. TT
Hearing
Continued from page 1
the Land Use Plan will be
scheduled at the February coun•
ty commissioner's meeting.
Citizens who wish to submit
written comments prior to the
Landfill
Continued from page 1
March. It could be delayed a
rnonlh depending on what hap•
pens,"
Phase I, based on the cun-ent
schedule, is expected to be fin•
ished the end of May. Between
$7 million and $8 million is still
needed for Phase Il redevelop-
ment.
The IT Group has signed a
definitive agreement to sell
most of its assets to The Shaw
Group, a Louisiana company
hearing may do so by writini to:
Warren Co. Manager, l 05 S.
Front St., Warrenton, N.C.
27589,
and provider of piping systems
that sptcialize~ in engineering,
procurement and construction
services, for $105 million. The
deal is ex.pected to close by the
end of the first quarter unless a
competing higher bid is submit-
ted. During this process, The IT
Group is still open for business
and has received coun approval
for a $55 million debtor-in-pos-
session credit facility from 11
subsidiary of The Shaw Group.
New Norlina Cub Scout
pack seeks members
Cob Scout Pack 672 been.me:
the only Boy Scout unit in
Warren County when it was
fonned in November 2001. Now
that it is organized, it is looking
fur more member~.
. The pack will host ''Join
.. Scouts Night" on Monday, Feb.
4 at 7 p.m. at Norlina United
Methodist Church. where Pack
672 meets. The pack invites all
boys from ~cond through fifth
grades, and their parents, to
attend and learn more about
what Scouting offers. Boys from
throughout Warren County,
· northern Vance County and
southern Virginia are invited to
participate.
Ronnie Robinson is cubmas-
ter of pack 672, and Tracie
Jones is assistant cubmaster.
Robinson said on "Join Scouts
Night" they will explain what
the pack's plans are and show
attendees what the pack has
beeu doing. Currently, Pack 672.
members are preparing can for
the Pinewood Derby local and
district competition. ·•we are planning hiking and
camping trips this year, and we
need more boys to make pack
activities more fun and mean-
ingful." Robinson said. Cub
Pack 672 currently ha.s seven
members a11d meets on
Mondays at 7 p.m.
--Stri-ped bass ·· harvest season
announced for Roanoke
The N.C. Wildlit"e Resources
Commission will open the
Lower Roanoke Rive.r to striped
bass harvest from March 1
through April 15. and the Upper
Roai.iok~ River from March 15
through April 30, The Lower
Roanoke River is defined as the
~ .
<\r'\,-.,T I r-7 7 f'7 • V'("l I
sessed at any time.
Striped bass anglers·also must
use only a single barbless hook
or a lure with a single batbkss
hook when fishing in the Upper
Roanoke River from April l
through June 30.
The Commission recom•
' . -. 175 ... 000Riif~ailts -' ~ J >J:i!ir'll~'i."":.~J.';: awarde Sy JENNIFER LYNCH Editor ,. lion' t~hno.lggies safety., ,haz-ai;dous-materials ma:nag!lment and_innovative and alternative, _ 1tmelit. . . ., , "· Local representatives gath-.. Cathy Alston-Ke~ney, ex-eted at Warren F~ily lnatitute , ecutive director of WFI, sai'd, (WPl) in Warrentol'I on Oct. 15 ~ "We want to make sure local to odlebrate tlae receipt of two•; workers earn, some of "those pas dW wDl ltelp witli local wages," referring to funds ak -tftorta in conjunciion with the located for the""cleanup of the PCB Landfill Detoxification v landfill. . " -•. llld RedewloDmellt 1'1-,ject. . -Over the nei1~·1s month• -~" 9k ·11llfl UC,!tfU ts ww. ""' ~11r.Y"'4 "uuµuu-11J11l0ll• aAC>qv '8:lfJMDV lu!ISOIQ ,(q JlaBW!'( pQ(WAal 0518 S1!1j :llj l8111iQA:l!IQQ I . 1UOWVlSII.L a.aN aqi qln0Jq1 poe isµq:J snsar 'uOS" ~ .<1uo 1!11 qlnonu JlastD!ll pa(WMJ, nq :itt ·(1u:iw111s.:i.I:'PIO alll 11 ,(vpo1 sn· oi ua.oull) du!l!JA\ aq1 pue •si:11/dqid :1111 'MBl,:1111 -------~-"'---~ ... ........-ul....aid.A.:,.Lcn1-.u.9.n.a_lll.t..J:. ,.J
~-_warren~ecord. Warr_enton, Nor1h Carolina, w~y.'october 1?, 20!?1 ~-~. ; -!..·~-' t .iNNFE7ffiNciiiii-w Warren Reall'd EPA-Region 4 Environmental Justice Coordinator Brian Holtzclaw, far left, presents checks total-ing over S 175,000 to Warren Family Institute fer training and community outreach refatt!_d to, the detoxification of the KB Landfill in Alton. Also pictured are, from left. Senator Frank Bal-lance, County CommlJSionier Oint Alston, WFI Executive Director cathy Alston-Kearney, Jereann King, WFI Soard of Directors treasurer; and Dollie Burweff, co-chair of the PCB ptizens Advisory Soard. the Employment Security process," laid AIIIOa-Kamoy. entation, Holtzclaw acknowl-Commissioo, Kittrell Job__ Funding will help'support a ,edged local 'and state Citizens Corps, and Kerr-Tar COO , monthly newsletter, as well as --Advisory Board members for Workforce Development. the creation of community their work toward having the A secon~ grant, in the educatii?n ·psckota for targeted landfill detoxified. 111111 • . amount of $40,000, will llelp school age children and their11 "Environmental justice is ·• provide community outreach families. · abo)lt people facing real prob7 'and education regarding the On band for the presenta-... lems and creating real solu-LO!:l&oing moccea pf detmifyiQl;,_tion.wu.Brian...Holtzclaw..&.-tl~ald-lf.Y----• ~
Ra::ord, Warrenton, North Carolina, Wednesday, July 18, 2001 -Page 2 .. . 't
) ake some easy money? I'm going to, and
. '1treceived modem technology's version of
:erl'Cr the e-mail at work Monday morning, '* one who opened it, I claimed it as
I forwarded the e-mail "right
away" (per instructions) to 62 of my
closest friends. Hey, what are friends
for?
For each forward I will receive
$413, and every time one of my clos-
est friends forwards the e-mail, I will
receive $139! Is that too good to be
true, or what?
My check ·is supposed to come in
the mail, though I have yet to figure
out how the original senderwill get
--" ~y adgress since he didn't ask for it.
aattibonus offer will make my, efforts
\llllllwbile. Because I forwarded the e-mail
·",dZS gift certificate to Outback
-.iposed to pop up on my computer
1mseen the certificate yet, but I've already
aliriil order-Shrimp on the Barbee and a
)aK for appetizers, a Caesar salad, the nine-
,..ushrooms sauteed in wine, and for
Jaiile Thunder from Down Under!
.ca$25 won't cover all this. I also know
IRIY I could eat it all in one sitting, either.
fmiting a couple of my closest friends to
. ~ they can pick up the tab for anything
llliE tip. They can afford it, since they'll
iipg, fat checks for forwarding the e-mail.
-vw the guy is that originated.the e-mail,
iaago with me to the Outback so he could
tkshole thing and I could save my certifi-
·rimust really be loaded since he's offered
1t!Jllpeople he doesn't even know.
1}9lld like to meet him so I could tell him
·ediout his unbelievable offer! I mean, it's
J!Jll get a chance like this, you know,
'Clllbing!
ulim how glad I am that we got that e-
: im at work on deadline day, when we
!1-ings to do including retrieving busi-m. :,-,-,,.._u __ ·..J ... _!. c;., __ -.:...:__:-·:;.~r . ·.,.:,,. ,. \:J I :: ·.-,,I :, '--~''' i
letter to the Editor
FormerWorking Group Member
challenges truth of PCB cleanup
To the editor:
Recently local and state officials met at the PCB landfill to·
celebrate what they c::all Phase I ot.Base Catalyzed Decomposition
(BCD) detoxification. Refreshments ~ere served, and hearty con-
gratulations were shared for the success of government working
with the local community.
However, in reality, congratulations are not in order, nor is there
any reason to ce,ebrate because so-called Phase I of detoxification
is in actuality o~y P~ase I of an expensive on-site BCD technical
feasibility study;: Over the past years, the N.C. General Assembly
has committed millions ·of dollars to several important studies of
the PCB landfill. These studies revealed that the landfill liner is in
poor condition, that water is entering and exiting th~ landfill, and
that the deadliest of. all dioxins, tetra, is in the monitoring wells.
Since tetra dioxin was never documented in the 240 miles of con-
taminated soil, it must have come from the 1,000 truckloads of soil ·
that were . added frcim •Ft •. Bragg. The contents of tliese Ft. Bragg
trucks remain u~o~n to . this. day. In other. studies, PCB soils
were removed froi:i:i"the -landfill through pipes without disturbing
the top liner and· :were· safely studied in labs for technical feasibil-
ity. The state maintaineci"to the public and to the General Assembly
that these off-site)aboratory tests were scientifically and legally
sufficient to determine the effectiveness of BCD detoxification on
this PCB landfill. ''-'-.:'"'· ; .. . ..
But according to-EPN~ Region IV Administrator John Hankin-
son, "Regarding the ·selection of BCD as the preferred technology
... EPA had no involvement in this decision, nor was EPA's opin-
ion sought..." and "the approval process generally takes from 18 to
30 months." Since the off-site studies took several years and sev-
eral million dollars to accomplish, it's reasonable to predict that on-
site studies will tak_e as much or more time, and with site prepara-
tion and the cost of heavy equipment will require much of the $7.5
million supposedly allocated for detoxification. Using detoxifica-
tion funding for further BCD studies is a misuse of public funds
because the General Assembly does not have th~ authority to allo-
cate monies for projects that have not been legally or scientifically
-approved.
How can the detoxification process have gotten so far off track?
Here's how. When seeking funding for PCB d~toxification, state
officials deliberately misled General Assembly members on a most
critical issue-independent oversight. In fact, after the state ended
this contract; former independent science advisor to the PCB
'!Yorking Group and nationally renowned detoxificatio_~xpert D~
Continued on page 3
,,.
WejU:
Tuberculosis, r
ease, road rage, dis
world is beset by n:
situations. ;
Cancer, drug aJ
.,
-------:
their own pursuits ~
with the vitally irngt
world and make it 6' I Too many of the
thing to reverse thiq,
older and don'twari
because they are tiJ
and there is money 1
When these peq:
really see green val!
that grow from cove
asphalt. ;,
There are many
enough water, electr
they are continually
speed. In this countj-
natural areas are bet ' acres every year. __
Unless you live'.
that the water you dj
coffee and iced tea,•,
days ago.
Every time I wri
mered by a few lettr.
agree with what I WI
there are dozens wh(
the fact that someon,
Every problem f
traced to the fac~ tha
tic. :rnim:lls on the ea
,.. . .-.:::~~~~!:.~-:
:~/:.·t=/:iif
,--•--·•·~·-·--.i~·w:e:· ~i~1~e~·~·~r:f~. ,=·· ~u~ ... ~Jf~i=l~h~-~~~e!··~1=lir~ .. ~j'~t'~i~i~'o~·-~.-~,~--~·~-;.~:!i',Jl·~r~~,-~~:'?~7~t~l!~•~~~~~•fitiffilfialalri:f·m·····e•·
"Once employees become
Continued from page 2
Joel Hirschhorn was hired for just one day to go to the General As-
sembly in order to provide for the state a believable rationale for
detoxification funding. Assembly members, and in particular,
Senator Betsy Cochrane, voiced concern that monies would be
wasted on more and more studies and not on actual detoxification.
In response, Henry Lancaster, then deputy director of the De-
partment of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources and co-
chair of the PCB Working Group, assured Assembly members that
the state would provide citizens an inµependent detoxification sci-
ence advisor to oversee the process in order to "keep the state on
track." ·
But the state and PCB Working Group decided that they would
hire an independent detoxification expert only when necessary, and
they never found it necessary to hire one. For this reason Ken and I
stepped down as PCB Working Group members, and the detoxifi-
cation process has become a mechanism for covering ·up the state's
failed P<;:B landfill and a way for padding the political power of
local and state politicians who benefit from an ongoing alleged
detoxification process.
So, we have local and state officials toasting to their success
and lookill%,farw~d to the-park they-hope to build· on the ·landfill · ·
once it's been detoxified. They.surcJy.,are :couruing,~ir:.Chickens..i .
Even if the state were Co' ever ·detoxify the PCB landfill, who,
anyway, with the honest intention of protecting the community,
would seriously want to build a park anywhere near the landfill
area when they have been informed that within just a few months
of building it, EPA found "significant'1 levels of PCB air emissions
at the landfill and a half a mile away? Not only have "significant''
levels of PCB air emissions posed a threat the past 19 years, but
Dr. Hirschhorn warned that opening up the PCB landfill for on-site
BCD studies will further put the community at risk, like opening
up a cancer.
If state officials were unable to secure full funding for detoxifi-
cation when Governor Hunt was in office his last eight years, the
governor who promised Warren County citizens that he would de-
toxify the PCB landfill when technically feasible, and when there
was what appeared to be a large budget surplus, what earthly rea-
son is there to believe, as the state faces a massive $800 million
deficit, that the General Assembly will ever fund detoxification
(estimates are between $15 and $24 million), especially when
members will have to eventually face up to the many millions of
dollars that they have already helped the state squander in a
fraudulent detoxification process?
Why am I speaking out now? I am because it's not too late to
halt the upcoming risky and unnecessary BCD studies at the PCB
landfill and to stop this costly environmental justice charade that
continues to sacrifice Warren County while it pretends to protect it.
Every dollar wasted on a fraudulent detoxification process is
one dollar that the General Assembly will likely withhold from
Warren County for critical needs such as health. It's time for the
General Assembly to pull its head out of the sand and to stop
funding the state's expensive failed PCB landfill cover up, this
costly three-ring detoxification circus.
Therefore, I am recommending that citizens urge the N.C. Gen-
eral Assembly to freeze what's left of the $7.5 million that it has
allocated for the alleged Phase I of BCD detoxification, but which
in actuality is going for yet another BCD study. Please call the
N.C. General Assembly Environmental Review Commission co-
chairs, Pryor Gibson, [phone], and Fountain Odom, (919)
733-5707.
DEBORAH FERRUCCIO
Warren County
involved, the morale goes up,
the productivity . goes up and
absenteeism goes down,"
Mangum said.
Fred Pennington,_ manager ·
of International Paper's chip
mills, was on hand for the
celebration, and his pride and
enthusiasm were evident in his
demeanor, as well as the words
Arrests
Continued from page 1
"The damage to the ambu-
lance was minimal, scratches
on the top," Fitts said. "'!"h:
object missed hitting the wind-
shield by half a foot."
Three persons were await-
ing court dates today (July 18):
■ Edward Ray Osting, 23,
of Rt. 1, Norlina, charged with
misdemeanor· assault. Qn a gO'V-··
ernn1ertt dffidaiN ·. :r:., ;_:~ ·, :. ' ■ Brandon A. lynch, 16, of
Norlina, charged with three
counts of felony assault with a
Birdsong -
Continued from page 1
and on April 12, 1776 adopted
what later became kn0wn as
the Halifax Resolves, de-
scribed as "the fust official ac-
tion by an entire colony rec-
ommending independence
from England."
Birdsong pointed out that
the Declaration of Independ-
ence was read on the Halifax
Courthouse steps in August of
1776.
"First in Freedom" depicts a
young man and woman in love
around the time of these
events. However, the woman's
family members are Tories,
while the man is a Patriot.
"The play works in the
delegates and the writing of the
Resolves," Birdsong said.
This year, Birdsong por-
trayed Rev. Ford, a local min-
ister who is a delegate to the
Convention of 1776, while
Missie participated in scenes
with the townspeople.
Birdsong became interested
in the outdoor drama through
his work at Historic Halifax,
where he is a volunteer and has
served as a tour guide for over
,, ~ I
Exile for PCBs . ,
L ~0 ,.0 ,4 . o -:e :s n· e news from Warren County is .
hat an old dump will be cleaned C :-;c, i( » ~~ p. The story may sound prosaic,
· 0 ... .:..e · but this milestone is chock full of mean-
C-·<> .C J -;J ing for the families who will worry less
O ,e ·• for the health of their children, for the
(' ·• '_( t-1 African-Americans who were jailed for c, •• i_ protesting the duinp two decades ago
and for the state government they
opposed.
All sides now agre~ that the cross-
roads community of Afton will be bet-
ter off without 40,000 cubic yards of dirt
soaked in toxic chemicals known as
PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls.
•· Ward Transformer Co. of Raleigh ille-
gally dumped PCB-tainted oil along 200
miles of North Carolina rQads in 1978, .
requiring then-Gov. Jim Hunt to order ·
it scraped up to protect the public and
stowed somewh,ere.
The state's choice of poor, rural and
predominantly black Warren County in
1982 sparked the "environmental jus-
tice" movement with peaceful protests
that were met with state troopers car-
rying billy clubs. The display of people ·
power also moved Hunt to promise that
· · ; . -· . · a.e ,e
the dump site would be purified as soon • •,c .
as technology was able. t e :•
That might have been the end of it, if • ~
a pollution engineer named Bill Meyer t e •
hadn't decided it was his duty to remind ·
the governor of his promise 11 .years ~-·~~ later. Because he did, construction on • · ,..
a series of high-tech cookers and filters • 0 ·
will begin in a few months with state
and federal funds. Few people can retire
. on a note as high as Meyer will this
month.
. The project that he and Dollie Burwell
and other community activists joined
hands to accomplish will free Warren
County residents of nagging worries
about PCBs planting seeds of cancer in
their bodies. And because government
listened to the people, a park will bloom
where the old dump used to be.
Good morning
R.igbt about now is when recent
arrivals from the Northwest start say-
ing, ''You know, maybe we should have
gotten the air conditioning package."
----· 'THE OLD REIJABLE' -· C Cl (f i PREsmENT/PUBusHER. ....................................... ORAGE QuARLES m ([e-mail]>, 1129-4659 0 • ~ SR. V.P./ExECUTIVE El>ITOR. ................ .ANDERS GYLLENHML ([e-mail]), 829-8958
Assoc!ATE EDIT0,11..---··· .............. STEVEN F'oRD ([e-mail]), 829-4512 C CJ ( I ( . MANAGING EDITO•H..---... .MELANIE SILL ([e-mail]), 829-8986 . Q • f .· · l>EPuTY MANAGING El>ITOR.. ... WILL SUTl'ON (SUTl'[e-mail]), 829-4530
DEPUn' MANAGING El>ITOR. ... DAN BARKIN.U>[e-mail]), 82M562 . C (I ( I I SR. vPJSALES & MARKETING. .... D1cx HENDERSON, 829-4M2 I v.P./CIRCULtfflON ... , ......... emus BLASER, 829-4718 C • ( Y.P./CLASSIFIED ADYERnslNG. ... DURWOOD CANADAY; 829-"585 Y.P./DJsPLAY AlJvElmsING..,.IM McCwRE, 836-2822 G • ( .. _, 4. VP./FIN.un:; GfxlRGJ:M.cCANLESS,829-4651 ·v.P./OPERATIONS . DUINYCoWNS,829-4782
ll A McCLATCHY NEWSPAPER fJ Oe \_:..-
n,, .. ·e.
li j'J<",,.., . p;:, -~\it : ., '
. mgJ<f
.,'fdr~ ~o,
., ptio'te Ji\d.·£ -. , ., , _,
. l .
, Imo
, ed biplie
. _ r Co. Qf Raleigh
· ·. gallf dwn~d PCB::t.ainted oil alo , (Jl!rlef9£~onin·Carofi!1a l'Qads in 1 es. gove . aj
~eq~gthen-Goy,_J1mfluntto_o tothe kwill~ .. __ .1
it ,~Pr~~ed _up to P~~*t-. ~~-Rll~~~ .·, , 1. .• • w . ere ~e ()ld. · . itow.ea .s.omew~~. · . . · . : --·, . . . . . · . .. : .
• ·· The.' s~te's ch~ice of-~r, ooai. · · _,. •.;::;;.;,....,_ __ ....,::..;, :-_....;'.'"'"· ...,._ ,f:.!'••..;;.·~....,.....,...._.....,_;"""'"'"'---'r"~
1
· .predominantly tilack Warren Coun · ' ··Gori ·
'. -t982 sparkeH the "environmeqFilj . · . :·; '. ,· , . µ~'? RJOMement with ~ceful pro igli.t~bo · ·
that were met witlt state troopers
. . . : · : cl~s. 'I)§ display, of
. · . _ . . 'Tm: OJ.n RELIABLE' , · _. . ,
PftEsIDEN'P/PuBLISHER. ................................ : •..... ORAGE QUARLES Ill (OQUAJWES@NEWSOBSERVE&COM), 829,;4659
., SR. V.P~IJTIVE ~m:>R. ................ .ANDERs Ghu:NH.w. Wm~NEWSO~COM), 829-8958 '
· Ass,oc!ATE EorroR. ..... , ... : ................. ,; .......... STEVEN FoRD (s,QRD@NE\VSOJIS);;RVER.COM), 829;4512,
· , ~AGING.Et>rroll ........................ : . .MEµNIESILL (Ms~~~coM), 82~-•
DEPUTY ~AGING EDITOR. .... WH.L SUTl'ON (SU'IWN@NF,;WSOBSERVER.COM), 829-4530
· . DEPUTY MANAGING Eorro1t .... DAN BARKIN;O>BARKIN@NEWSOl!8filiVER.COM), 82~562 . .
SR. V.PJSALES & MARKET!NG. ..... DICIC 11.ENoERSON, 829-4652 1 ·· V.PJCIRctn.moN ...................... : .. :, ... : .. Cinus BLASER, 829-47. 18
Y.PJCLAS&IFIED ADVERTISING. ... DURWOOD CAN~ 829-4585 Y.P~Y Ao,\'ERTISniG .................. JIM McCw!iE, 836-2822
Y.P./FINANCE.. · .... -uGEORGE Mc(:.oo.ESS, 829-4651 ·. VPJOPERATIONS , ....... , ........ , ............. DANNY .CoWNs, 829-4782
t . A MCCLAT<;HY NEWSPAPER '
L1 r / ·~=-1-:·\~9 ~-l3-S,:..:'" C$~·3tr '"tr\ ; \ .\ :)-"'11 J-"?:, ·•6'~ 3-~ ·~ __, ~ · · . : · .. 1 PCB forum · ~ ves as announcement and .. t·e·tebratiiirn Outreach forum turns into community party BY CHARLIE RICHARDS · DAILY DISPATCH WRITER with refreshments being served, nomic development boost to an agenda full ofofficials patting counter the environmental each other on the back, and a injustice they feel the landfill wall of displays by companies has been to Warren County. who want the contract to clean So the crowd responded again up the landfill. ' · when Alston said his hope is to It elevated in spirit as speak-"see this brown field converted WARRENTON -There was ers recalled the days of protest into a-green field. I can see," he another PCB meeting in the against burying the toxic wastes said, · "a beautiful site for our Afton community Thursday, one here in the early 1980s, protests · young people." of scores heJ.d over the past sev-· that put many in jail, including Mike Kelly, the state official ,<era! years.· It· was diiferent. some of those present Thursday. .• who has worked hand in hand It _was planned to be a co,w-And i~ built even more into a with the local committee for sev-mumty outreach and contractors celebration when County era! years, responded that the networking forum, and it was. Commissioner Clint Alston said landfill is a beautiful site, with . But it evolved into a celebra-he didn't hear enough excite-streams and hills, and the detox-. tj.on pf an achievement of a goal ment. On his. call, _the 100 or so ification process will leave an of nearly 20 years standing. "._' people stood and cheered. , infrastructure making it suit-·-S The state took the occasion to ' 'For nearly 20 years, since the able for the county to use, say as make a formal announcement of state located a PCB burying a park. what local people already knew, ground in Warren, and particu-That eye to the future did not that federal in-kind services · larly for five years, since state detract from the tribute to the would serve as a match to release and local people have worked on past, however, as speakers $7 million in state money to start finding a way to clean it up, the recalled what has gone before. det.oxification of the PCB landfill. goal has been detoxification. Dollie Burwell, chairman of And the community took the But in recent years another the citizens advisory committee occasion to rejoice. , . aspect as been added f.o the cam-working with the state, recalled It started somewhat festive,---paign. Local people want an eco-being jailed. for her part in the r-· protest of 1982. And State cutting his teeth as a l~bbyist for Senator Fran\: Ballance, who conservation groups when the has secured state funds making Warren people "lay down in the cleanup possible, said some front of trucks" trying to pre-of those present had put their · vent the landfill. . , · lives at risk. ' · · · ·"You changed the way North It was .from Coley Springs · Carolina thought about haz-Baptist Chun:h, just down the ·· aidous wastes," he t(ild the road from the PCB landfill and Warren audience, helping make from South Warren School · it a national issue. where the fimun was held Kelly and Pat Backus, the Thursday, that hundreds ofloc:al state engineer in charge of the and national civil right.a leaders project, advised that contracting marched, protesting the landfill processes are ongoing; that an and launching tfie environmen-· oversight contractor (Earth ta! justice mOft.lllent. 'Thch) has been selected and that _It was . chief dignitary Bill a detoxification contract may be Holman, secretary of Environ-let this year to one of three qual-ment and Natural Resources, · ifying firms: the IT Corporation, who reminded the crowd that Weston, and WRS. · those protests moved then Gov. . But it was Holman who Jim Hunt t.o promise to remove reminded the audience, which the landfill when that became included Sen. Ballance and State feasible, and now as his serond Rep. Stan Fox, that the $7 mil-round of service as governor lion in state funds will not be nears an end, that promise is enough to complete the job, that near to being filled. more will be asked of the General Holman recaDed he was just Assembly and Congress. I I I
The W11r1n Record
W11r1nlon, NC
D -ND DATA I -NO DATA
June 13, 2001
carollna Clipping Service
Rtillgh, NC 27803
and Natural Resoun:es,
. he led off the progrw rand state leaders -roc1a1 we come ft1ICI · n
·I. • . • . b' celebration of prom e
;1 lqln, to <;~le cate .:·. ~ingfil~.-
~ the start of PCB And indeed, some of • , , · . • · . !hose gathered on Momi.y detoxification re~ember all too well die
· ' • illegal dumping of 30,0l!Q
By, JENNIFER LYNCH . . 'Editor
A commitme_nt macfe
~y.;.two decades ago be-
<:4me .a reality Monday
mo't,n,ng as local citizens
1011/ ,;ommunity and ·state
J~den i:ame together to
break. ground at . the, .PCB
Landfill .in Afton.
~Ninetee'n ,yeari' ago
many "of you'folks ,were ly-
ing,1 ,down in roids, • said
Milte Kelly wiiJ1 the. De-
.' pa.nment oi i!n:vironrilent
gallons of PCB contami-
nated oil .along i210 miles of
North Carolina highway.
, They remember the pro-
tests of the early '80s when ·
IC)l'al Jea'ilers spoke ~,
against what wu cteen.ac➔, i
political decisi,on to build
the PCB li.andfill here in a
low-ilkX>me, inostlj minor-
. ity county. . . .
· ·'!'hey cemembei · when
· ~lional .. c/11il rights l,eaders
joined 11\eni in-their efforts
lo keep the landfill from b-
eating here, when prol Is
· led lo one arrest after an-
other u delllOIISlnlaa who .
IOU&ht Justice pllltecf tbeir
bodies In the paths of IJucb
sent here to conatrucl the
Ille.
But the fight didn't end
there, and in 1982, former
0ovel'll0r Jim Htlntmade a
commitment to the. pe,;,ple
of Warren Couniy ,to ·ex-
plore detoxification. of ihec
landfill, if appropri~e, ·and -
feasible technology became
· l:vailable. . . .,
In 1994, a Working
Group, made up .of commu-
nity and state ,leaders,
formed Jo st~dy the feui-
biiiiy of detoxification.
They later selected Bue
qatalyzed DecomP91itio.n,
or BCD, as the most appRt:
prJat~technology. .. ~ '
In 1999, the North Caro-,
lina Oeneral ~embly ,ap-
propliaied to the detoxifi-
cation project St mlilion
and -Ned an additional
$7 million to be releued if
matchlna federal fund~
eould be found. A pledge of
in-kind aervices made br,
l!P A last year was consicl-
ered. the match that was
~ 10 enable to project.
to move fotwud.
Since. then a. contractor,
the IT Corporation, has
been• selected for Phase I of
·.the detoxification process
that is expected to be com-
pleted by the end of the
• -year. Contracll in the
amount 9f ,$800!00QJ have
been awarde.i! to 10ca1 l!usi•
. .nesses, an i!ftportanl part of
what local leadets wanted .
all along-to see ihat the
county betleflted as much as
See.~P,FILL. ~}'
outside the
are. from left. Massenburg Kearney. Rev.
Burwell; BiU Meyer. director C,. lhe Division
Ballance, a!lil chairman of lhe Warren Coun •
possible from nearly two dee-· difficult ro..w to hoe," he con-
ildes of illjullia. tlaued, slillin11 Iha i the vf' Monday's celebration was promise of Gov. l;lunt we'-'
like a, .__,.Ing' of oons, u fillflllcd. "all government
· ·hup were freely given and sto-CledibiHly."
rics were retold of shsrcd ex-R.,...-ive Eva Clay
perienccs from the past. also sddl'NHCI lbooe gathe
Reverend Leqn White, and told them lhal lhe gro
paslo~ of Oak Level United she bee experienced in w
Chu~h of Christ and one of ing on the deto,oificalion p
thooe arrested during the pro-jec:I has cauaed her to be a
tests years agp, led those gath-ferem pcnon in politics.
ered in the singing of the "The people of Wan
spfritual hymn "I'm So G)ad County arc to be commen
lfm Herc; then gave lbe invo-for staying with this proc
cation, thanking those who refusing lo be a victim and
statted the local move.m~nt. coming a part of the solution:
Bill Meyer, director -of ttie she said.
Division of Wasl.e . Manage-Cla~lon wenr on to bestOl
menl, also-remembered how it high praise upon Dollie B~
all slatied. "Nineteen years , well, chairman of the Citize
ago, J was ·on_ the other side of Advisory 8Qard, fo• her !ead-:
the fence watching you get ar-. ership and also acknowledged
rested,• he said. "We have had Sen. Frank Ballance for,· his
· disagreemenis arid shouting contributions t6ward the r mtlches, but there has always cleanup efforts. • .
f" been respect between people. Ballance, who,· along wit
1-. and for peop(e." Warrenton auo,ne~ T.T. ~ Meyer was ·one of, the ~ngi-Clayton, provided legal repre
neers who rev'iewed nearly 100 senlation to some of the' dem-'"·shes .ii ~e!~itlj!~t',;eh . _onstr,10~\~ft•r lh,o; 'l'er~:ft.
• Q'<JWii411f6rCflle•1'1iltlf\W, 1Wt111!-I reste.i ;~•s~ \aii't, "'f.hfj
thing he said was a lecfinical is an important day, nol just in
dec·ision, ·not a political one·~ the Jives of those· in Warren
"But I know there's a differ-·eounly, bgl an 'important da~
ence of opinion about that," he in North Carolina and Amer-
told the group. · ica.
"I! has be~ ~ very, very _ •we (the gover~ment) don't
_L __ _
PCB Landllll at Monday's cere-ens MYisoly Board Chairman
Rep. Eva C11r,1Dn. Sen,
Md-'Janes.
oflcl get Ill opo~Di&y to
mmlM•rfalll•litlllva ihe d•toxlficalion PJOl:IU
cs 1111-. dpl. ltt WineA
County.• ------ltllpd the effcllll of Butwelt, lliltlBa , ... ,,-.-......·-~
is wbltl>ad Ille pvemmenl ~
lorigbtllleirWIOIII-
For her put, Burwell aid,
"'this just _.,_ to allow you
wllal a small community can
do when ii is committed. Thia ,
is communitia and gove~ •
menl working loplller. •
11hc slaps on the back and
handshaka Monday signified
the beginning of a project that
will IH)pefully bring a sense of
«losure to !hose most affected,
but there is still much wort.
ahead, Phase II of the projec:I,
ol rede~elopment, will cost
anolher $7.5 million, ·ploney
tfiat needs to be committed by
ihis fall, and money· that is cur-
rently nowhere 10 be seen .. -'
Bui just as Gov. Hunt made
a commitment 10 -~e I n • ,la!"l.{i!J} l<ff! ~ rs l ~ dfnliti 11,'tAe1t I ~
lb see the p1"9jecl through lo ~
the end. If history repeats ii-d
self, there's no doubt they will' d
succeed. · . I ..
tr.uaJepushes
icnlteoutof
WmenCounty
BY.IAMallu..,,_ -----Almaltlt,-...,.lbe
fffe •o••• and tbree mea
..... tllllrbodllaaut1111banl
~-..... dump truella == . CllllldDtlle .
Warren ::-s the roacl
...... thla :c.~
lll'llrfDldlaa ........ aw-.... _,_
pllllldlm--.daiatlbea-:
.............. hladlO ~~ .. -IIIIJ!lt" ~!..,,,
'a 'k; 'u 1r .! ! ~ V'\,'•-,#1):. ,nted ~ COili 30,000 1t ii I•., iccti'!uca1s-~same ... ~ in a tanker • coimtry. road/ time; the oil will~ JegaJJy-cl)si' . ,_ •• 1111111entatl>rotectio!l., pt poa'edo,C,pro!Jablyu_bollerfuel Ag~!,f aa-aped up the roedalde • _,-' · After Mon48y'1 ~ Bur-. · ' . ~ . tNclred It to,tbe Warren "UlnjJered iilaldl! the cbaln-llnk ·-blcl) was ,ec:om~~' ' and baibe<l.•'l"fre fence tbaf,s11r-; ~'!iY•~pol!, 11 BiH~r, 1e1tfdirac1orclf--,. mo~, ~with,,;'·sti, l'ounds the landalL Spe'recalled_ = ~WJ.f~, -,-'!'co'inmun)r ac:IMlt Do1iie'~, right in hat, afcfhe, PCB 1andGi1: loollmg attbeslr,y ~9.yea,:s ago and, · f:bla~ tf1 ,,i. '!i:;it,l\. II'; -"'~l'flt,,~lrm,PH010_BT"su -.Jl.,..·. ,, .:a... t_. 1~ "i:i·-: lill_._-n~n& wlletller tbe du111p . slate's top -,.· , ;!, ,. ., .r 11 _ ~ ~ IJ, 11 #," _,, t;;,r,,tru$ waJJld roll rlpt over hllr, . twodecacles, eensaniltlie ,ut tbe)>eople)if-•''. sWeengineera~ that the~ ·• llllter ;Qollle Buiwen,~ ~ . pollticlans tbatlblfissue"88 mon: , rural,.and pre-~ landfill, anclolled bl thuqulvalent·• aweer,nentonhowtoclean it up and. stban cbemicala,ot ~ter ot ~-blackcoimlJ._: tbQ!,ight_ of a giant plastic~ bag, bad Iii ~HIBII, Ballance, Clayt,on ' geoioo,/ ~ ~ ~f ' •. • ., . ' . otlierWi/le. 'lb.el'r Pfl!!elllt·~t ,fllkii!'witb watm: and ~tened to,1) and 'o,tbers',to•aet tbe~. ~ ii'j•>l -,,iat', !be':'bejluly «!(· ~ll'ugglef , . l!lltil!lµil' ,aete'dtlorr and prompted ;1J leu into the ~ · '. , ,,. Within tbe .-tJew,IIIOll!ba, con;'b,, sbe sald:,:Tbeir_ · ,~~ tiaw been Hunt to:J:i('OOU!l!l io ~up the site ~I w.eot to Olunt'sJ CJfflce and said," '.: structloli equipment-and ~ t;, ~~ P r ,~ ' , . \¥ben_llie_tecblioliNlvbebmeavail' ,,..;'Hae)a.tbllcommilnient.;)!Jitmilde • wlD.aetuo.anaaaemblv.linelbrmok,(1£ · , fi-,tr · • ' ·
d.etoxl site, dire ,the land I\' a <l :-c I /( . E ~ I "'111-•au,~-v•. . lorgest-scol! use. of o ~~noo;; c_lllled, therm~I ~rptlo~ with ~se-catdlyzed minolion'. which will 6e, ~rseen by on erwiropmenfoi engireering .firm. .. -IIOID 1.ll!!Ddagrasfalnnllait. . .... 11ia hmllank iuitnilar to a lloiler.' TIii soil, wh Cl,cbnlalnlr wilhlt! a f, is heal8II ind, . Vilporsore <Olldenseil. The'resulting liquids, whi<h sti.11 · <Ollloin PCBs, are · heated to 6SO · degrees Fahrenheit, w1Mrt1tiey; b!Kome ncimolk. The nontaxk ' •·is loaded· OIIIII tru<ks .and · disposed of or ~off site. ) • t -I
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Ceremony marks beginning of last phase in PCB fight
By The Associated Press
June 12, 2001 6:51 pm
AFTON --A ceremony marking the beginning of the end of a toxic waste dump brought
together former demonstrators and the state officials whose actions they protested.
About 19 years ago, demonstrators lay in the road to block the way to the landfill in
Warren County where the state eventually dumped soil laced with toxic PCBs .
Now , the state is getting ready to use high-tech ovens to bake the soil and flush out the
chemicals, which were used to insulate electric transformers. The process will create
about 30,000 gallons of oil --about the same amount that was dumped --and the site
may become a park.
"I didn't think I'd live to see it," said Patricia Somerville, one of more than 500 people
arrested during six weeks of protest in 1982.
Somerville, 54, and seven other former demonstrators at the ceremony Monday chuckled
at the turn of events.
During the PCB crisis, when officials found tons of the contaminated dirt on back roads
where a contractor had sprayed it, then-Gov. Jim Hunt sent troopers in riot gear to make
sure trucks made it to the landfill with 40,000 cubic yards of dirt.
Part of the panic was that the PCBs were a known cause of cancer; the state had removed
the soil to protect public health.
The protest, which was the start of the environmental justice movement in North Carolina
and nationally, was punctuated by pictures of grandmothers and ministers being hauled
to jail.
At the ceremony, off the dirt road in the rolling hills of the county, the state official who
recommended the site for the landfill sat next to the woman who was arrested five times
and has fought 19 years to get rid of the landfill. They laughed together and talked about
cooperation.
State pollution engineer Bill Meyer recommended the Warren County site.
Meyer, who retires this month after serving as the stat e's top landfill and toxic waste
regulator, said politics had nothing to with the site selection. People in Warren County
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contended the site was selected because the area was rural , poor and largely black .
The project could cost as much as $15 million. Although the federal and state
governments have appropriated half that amount, local residents believe the rest of the
money will come through.
"In government, we don't often get an opportunity to get things right," said Sen. Frank
Ballance, D-Warren, a lawyer whose political career was launched with the protests.
In 1978, three men working for Ward Transformer Co. of Raleigh sprayed unwanted
transformer oil, tainted with polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs , along more than 200
miles of roads in 14 North Carolina counties.
Hunt promised the dump would be cleaned up and his promise wasn't forgotten in the
county. Hunt returned to office for the third of his four terms in 1993. Later that year it
was discovered rain water had leaked into the dump's plastic liner and it might break and
pollute groundwater.
State officials and Warren County residents, led by former protester Dollie Burwell,
agreed on how to clean up the mess and persuaded politicians to get money for the
project.
Burwell said it took 20 years to convinced engineers and politicians that the issue was
about more than chemicals or geology.
"That's the beauty of struggle," she said . "Their hearts have been changed."
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6/12/01 7:23 PM
The Dispatch Online http://www.hendersondispatch com/story8.htm
1 of 1
THE DAILY D (252'! 436-27(:(}
....... ISPATCH
Area firms get cleanup
contracts
WARRENTON •· Warren County leaders have contended the PCB landfill in their county
has been an economic handicap, and those working to bring about a cleanup have
stressed that local companies and local workers should benefit from the project.
The latest publication of the project's community resource office shows how that effort
has succeeded.
The IT Corporation, contractor for the detoxification project, is working out contracts
with several firms.
They include Kearneco Grading, Hargrove's Fencing and S.S.T. of Warren County,
Fogg's Exxon of Vance County, and Ellington and Son and Yancey Electric Service of
Granville County.
More than $800,000 is expected to be spent with these local companies.
Patrick Barnes , in charge of commun ity outreach on the project, said companies
involved will continue to solicit local and minority businesses when practica l. Those
not already listed in their resource guide may contact the PCB office in Warrenton at
257-1948 or Barnes at 257-9070.
Ba ck to main pa ge
Ba ck to today's head lines
6/12/01 7 15 PM
The Dispatch Online http://www hendersondispatch.com/story3.htm
1 of 3
THE DAILY
Ground broken at Warren
PCB landfill
Promises kept, prayers answered
By CHARLIE RICHARDS
Daily Dispatch Writer
WARRENTON --For almost 20 years Massenburg Kearney has fought the battle, as a
man, as a leader in his church, as a friend and neighbor.
From his home practically within sight of the mound of earth holding tons of toxic
waste, known as the Warren County PCB landfill, he watched and listened as his
community was turned into what he and others considered a dumping ground.
Monday morning, he watched and listened again as politicians and bureaucrats made
speeches about the environmental justice movement and about a governor's
commitment to remove that landfill.
His face shaded by his strawhat, Kearney sat in the hot sun with about 100 of his fellow
Warren citizens as speeches rolled on , more and more of them wandering over to the
cool shade of the tent.
Judging from the somber look on his face , Kearney could have been thinking about the
two neighbor ladies who died at the age of 60, young for that community, he said,
himself now 72. He thinks chemicals may have contributed to their deaths.
"I remember the odor in the mornings when they were moving it in," he said of those
days back in the early 1980s when the state disposed of the PCB waste collected from
where it had been illegally dumped on the highways of the state.
And he remembered his neighbors, joined by civil rights advocates and
environmentalists from around the nation, lying down in the road trying to stop the
toxic-laden trucks. He didn't join them on the road and in jail because his mother was
seriously ill.
Over the years since, he has been part of the effort to detoxify the dump, working with
Dolly Burwell and others on the local working group, leading Coley Springs Baptist .·
Church , of which he is trustee chairman, to be a center of the effort.
Monday, it was a different meeting at the landfill down the road from his church. The
speakers made it a celebration, and Kearney joined the leaders in breaking ground
with the painted spades, tossing a little red clay to symbolize the start of the
detoxification project.
Rising to give the invocation , the Rev. Leon White set the tone for the mC?_~ning when he
6/12/01 7 15 PM
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2 of 3
said he couldn't resist, then led the crowd in singing the spiritual , "I'm So Glad I'm
Here."
After years of studies to find ways to do the job, and getting state funds, now work is
starting. IT Corporation, the company with the contract, will start preparing the site
immediately. Equipment will be moving in later this fall. By early next year , the actual
conversion of the poisons to harmless chemicals will begin.
But the state is $7 million short of having the money to complete the job. IT has
agreed to start the first phase, continue if funds are appropriated, or close the site
with the project unfinished.
What does Mr. Kearney think of this great unknown?
"I've got faith that other money will be granted," he said , thinking of Sen . Frank
Ballance, the Warren member of the state legislature who has secured millions so far
and will try to get more next year, and thinking of Congresswoman Eva Clayton, the
Warren member of the U.S. Congress who has-worked for federal help and still hopes
to get more.
But mainly "my faith is in the Master," he said . "All money belongs to him. We just get
to use it."
Kearney was not the only one dwelling on the past. Mike Kelly, the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources official who has worked most closely with Warren
County in recent years , reminding the audience that "many of you were being carried
off to jail" 19 years ago.
Bill Meyer, director of the Division of Waste Management, remembered how he helped
select the site in Warren for the dump back in 1978. From then to now, he said , "it has
been a very difficult row to hoe."
But Meyer looked to the future, too. If former Gov. Jim Hunt's commitment to detoxify
the dump is not fulfilled , he said , "all government loses credibility."
Congresswoman Clayton's reflection on the past had to do with the birth in Warren
County of the environmental justice movement, which opposes location of hazardous
factories and dumps in minority communities.
Acknowledging the leadership of Burwell and the contribution of Ballance, Clayton said
"all of us have grown in this process." For herself, just entering elected office in Warren
when the PCB issue originated, she said the issue "has caused me to grow in the
ecology and theology of it."
As for the future, Clayton advised current leaders and the contractors to "do it right.
Don't make a mistake here."
In his remarks , Ballance described the detoxification project as ''making things right."
And Burwell , in recent years the spokesperson for the cleanup campaign , stressed a
change in the emphasis of the effort. While Warren has been used to illustrate "how
people of color are adversely affected by toxic waste," she said, she wants to see it
serve as an example of how "communities and government can work together."
Then she called to the speakers' area the half dozen local residents present who had
been among those arrested on that hot day in August 19 years ago when 200 state
troopers confronted hundreds of demonstrators. _
Then the local and state leaders lined up with the spades, and Massenburg Kearney
joined them for the symbolic gesture. Afterward, he could say, "I feel better."
The writer can be contacted at [e-mail].
6/12/01 7:15 PM
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newsobserver.com Published: Tuesday, June 12, 2001 5:08 a.m. EDT
Struggle pushes toxic waste out of Warren
County
By JAMES ELI SHIFFER, Staff Writer
AFTON --Almost 19 years ago, the five women and three men stretched their bodies out on hard pavement to
block dump trucks from carrying toxic chemicals into the Warren County hills.
On Monday, they blocked the road again, this time as guests of honor in folding chairs under a hot sun as politicians
announced that the hazardous waste landfill they hated so much would finally disappear.
"I didn't think I'd live to see it," said Patricia Somerville, one of more than 500 people arrested during six weeks of
protest in 1982. Somerville, 54, and seven other former demonstrators at Monday's "detoxification ground-breaking"
could only chuckle at this strange turn in history.
Here were the elected officials standing by their side, driving ceremonial shovels into red earth beside the great
grassy bulk of the PCB dump. Here were former Gov. Jim Hunt's emissaries praising the civil rights movement
known as "environmental justice" that started on these country roads, where Hunt dispatched troopers with riot
helmets and billy clubs to carry protesting African-American grandmothers and ministers off to jail.
Here was the man who recommended this site for the landfill and the woman who endured five arrests and 19
years of hard work to get rid of it, laughing together and praising the value of cooperation.
"In government, we don't often get an opportunity to get things right," said Sen. Frank Ballance, a Warrenton lawyer
whose political career was launched with the protests. "I believe the detoxification process is making things right to a
great degree in Warren County."
By this fall, workers will start digging out the 40,000 cubic yards of oil-soaked soil and feeding it into a series of
high-tech cookers and filters that will render it harmless. The project could cost as much as $15 million , of which the
state and federal governments have appropriated only $7.5 million. Nevertheless, with home-grown advocates such
as Ballance and U.S. Rep. Eva Clayton, the people of Warren County believe the rest of the money will come
through.
Before their burial near the crossroads community of Afton, the cancer-causing chemicals, known as PCBs
(polychlorinated biphenyls), traveled a tortuous path. In 1978, three men working for Ward Transformer Co. of
Raleigh sprayed unwanted PCB-tainted transformer oil along more than 200 miles of roads in 14 North Carolina
counties.
The illegal dumping caused a statewide panic. In 1982, Hunt and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
scraped up the roadside dirt and trucked it to the Warren County site, which was recommended as the safest by a
state pollution engineer named Bill Meyer.
Meyer, who will retire this month after serving as the state's top landfill and toxic waste regulator, maintains that
politics didn't influence his site selection. But the people of Warren --a poor, rural and predominantly black county --
thought otherwise. Their protests garnered national attention and prompted Hunt to promise to clean up the site
when the technology became available.
No one forgot the commitment of Hunt, who returned to the governor's office in 1993. Later that year, state
engineers discovered that the landfill, enclosed in the equivalent of a giant plastic garbage bag, had filled with water
and threatened to leak into the groundwater.
"I went to [Hunt's] office and said, 'Here is the commitment. You made it. Let's keep it,'" Meyer told the gathering .
State officials and Warren County residents, led by onetime protester Dollie Burwell, reached an agreement on how
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to clean it up and persuaded Hunt, Ballance, Clayton and others to get the money.
Within the next few months, construction equipment and workers will set up an assembly line for cooking dirt. The
contaminated soil will move through a series of hoppers, drums, tanks and filters in a complex purification process
invented by the EPA as a cleaner alternative than incineration.
The process will turn the contaminated soil into, at the most, 30,000 gallons of oil --the same amount sprayed on
the roadsides two decades ago. The old dump probably will become a park.
Ultimately, the toxic chemicals will disappear from history the same way they appeared --in a tanker truck rolling
down a country road. This time, the oil will be legally disposed of, probably as boiler fuel.
After Monday's ceremony, Burwell lingered inside the chain-link and barbed-wire fence that surrounds the landfill.
She recalled looking at the sky 19 years ago and wondering whether the dump trucks would roll right over her.
Burwell said it took two decades to convince the engineers and the politicians that this issue was more than
chemicals or groundwater or geology.
"That's the beauty of struggle," she said. "Their hearts have been changed."
Staff writer James Eli Shiffer can be reached at 836-5701 or [e-mail]
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Uetoxthcatton Vt warren c ounty t'Cts Lanctnu To ~egm http://www.envrronmenta1ms1ght.com/ AStory Bm.Free/061101-4.htm
,'-~$i:".1
"Authoritative North Carolina Environmental Law & Compliance News"
UCEIHome OiSCUSSiOfi search Stte
This site courtesy of Environmental Mediation and Information Services, James M. Kuszaj, Ph.D., J.D., President
© Copyright 1997-2001 by J.M. Kuszaj
Warren County residents and community leaders will join Rep. Eva Clayton, Department of
Environment and Natural Resources' Chief Deputy Secretary Dempsey Benton,
environmental contractors and state government officials June 11 to begin the detoxification
process at the PCB landfill in Warren County
The ceremony celebrates the community's first tangible step in it's effort to detoxify the
landfill's contents, contaminated soil gathered from over 210 miles of North Carolina
roadsides after an illegal PCB dumping episode. Constructed in 1982, community protests
against the landfill are often referred to as the "birth" of the environmental justice
movement.
The ceremony, which is hosted by the Warren County Community Advisory Board and
DENR, marks the first step in preparing the site to detoxify the landfill's contents. After the
site is cleared, treatment equipment is scheduled to arrive by year's end with soil treatment
beginning early in 2002. The IT Group, an environmental contractor, will conduct the
detoxification.
The process used to detoxify the soil is known as "base catalyzed decomposition." In BCD,
contaminated soil is mixed with baking soda and then exposed to high heat. The evaporated
PCBs are then separated and combined with other chemicals in a separate reactor to
complete the PCB decomposition.
Both the process and the contractor were chosen through collaboration between the board
and DENR's Division of Waste Management. To date, the North Carolina legislature has
appropriated $9.6 million for the project. The current funds are not considered sufficient to
complete the project but will be adequate to prepare the site, construct facilities and treat
one-third of the contaminated soil.
Current estimates place the amount needed to complete the project at $7.5 million. Board
members hope to raise the funds from private, federal and state sources. If detoxification is
completed, the community plans to tum the former landfill site into a recreation area. If
funding is not obtained, the equipment will be removed and the site will be restored as a
landfill .
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This site courtesy of Environmental Mediation and Information Services, James M. Kuszaj, Ph.D., J.D., President
Henderson Dally Dispatch
Henderson, NC
0-NO DATA B-NO DATA
June 6, 2001
Carolina Clipping Service L..11/1/
Raleigh, NC 27803 -/ /
Waf ie'03/ COUntJ,,tffill!6rate st3rt of PCB cleanup
B, CHARLIE RICHARDS
DAILY DISPATCH WRITER
WARRENTON -Warren
County residents and environ-
mentalists have welcomed news
of appropriations, grants and
contracts, but next week they
will see the first hard evidence
that the PCB landfill near here
will be detoxified.
So welcome will be the start of
work that the local Citizens
Advisory Board will join the
North Carolina Department of
Environment and Natural
Resources in staging a ground-
breaking ceremony.
The event is at 11 a.m. Mon-
day at the entrance to the land-
fill site in the Afton community,
on S.R. 1604 near Coley Springs
Church off U.S. 401, south of
Warrenton. The public is invited.
Local organizers say they
expect two governors to attend:
Gov. Mike Easley and his imme-
diate predecessor, Jim Hunt.
Hunt was governor when the
landfill was created in the early
1980s, and he promised it would
· be removed when the technology
was available. His administra-
tion obtained legislative appro-
priations to start the cleanup.
But the funding situation is
not something Warren people
can celebrate. About $7 million
more is needed to fulfill the
cleanup contract, and this week
Sen. Frank Ballance said, "There
is not $7 million to be found in
this budget."
Ballance, a Warren County
Democrat, said that although no
further appropriation is in the
budget passed by the Senate, the
plan is for the state to look for
other funds, and "we will come
back here next June," a reference
to the legislature's short session.
· After years of review of scien-
tific processes, the state and a
local committee selected a
process that will remove the
toxic PCBs from the mound of
earth, treat it to neutralize the
hazardous chemicals and return
the inert material to the ground. ----------
A contract has been made for
the complete job but only partial-
ly funded. The two groups, state
and local, are seeking further
funding to continue the process
until completion.
The work is termed a "detoxi-
fication and redevelopment" pro-
ject because the land is to be left
in condition and with some infra-·
structure for future use, perhaps
recreation.
THE DAILY DISPATat
••~n¾~,\,', f'!
P,CB; from page onet¥:i ?::rfk.:
·, · "I remember 'the odorin1the~:,
. mornirigs When they W.81'8 mOV• , ·
. _ ..:. ing it m, •· he said,¢' thoee;d,a~
baci 1n:the earlf,1980s when}
· ithe _stat.e -~· of,'"14! · ' ,, · wast.e-+&llecied ,Jn,mt · ·
_ha(beeriS~f1ltihti '
.the highway&b(,thl;!, Bt!ttti
: ; And .'.,he ~•~tnetri.bettili; · .
neigliboril Joined ~ emlrigh . · · advocat.eti;:iilid •· cill~entai; : isui . friinlfanfuhd,;'¼Ji~lfultfo ,,' . .,
i i · · down iii tiie niad ~ : ; · · ~ the ·wiie:-tadei'trticks?He~~: p , . . . . ' . ' .'(i didn\join thein 011, thtj road.~ ..
in 'ail becaUs&,:bili~ . sJous1y m: ,,~,,r,?t if . .·.· ,
, · Over the YMrl! since, he hali' ~
,been part of the ~ort't.o defmi.J/~
fy the dlimi>i" wor)dng-;·;,rit.Ji-~
Dolly Burwell and others oii thif?.'·
. local working ~1, leading.~,
!Coley Springs Baptisf Church;i!f
of which he is trust.ee chair-,
. : ,man, t,o be il cent.er of the, ~rt. tj . : ,· Mond'.ly, it ·was a different ;
. 'meeting 'at• the, biiidfilf'ilown~
'. the road° from his ehurcii'." nie ';
speakers made it a\celeprttlon, '
.. and Kearney joined th!! leaders ·
in bi'eaking .gl'Qund 'wi.th' the . . , ... , .... ,. ,;,4.;; .. j;•,,,.1:.:;r.· .• , ... , !Jilt.,,. I!~·' i . ·• . :r~rs:!~~:•= :<{fft:b:;)<ft'r:'\::}:f:f-ir.:· ;~i •·· :t~'.l\o.tv~-~
of the det.oxification project.· ,.,_ \-: Massenburg Kearney fought nearlj 20 years io see the Warren County
· · · Rising t.o give the. invocaj:.ion;:'.' , PCB iandflU.J:IHriup project get;under way. Ground~reaklng ceremonl~
. the Rev. Leon Wpite ·set the ·'. for lh11cl11iill~ locikplii~e Monday.','\ /,:,i.,',;,: .. , .·· · : : ,:-i• , tone for the morning when he . ·_, ... ,_,. ,,,, :,·•,,;,." " , ·,; . ., ,• ' ' . ' .• ' •-'. I. • .
said he CQuldn't resist, theri led
the . crowd in singing the spiri•
t;ual, 'Tm So Glad rm Here.•
· After years of studies f.o find·
· ways t.o do the job, and getting
stat.e funds, now work is start/
ing. IT Corporation, the compll;'
ny with the contract, will start
preparing the sit.e inmiediat.ely.,
Equipment will be moving hi·
later this . fall. By early next
year, the actual conversion of
the poisons t.o harmless .chemi-cals will~ -c·. • , •·.--, .. :.
· But the stat.e' is<$1 million
short or. ha~_ the money t.o \
· complef.e the job.· IT has ~: I
t.o start the first phase, con@•'.
ue if funds are appropriated, or;
close 'the 'iiit.e -with, the project i · unfinished. . •. · ... I
'· What does Mr. Kearney think\
of this great unknown? · · I
· ,. "I've got faith thai other
money will-be grlmted," he said, .1 · thinking ' · of ·· SeiiY Frank 1
Blilllilit:e;' ,:b~:wamn :mllmbet: l
of the stat.ti li!gOOAtiu'e'who lilili I
. ~ tiiillionil•s(Hai•llli!l 'Will I
· ·try t.o get more 'next year, and 1
thinking of Congresswoman j
· Eva Clayton, the Warren mem•
ber of the U.S. ·Congress • who I
has worked fot federal help and
' still ho~ t.o get more. · : '.:"i ·•\I
.But mainly l'my . faith · is in'•.\
the Muter," he said, •AII money_,
~~~ !?,~\~1-.~-~-~1
{,< ,ru~J~;jr""ro~~~ Gov. Jim J.
:t1;,,'. Hwit's. coninritmerit to detoxify
. the . dwnp'-t~ ·not fulfilled,·: be .
;. • said, "all · goternment l9ses
· ·: credibility." . . . .
. · Congresswoman : Clayton's
/ reflection on· th1{ past' bad to do
'·-with th~ birth in Wmren County
: -:Of . the -environmental justice :
,• movement; which opposes loca-
1', tion of hazardous fact.ories: and
. ··'dumps in minority communities.'
. . Acknowledging the leader-'
~ ship: of Burwell and the <=9ntri-:'
\'~ bution of Ballance; Clayt,on said ,;
\ "alF of .Us have grown i,n this •
. / p~s.,; For; herself, jlisfenf.er•"·~
•) ing ·'. ~1ected :' office . in Warren >;
:'}when the i>CB issue originated, _· r she 'said the issue .:''bas .caused ..
t (me t.o ~w. in :th.~1.~½>~:'11d : i
·_:,. ."J.eo· logy of 1t· ~· · -~1 ' , '.-. • · •. _.,. ' · ''~-. .. ,. / ...
. , ' A~ ; for the future , Clayton
: advised current leaders and the
contractors to "do it right. Dori't ·'
make _a mistake •here." ' ·
: :-· 'llF' hitc:reJita:tks, "Ballance. i
, , described the detoxification pro-'
,; · · ~as-~tiking things right1:ir·
"· \ And Burwell; in recent years '
/the 1' spokesperson for " the ,.
cleanup campaign, stressed a
·charige in the emphasis cif the
; effort. While Warren has ._been .
· . U8E!d t,o illustrate "how people of ·
\COior _tµ'e. adversely affecte,d by :.;
;,: toxic ·: waste;";, she ·_ ~~di · she :.:-'
"':want.s :,to 'see.·•-it serve 'as ·an ··.; ,·.,._ . . . . ''. ' .. ' . ' ., \example of 'how "communities ·
Kearney was not the only one · .. ':i and · goveinn;lent-, can . work ·
. dwelling on the past. Mike · t.ogE)ther.'! · · ·
Kelly, ' the . Department '· of: Then she called to the speak-
Enviroriment and · Natural \· ere' area the half dozen local res~
,Resources official . who''. has ; idezits· present who had been
. worked-"' 'most closely : with . " among those arrested on that hot
Warren County in recent years,':,:. day pi August 19 years ago when
reminding the audience that :200' state troopers confronted
. "many of ,You 'were being· car-); h~dreds of demonstrators .. · '
ried off tojail"19 years ago.· 7 ,',';~
1 Theri the ~~al and state lead-
Bill' Meyer,• director of the · ·.' ers lined up with the spades,
•Division,ofWaste-Mailagement,:\ and Massenburg Kearney
remembered ·'how · he: helped·> joined them 'for the synibcilic
select the site in Warreri for the ';_ gesture. Afterward, he , could .
dump ~ck in 1978. From then ;': say, "I (eel.bei· ." · · . .· .. -..,, · to now, he said, "it bas been a, ' . · . , .·. . · r ·
very di!ficult row to _hoe."· , : The wtlter can contacted at · · ·
But :·M~y~I'. looked _to . th~ crichards@he ersondispatch.com. -----_. __ ,_ -----
Michael F. Easley, Governor
Secretary
N<;)R,...... CAAOLINA D EPAR~NT OF
Et,f'YIAONM£NT ANO NlrrUAAL R£..SOU"'C!:S
William G. Ross Jr,
N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Release: IMMEDIATE
Date: June 6, 2001
MEDIA ADVISORY
Contact: Chrystal Bartlett, 919/733-4996, ext. 425
Distribution: Targeted
GROUNDBREAKING SCHEDULED TO CELEBRATE
CLEANUP INITIATION AT THE WARREN COUNTY PCB LANDFILL
RALEIGH-Warren County residents and community leaders will join Rep. Eva Clayton, Department of
Environment and Natural Resources' Chief Deputy Secretary Dempsey Benton, environmental contractors and
state government officials to break ground at the PCB landfill in Warren County Monday at 11 am.
The ceremony celebrates the community's first tangible step in it's effort to detoxify the landfill's
contents, contaminated soil gathered from over 210 miles of North Carolina roadsides after an illegal PCB
dumping episode. Constructed in 1982, community protests against the landfill are often referred to as the
"birth" of the environmental justice movement.
The ceremony, which is hosted by the Warren County Community Advisory Board and DENR, marks
the first step in preparing the site to detoxify the landfill's contents. After the site is cleared, treatment
equipment is scheduled to arrive by year's end with soil treatment beginning early in 2002. The IT Group, an
environmental contractor, will conduct the detoxification.
The process used to detoxify the soil is known as "base catalyzed decomposition." In BCD,
contaminated soil is mixed with baking soda and then exposed to high heat. The evaporated PCBs are then
separated and combined with other chemicals in a separate reactor to complete the PCB decomposition.
Both the process and the contractor were chosen through collaboration between the board and DENR's
Division of Waste Management. To date, the North Carolina legislature has appropriated $9.6 million for the
project. The current funds , despite the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's contribution of support and
services, are not sufficient to complete the project but will be adequate to prepare the site, construct facilities and
treat one-third of the contaminated soil.
Current estimates place the amount needed to complete the project at $7.5 million. Board members hope
to raise the funds from private, federal and state sources. If detoxification is completed, the community plans to
tum the former landfill site into a recreation area. If funding is not obtained, the equipment will be removed and
the site will be restored as a landfill.
Office of Public Affairs
Phone: [phone]
1601 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1601
An Equal Opportunity I Affirmative Action Employer
Don Reuter, Director
FAX [phone]
don [e-mail]
accom
and in v
family.We pi:a1se God for al
has done for our church and
munity.
·we praise God for our mothers
and fathers ;who are still with us ·
for those who have gone on. As
honor our parents, we recognize
gifts pass~d to us from previous
generations. To honor our p
to recognize_ that they have fulfilled
their responsibility as best they
could and have made the necessary
sacrifices. Our parents have pre-
served and improved life where they
were able. Through their guidance
and love, we are able to move forth,
and foster a deep recognition of how
fortunate we are. Those who have
gone on have given so much. TO
GOD BE THE GLORY!
As our youth complete another
year of school or college, we give
God the praise for their accomplish-
ments in their classwork, on tests,
and in extracurricular activities. Let
us continue to encourage our youth
to strive for excellence and to
always put God first in their lives.
Over the past few months, many
groups and individuals within our
church family have celebrated
ging anniversaries and some ha~e
n called_ foto the ministry .. God ·
truly blessed us over the years.
e have had good times and bad .
es. but through it all, we have
arned to depend on the Lord.
ord, we thank you for being oµr
epherd: Thank you for watching
er us and protecting us. As we
tinue to sing and -minister for
, we willlift your nanie
Finally, we praise God for individ-
uals within our church family who
have remained faithful to causes that
have improved both the church and
the _ community.
We especially thank God for
Reverend Leon White, who began
his tenure as pastor the fourth
Sunday in June 1961.
Today, as we hold this issue of The
Oak Tree, we celebrate 40 years
under the capable
leadership of Reverend White.
Through Pastor White's leader-
ship, Oak Level has completed
many projects and reached many
milestones. With God's help and
Pastor White as our leader, we look
forward to many other accomplish-
ments.
Thank you Lord for letting us
know that our struggles in life are
not done in vain. If we just wait
on you and remain faithful, we
will see the fruits of our labor.
TO GOD BE THE GLORY!
by Gwen White
,Rhotl> by :Jennifer Lynch/The Wwr8n Record
Symbolically "breaking ground" just outside the emtrance of the PCB Landfill at Monday's
ceremony are, from left, Massenburg Kearney, Rev. Leon White; Citizens Advisory Board
Chairman Dollie Burwell; Bill Meyer, director of tbe Divisioli) af Waste management; Rep. Eva
Clayton. Sen. fran~ Ballance, &Ad qhairman of the WarreA Coumty Commissioners, Michael
Jones. · . In 1982, trucks ]Qaded with PCB laced soil rolled mto .Warren County
and now 19 years later, trucks wiH bring equipment and supplies to clean
up the 'site. . ., .
Oak, Level's very own Dollie Burwell, who'currently serves as chairper-,
son of the Warren County Citizen~ Advisory Committee, has remained
· faithf1:d to the struggle that began in 1982. Today, Dollie and others. are
seeing the fruits of her labor. Dollie states that "my task over the years was
to make sure that the state lived up to its commitment to clean up the land-
fill."
Warren County's protest generated national attention and prompted.
Governor Jim Hunt to write a letter to the citizens of Warren County. In
that letter, Hunt promised that the state would push as hard as it could to
detoxify the landfill when and if the appropriate and feasible technology
was developed. In the mid l 980's a study revealed that no such technology
was available. When Hunt returned to the governor's office in 1993, Dollie
and others did not forget his commitment. Later that year, state engineers
discovered that the landfill enclosed in the equivalent of a giant plastic
garbage bag had filled with water and threatened to leak into the ground-
water.
In 1995, lawmakers appropriated $1 million requested by Senator
Frank Ballance, a Warrenton democrat, to investigate ways to clean up the
dump. The General Assembly set aside $2 million to begin cleaning up the
l~dfill in 1998. Then in 2000, Ute EPA (Environmental Protection
Agency) contributed $500,000 which triggered the state to release$ 7 mil-
lion to move forth with the project.
Yes, a move forth occurred on June 11, 2001, as citizens of Warren
See/PCB/Continued on page 4
lorinated bi
e a subset of synthe
als known as chlorin
Between 1926 and 197/"J, PCB-containing
products were manufacmred for applica-
tions demanding stable, fiFe-tesistant, and
heat-transfer properties. The most exten-
sive use of PCBs occurred iin dielectric:
fluids in transformers and capacitors. ~
What product-s used PCB?
Before feaeral regulations limited PCB
production and use, BCBs were common-
ly used in a :variety of commercial prod-
ucts, il)cluding: adhesives, tramsformers,
large, high and low voltage capacitors,
liquid-cooled electric JR<iltors, h.ydraulic
systems, fluorescent light bdlasts, voltage
regulat_ors and sw~tches .
Bow can PCB affect my health?
It is not known whether PCB causes can-
cer in humans, but m. a loqg term (365
, days or Jonget} study, PCBs ~aused can-
cer of the liv-er in rats that ate certain PCB
mixtures.
Where did the PCB come from that came
to Warren County?
Three men who worked for Ward
Transformer. Company of Raleigh illegal-
ly dumped PCB tainted trans.formers
along more than 200 miles of North
Carolina roads. In May 1982, Governor
Jim Hunt and tµe US Environment
Protection Agency reached an agreement
to scrape up the soil and bury it in Warren
County.
When did the PCB arrive in Warren
Co~nty?
The first trucks C8!fYing the PCB tainted
soil arrived in Warren County in
September 1982. These trucks encoun-
tered numerous protestors.
The OAK TREE/Page 3
PCB/Continued from page 3
County witnessed a groundbreaking
ceremony at the landfill. The ground-
breaking signals the start of the detox-
ification project which will cost
approximately $15 million.
A 250,000 grant from the EPA will
be used to train local people in haz-
arcfous waste and and through the
solicitation of IT Corp ( an environ-
mental management firm) and
Midwest Soil Remediation ( one of the
largest environmental contractors in
the US) local subcontractors have
been hired.
"The struggle has not been just
aboutenvironmentaljustice,butalso
about economic justice. One of the
committee's goals was to mate sure
local minorities got a fair share of the
contracts for the project," said
Burwell. This goal was accomplished
by IT Corp awarciing $850,000 in
subcontracts to the following compa-
nies: Kearneco Grading, Bllington and
Son, Inc., and Yancey Electric
Service, Inc. An additional $20,000
will be awarded to two other local
firms, Hargrove's Fencing and
Installing Service and S.S.T., Inc.
Midwest Soil Remediation, a minority
owned firm headquartered in Elgin,
lliinois will supply, install and operate
the process equipment MSR has com-
mitted to obtain fuel for the process
unit from Fogg's Exxon, a local
minority business. This contract could
be 3:5 .much as $800,000.
According to the Warren County
PCB Landfill Newswire, Dollie
Burwell was _.....,.._
quoted as
saying 'The
struggle has
been a
struggle of
many
dimensions
and forms. It Dollie Burwell
has gone from actually laying our
bodies in front of trucks carrying PCB
laced soil, being arrested for acts of
civil disobedience, becoming politi-
Page 4/The OAK TREE
cally active by running myself for
office, and encouraging and support-
ing others who would support our
issues, and causes to run for political
office. 1 have -walked the walk and
kept the faith and now tile PCB
Landfill is on its way towarcis detoxi-
fication . I know my community is
looking forward to the day when the
site is redeveloped and housing a
technology and for recreational facili-
ty surroUDded by a park dedicated to
the birthplace of the Environmental
Justice Movement and to those who
have worked so bard to educate others
about envil!Omnental injustice in order
to begin to bring about environmental
justice to this state, this nation, and
this world.'
Dollie, The Oak Level Chorch
Family thanks you for being faithful
to the cause and for your obecllence
to God's will. You have definitely
kept the faith. To God be the Glory!
For further reading on Environmental
Justice, check out the following
books:
Bullmrd, Robert D. Dumping in
Dixie: Race, Class, and
Environmental Quality.
Cole, Luke W. and Shelia Foster.
From the Ground up: Environmental
Racism and the Rise of the
Environmental Justice Movement.
Cuesta-Camacho, David E.
Environmental Injustices, Political
Struggles: Race, Class, and the
Environment.
Institute of Medicine, Health
Sciences Policy Program. Toward
Environmental Justice: Research,
Education, and Health Policy Needs.
Kaplep, Tenna. Crazy for
Democracy.
Westra, Laura (editor). Faces of
Environmental Racism: Confronting
Issues of Global Justice.
Who are we ...
N we do not raise our voice
sgsinst injustice
N we do not speak out
for truth and righteousness?
Whoarewe ...
N we do not extend our baf!Jds
to those In need
N we do not share our light
with those In darkn6ss?
Who are we ...
To hate those who
look differently,
speak differently, or
bslieve dllterentlyl
Who are we ...
ff we cannot encourage others "
without en~
if we cannot share in'· the their
success
without jealousy?
Our garden ~ults
from the seeds we've sown
Our house stands
on the foundations we've laid
Our life will be measured
by the things we've done
Who are we?
Taken from Don't Quit:
a book of inspirational poetry.
Pholo by Jemy Labalme
The Reverend Leon White; Mrs. and Dr. Joseph Lowery, president of the
Southern Christian Leadership Conference; Walter Fauntroy a congressional
delegate; Ken Ferruccio; and Dr James Green lead a Warren County demon-stration, 1982.
''Fear none of those things which thou shall suffer:
behold the devil shall cast some of you in prison, that ye
may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be
thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of
life." Revelation 2: 10
In 1982 as director of the Commission for Racial
Justice and pastor of Oak Level UCC, I was requested by
the community to help lead efforts to halt the State of
North Carolina from establishing a landfill in Warren
County. Of course, this struggle was about dumping
toxic waste in African American communities. African
Americans make up 85% of the Afton community where
the landfill was created.
Rising to the challenge, members, including the youth
of Oak Level and many others throughout the communi-
ty, colleges, and universities played an active role in this
protest. To hinder trucks loaded with tainted soil frol\l
entering the landfill, I and many others blocked the high-
way as hundreds of police and national guard units sur-
rounded us. Many were arrested and spent days in jail in
their efforts to fight this great ~justice. I, myself,• fasted
and prayed for 25 days in jail for this cause. To cele-
brate my 25th pastoral anniversary, we were instrumental
in planting oak trees. Symbolically, these trees were
planted as an expression of our need to help bring heal-
ing to the environment.
Nationally, an ecumenical thrust for environmental
justice and other concerns has blossomed. In 1992,
President Clinton signed the Environmental Justice Act.
Colleges now have environmental justice programs.
After 19 years that small movement of Warren County
citizens and the community of faith has resulted in many
Page 2/The OAK TREE
denominations across the United States to develop pro-
grams focusing on the environment
Most importantly after 19 years, Oak Level's very own
Dollie Bwwell has remained faithful to the task to make
sure the State of North Carolina lived up to its commit-
See 11 YEAASIConlinued on page 15
lectionary
July 1 • Called to freedom
2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14 • Ps 77:1-2, 11-20 • Gal 5:1, 13-25
July 8 • You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice
2 Kings 5:1-14 • Ps 30 • Isa 66:10-14
July 15 • Hear the word of the wrd
Am 7:7-17 • Ps 82 • Deut 30:9-14
July 22 • Hear this, you that trample on the needy
Am 8:1-12 • Ps 52 • Gen 18:1-lOa
July 29 • Knock and the door will be opened
Hos 1:2-10 • Ps 85 • Lk 11:1-13
August 5 • How can I give you up!
Hos 11:1-11 • Ps 107:1-9, 43 • Eccl 1:2, 12-14
August 12 • By faith
Isa 1:1, 10-20 • Ps 50:1-8, 22-23 • Heb 11:1-3, 8-16
August 19 , woking to Jesus
Isa 5:1-7 • Ps 80:1-2, 8-19 • Heb 11:29-12:2
August 26 • From ,verlasting to everlasting
Jer 1:4-10 • Ps'71:1-6 • Ps 103:1-8
September 2 • Invite the forgotten
Jer 2:4-13 • Ps 81:1, 10-16 • Lk 14:1, 7-14
September 9 • The cost of discipleship
Jer 18:1-11 • Ps 139:1-6,13-18 • Lk 14:25-33
September 16 • God is their refuge
Jer 4:11-12, 22-28 • Ps 14 • Ex 32:7-14
September 23 • Is there no balm in Gilead?
Jer 8:18-9:1 • Ps 79:1-9 • Arn 8:4-7
September 30 • Go pursue righteousness
Jer 32:J-3a, 6-15 • Ps 9:1-6, 14-16 • I 1im 6:6-19
Henderson Daily Ol1palch
Henderson, NC
D -110 om, s -NO DATA
Apr. 6, 2001
carolina Cllpplno service
Relelgh, NC 27603
M
CoptyBoarilof
... fiicuiecl
Amoaigot.hm-"
• State .
give a Jll'Oll'9ll8
todetomythe -
witb work to saart .
. the state ia
ofthe
. peas . . and f.o
repreeentatives .
• The building needs
unty schools, totaling
million, were listed
ool board docum ·
. by the
boanl
bya • of
Chapel Hill; The
diqnosia. will be
acomm •
The Warren Record I Warrenton, NC 0 -NO DATA S -NO DATA March 14, 2001 Carolina Clipping Service Raleigh, NC 27803 ByJENNIFSR i:VNCH Edllar The ITGl'GUpfor tile PCB signed, to.,. . Cltiae .... lioll tu At CAB, d.,.. M to tNanen Coualy'a poor -econoaic status and mjnority ~ populdon. '11le pro&IICI from lransformer oilll C:Ontaiabtt deizelll. civil ripta and envi-L -_ _._. __ .-.• __ ____...__. ~ .. • ·• --------!
03/16/2001 10:55 2524300125
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~
v. . DAILY DISPATCH 7 I 1-I 15 -~ J-I I)
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PAGE 01/01
. . ., • 7 . '
...; .. , ... ~ ..... ·•----..
.,10UNTY. · ···,
•••-:'-••• ·••--_.__: <OO ,.;. 00•0•-•• -• 00 W♦---•• 0
SUH~v, MAACli 11, 2001 . . . ; . .
·•, . '
~~FH.L, from page one .
~ I ·, ... ()nm·~ ·up; the· ~m ·will r.appe4 .with the··~·~~ is time tD ~ com~=ies
1od DUX the aoil amtaminated with . still inside .arid still ilefive;. i... ., mid finmdations int.a'estsd in the
ld. PCB (polycblorinated bipbmiyl) . 'l1le ~mmitt.eb. talked ~pout eixvironmen~ poor rural,-~
l&,. with &Odium bicarbonate, which : more state dollars. Ch~inan . and minority communiues. ,
life undsr heat will &trip the clllorine . · .Dolly Burwell reparmd ~ reaint . Burwell and Massenberg:
frmn.the~1nmderlllgitlumn·: Jneeting cit which·. Scm.'·-i'.rank Kearney, wbo lives nen.tD the
ter less. Vapors arid '.Watm-leaving . Ballance . . and · Reps: / Jiin landfill and is ever con.sci~ of
un; ·the procees will be tieat.ed. · Cntwford and St.an Fox, whq ~Jr. ~ighbof!I who have died of can-.
:,r,. · 'llle aail will be n~ t.o the . ia_sesit the cnunty,._ show~ _~they , a,,r, indimtcd they don~ wani tn me, whim Warren in~ hope were recepti~ . to_ leading the COD8ider ~ possibility of.t,he j~ · ·
ee . ,will be developed ._b-recnMltum: : effiJrt, · · , · · .. , · : ., being lef\ unfinished. ·;
ot purposes. . · . · . . ·. But the budget ~. in But Kelly aplained th,at Whfie.
;y, The contract, however, al.so }Weigh redu086' the cband~ .. for the IT Group will begin setting
Jr COIDID11Sallthemoneyavailable. · state aid, 'Gov. :Milt&: ll~ley upbyJulyandbySept.emherwill
r-. At its m,eeting ThursdaY, the · releases bis pro~ 20lJ1-03 . dig up some of the mound for the
'O Wamm Citi1.ens .Advisory Board budget M~y. .. : ; _; i · · i · . demorurtration process, the~ .
"· ahoweditisfullyawamthejobis . :· Toe -co-~ ~-~tlked' M)liun~tear_lynextrear ...
n far from done. 'lbe board elevated , about. federal doIIars . .Mtke 1Ksl]y . The. 111tnation raises the
most of its io.eetiJ)g to dmrussing . of the iit;ab! Divjsicm or: Waste prospect that people who tried t.o
,t where and how t.o ~d the_ '. Management' ·re;;~dT Ut!lt a : block trucks bringing paisonous ~ remeining $~ niillion needed by ·. recent visit t.o W~. pro-dirt t.o Warren County iii the ·
November.. · duced few pro!Jll.lQ bµt ~some 1980s may want tD block trucks 8 · · \Wllout a ~anal appropria-. interm · from· co~!iional from leaviJig without cleariing up
l-tums, th!_~ iuid the people of . staffs, ]Wtabl.Y, from, the o~ice of· ._:that dirt next yeai: . .
J, Warren ~y .faqe tbe pl'08p8Ct ··Ben. Jl!Biie llelma', . ·· " --· · -, · . ' '
Y ·or the d~ plant shut-.-And the committee ~alked The writer can be reached at
ting down and'tlw landfill being ·about p~ate 11>uroos, agmf3ing_it . [e-mail]~.
... e.
W AK.KbN CUUN 1 Y http://wastenot.enr.state.nc.us/WarrenCo.htm
1 of 1
Contact: Chrystal Bartlett 919-733-4996 ext. 425 Date: March 6, 2001 Distribution: Targeted
WORK TO BEGIN ON WARREN COUNTY PCB LANDFILL
DETOXIFICATION
RALEIGH-The state of North Carolina took a significant step toward fulfilling its promise to detoxify
the Warren County PCB Landfill. The state executed a contract between the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources and The IT Group. The contract outlines plans to remove and
destroy the PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) from the landfill soil and allow for redevelopment of the
site.
The IT Group received the detoxification contract based on its low bid of $13.5 million. The project
will consist of two phases. Phase I includes preparing the site, installing utilities, constructing facilities,
mobilizing equipment, performance testing, and treating a limited amount of material. Phase II will
complete the detoxification and allow the site to be redeveloped. Current funding is sufficient to
complete Phase I, which will cost $6 .6 million.
The contract is a product of the collaboration between DENR's Division of Waste Management and the
Warren County community. Since 1994, both groups have worked together to select and test an
appropriate treatment technology and to design and implement the detoxification project. The General
Assembly supported the process through legislation introduced by Senator Frank Ballance and
Representatives Stan Fox and Jim Crawford.
The legislature has provided funds totaling $9 .6 million and the US EPA pledged support through
in-kind services. EPA's contribution allows funds to be spent on other project requirements. Because
additional funds are needed for Phase II, federal , state and private funds are being pursued.
The landfill was constructed in 1982 to contain PCB-contaminated soil from over 210 miles of North
Carolina roadsides. The contamination resulted from the illegal disposal of transformer oils containing
PCBs. The roadsides were listed as an EPA Superfund site and the landfill was constructed to dispose of
these soils. Warren County residents vehemently opposed the location. Their protests are considered by
many the "watershed event" that started the environmental justice movement.
The IT Group, Inc. provides consulting, engineering and construction, infrastructure, water, facility and
environmental management services. A wholly owned subsidiary of The IT Group, IT Corporation will
use resources from their Morrisville, NC and Trenton, NJ offices. Other services and supplies will come
from local subcontractors and businesses. Local residents will also be hired for the detoxification effort.
For more information, click on one of the links below.
• BCD Process (If tm::ib)c to vi ew in Net"cape, pres:, "Relu2d" button or rrv Intc-111{:1 E.\1.0Jc,rer}
• Fact Sheet
03/07/2001 3:43 PM
Warren County PCB Detoxification Process Using Base Catalyzed Decomposition I Contaminated Vapors Filters VAPOR RECOVERY SYSTEM Condensed Water Clean Process Vent Gas Mix with dehalogenation chemicals i Mixture i Condensed liquids with PCBs ------------,-LIQUID REACTOR 1 ► disposed of, or Non-Contact Flue Gas INDIRECT HEATED THERMAL DESORBER Contaminated I I \~; l\ "l,,. ,\J)~,:.~,l{ Soil iU~ ,~ i,ai l Heat mixture at Mix with sodium 800 _ 1Q00°F bicarbonate 0 <::)o ~OC> 0 oaa Debris WATER TREATMENT • Clean water to rehydrate soil Collect and test decontaminated soil Heat mixture at 650°F PCB's dechlorinated to non-toxic biphenyls ------►► Returnto landfill I area recycled, off-site
Warren County PCB Landfill Fact Sheet http://wastenot.enr.state.nc.us/WarrenCo_Fact_Sheet.htln
1 of 2
Warren County PCB Landfill Fact Sheet
• The Warren County PCB Landfill contains soil that was contaminated by the illegal
spraying of oil containing PCBs from over 21 O miles of highway shoulders. Over 30,000
gallons of contaminated oil were disposed in 14 North Carolina counties .
• The landfill is located on a 142-acre tract of land on the east side of SR 1604
approximately 1.5 to 2.0 miles from the intersection of SR 1604 and US 401 . This
location is 3 miles south of Warrenton. The state owns approximately 19 acres of the
tract and Warren County owns the remaining acreage surrounding the state's property.
The containment area of the landfill cell occupies approximate 3.8 acres and is enclosed
by a fence. The landfill surface dimension is approximately 300' x 550' with a depth of
approximately 25' of contaminated soil at the center. The county property is
undeveloped and the adjacent land is either undeveloped or used for agricultural
purposes .
• EPA permitted the landfill under the Toxic Substances Control Act. The landfill contains
approximately 40,000 cubic yards (equivalent to 60,000 tons) of contaminated soil. The
landfill is equipped with both PVC and clay caps and liners. It also has a dual leachate
collection system. The material in the landfill is solely from the contaminated roadsides.
The landfill was never operated as a commercial facility .
• The landfill is located in the Shocco Township of the county. The population numbers
approximately 1,000. Seventy-eight percent of the township residents are nonwhite and
29 percent of the residents have incomes below the federal poverty level. Warren
County is an economically depressed community and has been designated as a Tier I
county for economic development.
• Residents of Warren County and civil rights leaders vehemently protested the location of
the landfill in Warren County. These protests are considered the "watershed event"
which brought "environmental justice" to the national level.
• Environmental Justice recognizes the concern that minority populations and/or
low-income populations have borne a disproportionate amount of potential adverse
health and environmental effects. EJ calls for the "fair treatment for people of all races,
cultures, and incomes, regarding the development of environmental laws, regulations,
and policies."
• In 1982, then-Governor Jim Hunt made a commitment to the people of Warren County.
He stated that if appropriate and feasible technology became available, the state would
explore detoxification of the landfill.
• In 1994, a Working Group, consisting of members of the community and representatives
from the state, began an in-depth assessment of the landfill and a study of the feasibility
of detoxification. The Working Group selected Base Catalyzed Decomposition as the
most appropriate technology. Tests using landfill soil and designs for the construction
and operation of an on-site treatment facility have been completed. Approximately $1.6
million of state funds was spent at this time.
• BCD is a non-incineration, chemical dechlorination process that destroys the PCBs,
dioxins and furans. Destruction of the PCBs to non-toxic compounds will eliminate
further regulation of the site and permit unrestricted future use. Chlorine atoms are
chemically removed from the PCB and dioxin/furan molecules, and replaced with
hydrogen, to form biphenyls, which are non-hazardous. Treated soil is returned to the
landfill and organics are recycled or disposed off site as a non-hazardous waste .
• In 1999 the General Assembly appropriated $1 million and reserved an additional $7M to
03/07/2001 3:44 PM
Warren County PCH Landfill Fact Sheet http://wastenot.enr.state.nc.us/WarrenCo_Fact_Sheet.htrn
2 of2
be released if matching federal funds could be found. The EPA pledged in-kind services,
which were considered a "match". This enabled the project to move forward .
• EARTH TECH, an environmental engineering firm, was hired in November to serve as
an oversight contractor.
• A public bid opening was held on December 22, 2000. The IT Corporation, with a bid of
$13.5M, was the apparent low bidder. Existing funds are sufficient to fund Phase I. An
additional $7.5 million will be needed to continue with Phase II. Phase I will finish at the
end of 2001. Additional funding will be needed by the fall of 2001 .
• On January 30, 2001, the state construction office awarded the contract for detoxification
to the IT Corporation, a subsidiary of the IT Group. The official start date for the project
is March 12, 2001 .
03/07/2001 3:44 PM
The News a Observer
Ralelgh, NC .
D -NO DATA 8 -NO DATA
10/30/00
Carolina Clipping Service
Raleigh, NC 27803
, .. : ~~:, '•~.-.·<\:~~-:·a·,,:~: ... , __ ;,_
• , •, T, ,1.t:~ • •"f' -~)t
' >·_, ty ~
'chit ~
st.onige_J;i ceo, : 1 . ~ tainted .
;. f ~·
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1f.he~the~cial reso . t those who
1 , ~:~!~ut,tofJ~~-~e ~~1 , _ . . , _e .foi,t.graot-
. , ~• that th~ rotestirig · Utat'is · · · · ·· ·
1. ' raRWarreJtCad on their SI toxffl'e'd"'si
;,,. . ickel!i!}~w11s:tll,e moral ri . . . _ 'tysmr,itJan
J.t\~~~t(Jt h~~ ta}t~n 18 Yl:a,s<-:-.. , e> . who WQ\lld o/pellt np i , . ,
· 1.....--...: · , ' . ~-. ·, ,, t 1 L
Wai1.;,n'to'• · -waste cleanup planned in 2001
1 of2
h ,,,?::,,;Jllf.t
mmi~JMn
,t::::xic>:~~p:!~~p~1
•:❖·················•·::::::::········
$P£ClAl REPORfS r H
WEATHER
•:1■Jliilll■l~i:~~~lil:i/lli in 2 oo 1
111111,11~~11111111 By JAMES ELI SHIFFER, Staff Writer
1-JII :~~~~~.~i~~~:~ w:,~~~ ~tu~t0~~~r~~mme,.
.................................................. thanks to $7 .6 million in state and federal money J!llilllllllll~ililllii recently funneled into the project.
r• X .-❖ ;, n:::
i printer friendly i!
I version !! ~ e-mail a friend ~
~-n .. .r.-.-. • • •. n-.-. ,.., ••• •;. ,r; •••. ;,, .• ;•;• •• ,,; • , ••• ,..-•• ,.,,,,;,j~~
JiimhffidJe~C ·.··= t?:' In 1978, a Raleigh company illegally dumped oil tainted with cancer-causing imhf&fliW:~~iiaiJijj: f polychlorinated biphenyls along 200 miles of roads in Central and Eastern North
•
11fll1~1~~::1~~!: /! rr~i~~ ~Jr~;~!f if ~:~~s~~~~~~i~r:~ l~ f i~~~~t]rir~~~rr~:::}Ji~!{!~n
1 ~tu Jl[IIIIIIIIIE◄ j the technology became available. ~.-" .
i:r:.1:=1~ ' ' ~~r~~;~e"c~~,~~"~t,i~1~:::ag~~~~!~~ ip~~:~~!~~~t:n".J h~=i:;~a'r" Bill I ztm
\,ie[.~1.hi~:.::,iii:i:., M&P< Environmental Protection Agency in August to offer services worth $60 ,000.
!li;~111i:l ::;jj:::ll!t•····••:=••···•·•,!J!!J!•! ~~~~i~J~~h~i~~!n~:..c:i1~~~~\~:~~~!~:~~7~~n~t!t~d~~~~~ement said the
AM!ii.i?i:Hi.ffiffl!Wti½W ?Jt?J
:Jil~li1l~~i!1~lliJl~f ~ ii: !~iJ~~ie~~~k ~~ti:;;ii:~~~i~. !:i~i~~~i!'1~~~~~~ ~h~~i~~Y 6~ii:~~~7~!~t
·C.i:ltlH'itifki.i:lildedlshiliij who has pressured the government for 18 years to clean up the landfill. t<i pr:f3~ci: l&:tlea · IIPA w~:1!f ~~~~7h~t r~;~;i~~~~:;w~ ~tgr:~~~f!~':/ ~~~~a:n~t~f;g~ i~~gh!':l~~
.,~~ij:ij'l~i•!:•J•• . J /:\ Over the past several years, state officials, environmental groups and Warren Qii@M~Y&.li&@Mifl!JJ County residents worked together to choose a cleanup method that would avoid · ·.· · ··· ········\/?iJ the necessity of dumping the waste elsewhere. They chose base catalyzed JiJ \ decomposition , a process that cooks and treats the soil to render the
ttf contaminants harmless.
f The state is taking bids from the three companies vying for the project and hopes
· to sign a contract within four months. Clearing and grading to make way for the
high-tech cleanup could start by spring.
, ,,/ Once the work is finished after 18 to 24 months, the county could convert the :JJ? detoxified dump to a soccer field or a park, said Mike Kelly, DENR's deputy
··· ··· ·· waste management director.
10/26/2000 9:47 AM
Waii'ar'to -waste cleanup planned in 2001
2 of2
"You can take what has been a stigma attached to the county for a long time and
develop it into something worthwhile," Kelly said.
Staff writer James Eli Shiffer can be reached at 836-5701 or [e-mail]
Feedback II Parental Consent II Privacy Policy II User Agreement
············································r:, j G_o To Section m,........J..:'.'.J
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© Copyright 2000, The News & Observer. All material found on newsobserver.com is copyrighted The
News & Observer and associated news services. No material may be reproduced or reused without
explicit permission from The News & Observer.
10/26/2000 9:47 AM
The New, I Observer
Raleigh, NC
D -NO DATA I -NO DATA
10/26/00
carollna Clipping Service
Raleigh, NC 27803
' ;,
"1'he
en the techno a Win'en County Burwel Sjl} ~ , months. 01 , .
U.S. Rep. Eva' Clayton, as taken a lobg time. )Jut grading t.o make way for the · ~
s Hunt helped. persuade t that I'vii gotten In ~ tech eleanup eould start ,
nmentld Protection Agency . ,vu worth ,, · m August t.o offer services :worth for.it." • . 18 t.o 24 months, the co nt of ,000. Lastmontlt,.tlle Ofllee of ' Over,the·~t . the te Budget, Planning and ofll~ enviro
: . said the "in-klna ~i:i County resld 11Y'.4wn~ o f,amte ', · ce aHowed ~e release of to cbooeeac1e11m111•-11.r1 ~usipg W~ ' money. ' , at would avoid the
Is afc;mg i~o JP!les·o ~ ---L•-· ,.,,.,...,, • .., ... ,.,,.. ·e,project Ii estimated to thewuteeleJsellfMllla'II
~
i!P4 FJ!,sfeijf!N ,._ n more, buUhe mon _ base~
§.til.te's~ionijUll82t6! toallowthewotktomow aprocelll!tbat ,
, coi:itaminated son· , said Dollie B,ur,well, a soil to re .n Pt anp ~cart-Am,!l unty resldent who hl!S harmlels I'll~ led~ ~ive _ e ci-vernment
r\l~Q'Pirt Gent' .f.l!!l ij___tmt; !pr .
~--'·' i_. -· _.__ ... •· . · . .,, ... -... , ---·-"--~"'-"--"--'--"'-"-lc-'-'-.:...!!J"--.--:.:1:L..:.:.:::..;::.=.:.:c,.~
., , ,
ment also put up l11Clll8j Lobbymg . "'The communJty is excited,"
by a fllllow Warren Qiunty ~ Burwell said ~esday. "It has
rat, U.S.-Bva CJtrton, as well taken a long time. But everything
as Hunt '-lped pinuade the tllat rve gotten In my lifetime that
Envlh•q .W Dr---A,-cy -wanbanythfng.youhadtoftght -
lnA.,_t ... ..-,11:eawurth ttil" . -
$80!>.0IJQ. ._ IIIIDllth, the Olliee al Over.the put aeveralyean, state
State llu1tP.t, nlng and o8tciala,envlronmentalgroupsand
~~ assis-Warren Co1:!J)ty residents worked tmtce• aU the e of the together ti>chome14 cllllnup method
-~ . ' that would avoid the neczeaaity of · Tlie ~ estpated to cost ~. · tbe...-eliemn. 'Ibey·
,:=-s::,i:~~ ==::i~ torwad iaid Dome Blirwell, a soil to render the contaminants tiarren Cclanv. rwldent who has harmless. pressured tbe government for The state ls taldng bids lhlm the
18yeau::a to elllln uptbe landlilL three'~-vyinfl fol: the~
ject and hopea to lip a cona-. , within four montba. Clearing •'
~-to--W11Jforthe ';
tech deanupeouldatby...,.. •
0nce the won 1a flniabed after ··
18 to 24 moatbs, the county ~
eomwttbedefladlecl--..tcra-
cer lleld or a pirlr, ~ Mike Kaba
=~~~
"You can tsk& what has been a
stigma atfat!bi!I to the county'fora ,.
klU& time md develop it into IIOllle,
thing worthwhile," Kelly said
Henderson Daily Dispatch Henderson. NC D -NO DATA S -NO DATA 10/12/00 Carolina Clipping Service Raleigh, NC 27603 ~ Pelf pFOje~t~greSSlePoit is Planned BY CHARLIE RICHARDS DAILY DISPATCH WRITER WARRENTON -An event planned as an education oppor-tunity for Warren County citi-zens to catch up on ,what has been happening with the PCB landfill near here may turn out to be a celebration as well. The Citizens Advisory Committee and its consultants are planning a forum, tentative-ly scheduled for Oct. 26, to pro-vide information to the public about plans for detoxification of the landfill. Local contractors and businesses who might be involved would have a chance to get information also. But while some federal help has been assured, and that in · funds for the clean up, there has been no formal announce-ment about the project, . even though dirt could be moving early . next year. So the public gath-ering may \ prove to be an opport1F.ty to celebrate, with state mid per-haps federal officials joining local leaders for the formalities. Meanwhile, work continues toward the clean up process. Pat Backus, project manager for the state's Division of Waste Management, said semi-annual sampling from the landfill area was performed this week and "hopefully that will be the last." -turn has made available..state -----------Negotiations are nearly com-plete with a firm to be the over-sight contractor on the clean up, and four firms have responded to the state's request for qualifications. Those qualify-ing will be invited to bid on the project, with a goal of sending bid packages out this month. The $7 million in state funds allocated to the project will not complete the work, so the con-tract will be awarded in phases. The local citizens group Tuesday discussed plans to communicate with the gover-nor's office about including more funds for the PCB job in next year's budget. They were advised that although a new · administration will be in place for the next session,of the legis-lature, departments are work-ing on budget requests now. ., ' .. / \
f:'2. 1;.e r: •. o.e f i:g,gnz: . ~ oz :c■ I*• 111,~ I : ~=,~.: ;:,~rJ;g .. ~ 1« .. 11 ::1 ~ot2., ·~· · -.. •• · rf t:if 1t•if&lildii ,, •(?, !I Q.•03to , .... IC g. ·11ri g_aoj~-[ {:!· 'iJ' I ~,m,o ~ -• a.ltl-o . f 8 i:r si :tt-!!f ~·z::, <D.-,.. f i ,1.1 ,1f' '· ,l11lij i, ~ ~ ~. 0. · .. ~:·;•.~CD.I .. 1 .. ·.ll ·" s,,-1-,1,,1 i-Q.g:! ~ i ·:. ___ .. 1. -,u I•, ar f i D •. l ~ .1 l -, I I iit ,. I.,. :: ,-. :lf·I. ti f J f . 11 a .. ~ i ",a I . ... ,, '. . . . . flt ¼ ' • it Ii JI fa.. :i111· ii;'. i ,:iii ai=. ir t: ~. ·.I. dr• 1llillW,,1 l•1J'~J, aBH .. fat•' •ff flir,Hli!!Uf!·l'1! 1fi :~ . rt~lf 1 :!I if Hh•l,:~1-Jlta 11-· f lf~I !1}!U!!J~;ii~ ll)hlijf~t J !fhr '·ll·)if1: f (fjfer ,-rlf1tri ... , .. til!! ll'J1 ··• 11;. ir : 1 1 f~ r-l~a.1i. _ c 111 :f Jhr;i f i1lt •· .!~t tf1•• i asr•f_! tl,i,(1~ ·s._,l l:~Jt_ . ..1,Jlt'f . .fi~~~-l . ~~ \ ~---)> )> ~. i~ "· !i ::z: er, 0,., nl~::l 7-rn rm--· i, .. :;i n ,_(5""'. CJ ~ 0 ,;~J Pe ~~§ !io --
~ CUPPING SERVICE 1115 HILLSBORO RALEIGH, NC 27603 TEL [phone] DAILY DISPATCH HINDIIION, N, C. r~~R c 2 0 0 I \ \ \ J.U.J..&'-'V --------: :~i~!!~~~t~~61r~fpryii !:~~!:n~r;:~~~~,~~~~c~!~~!!J. ·: 1 ;:1t : : D D w ·-·l 1· · .. · , ·.· . ·.. . . . .·.·... funds: from federal agencies, ; .• -·.: AIL¥' 'ISPATC~, /.':ER.}~\' i :,_ on ilb,h' ~runhin·g·::'e'ffortsJcf clea'n\'la.'n'dfill\ -·they are proceeding on a sched-··WARRENTON···:'"~•:;··:·N()rth .... '.' · g .. · . : . ., \· · · . . .. . , ,n •. 1, .. , 11~, ·t ,:_, . : ,., :,.1 ule that would request proposals (,. Carolina's·• top e~virorimental ·, :p1aiifto1~rriov,it:hoth tr6m;Jils··· )ems~1:~a·c~ed \van~i County· from• companies interested in .. official· assured Warren County:• own staff and·froni citizens·wlio: ·'a· model in-,its ,work ,with the the cleanup by June.' citizens Thursday.there\·will~be :: gathered for aninfonnal ·session·\ ~tate ,to,.find: a.'.·soh,1.ti~n to.,the ,:'.: Site preparation could actual-no·.,turning b~ck Jn: the ~state's __ with~-•\.> .· ''., .::.;: ; 1 '. ~-'. .: . r landfill/ and.: in ;:lobbying '.Jor ly begin ~~s fall, if the funding effort~ detoxify the PCB land~ When aslted before the· meet-·. deanup funding.,.y:/o,i ,;,,;.,,., ,L . problem 1s sol~ed. · ~ . . fill near·here>: .• · ·• -·-,;: . i ing, he recalled he had seen the, .He also said he is proud of the Acknowledgmg that the·drain And he held the· cleanup pro-· · PCB dump before but as a repre-: • Warren. . : .. environmentalists on sta~ funds created by flood 1 ·{~:u:. ::i~~:t:::c;~~ri;:~. ;:;~!;_;:fi::~:iii:1~~!~~~::~~~~;_!:.!t!~;\~!e 1;:~~;t:~;:~~~;-c~:1~~: .· .', ; . centuryr~g~~}h;. ~~~Vll'Ontf~e~.;J admfr~_~d1fes~1-~pa~~-¼ls&11Yo~1.:l!,)SJ.,Sted on,'de~)ific'a-tf ·as~~:,pieJt~~?UP,}neetmg her~ : .. • , j 1 \. ~ , J . , f~ • . ,. ~ _(.._ -.. "-• · t • .,.;., \, , •••+'_ • • ',. .J,t, .4 .-,. \-. .•.•. ..,.., . ••, • ,, · . :,~ , 1 l, .-.· , , J , l \ ment.J.1~1 ti,:.~~ j;, ~-· •,:','. .j \'.. :rou1ve,don~~ inc efforts W na .t}i~ : .. tion .. > ,.;,•., ; .,c, .. ,~ I . 'i ~e'.~Ovemor ·very .much wapts:. :' .\ ~~-~r::;~rr~~~tt'~~,~~~1it~t:t~; ·•• rz.~~iW~;r:;;:,~~ '1 ! and Na~•~,~~;:. mpfficei~}he;17~citm~,. pu11~~ab&~w·-~~1? >new, ial>oµtfti~:,.CO~tµ\~·etr,ort :•tl of"• t~e:~,!?.~.al~~l~Ze~s:; advisory ' : : for,_about· ~-. til?1o~th~•;,came:,14P(·,~w c~n~~~ . : .··· t~1't?tl~:-,_to{get,if~der~~~~tc~~~~s' /group;~;:Well;as-~ther5.peakers,: -! ~~~ Co\~J~rthtit prst.,:o~J,:Jt:No~,_onl~.·tar~ofts~:-~ein~ ;' ',~~t,wot4d:tum.:l'?°,~· $7.~']JJ~l!~n ·, ; ke~t ~~-~~~,~~~e .?~. Gov. _Jam~s I :·. c1~.V1S~, ~ tpe !andfi~. ~a\_con,-. -;;J~ade:1;o stop;?~~~-the enyi¥~ltliatt.,h~ ~sta~,t ?a~; set,_as~de if9r f B:un~:;.ift·n/r+? \; i; :.: :. (;.:, ,· •:. ;: ~ . ;' tains:to~c FCBll)1coopedlup .?~ \ :r,~nment·,. he3,said1f'we .arei;talk~;~e··proJ(fut·";;";.;;1tt~~{ ·: ','~:· \, : , t~ : .1 ('S.he 'smd the governor would-! .Tar·.H~l.f()id,~a~ini:the, f~!f(/~g~~bout flxm,g;sjrffl?'·~tI i. ?JJ ,1:~,!~~ But,1,'.Mike~~-tKelly/ an~: .. !at f n't wtmt,:"a_blemish "on his l_egacy ! )98Os.•;;.i;·;-v-·t~· :.,~~ ,,:;:::,::f.tf\::i,-.'·Ji;', ·.;~/;H~hpan,: 88ld'.::·~lhacross:~~~~:Back~s~,~fficial~. ~f the., D1V1s1on tas he}e~ves ~ffice,: refernng to : : .J:,Jie: gc,t;a:-t>fietmg;ti~';tn,e)u~~ ::: ~hllte rthere ;, are ,-1,commurutJet4· f~ of Sohd, Waste,, srud. not 9nly t;U"e. r; Hunt's c6mm1tment · .to remove , ... ,.,.,,,. f'th ,, ·•4-,.:·. 'd 'th•'' 4-,;,:,,·.;.' ·r•''th t' •-t:.· ... -· ·•· .,\, ... 'ta1'••. '1., l·• 4-'...4--. ffi ''al kin .,,,.th·.us '''th l dfill . ·. l'{rf{O; 8 .. Sli.0 an. . e,sw:u.w, 0 ,.,:. a :\'fave cllYirOnmen ·•_prol.J'! -~~·Swiw.O ~ S·WOr g.Wl :. , . f' e an ;;\~?f.:~: ~: ,;;-:.:• • .. · . 1,: l · ·"\ .. ;~;,_~::,.•::·:,.,. ·:. · ·· .~:.·~t'i},:11,.:"'<'.'r~~;;,.,;,:t.?1~.--~<:_~~'~«:~.~~~.'."~::·(~~~~::t~r<";~~:~> .. ;'.;~~,..-,_:4~·'a:.· J., . ::. :1.:, :.5(:/f \';
.,, ... ,.
✓ CUPPING SERVICE 1115 HILLSBORO
RALEIGH, NC 27803
TEL [phone]
APR 19 00
Secretary Bill }folman of
the North CarolinaDepartmen~
of Environment, Health, and
Natural Resources will be
visiting Warren: County to be
in dialogue . with county
citizens and hear local
concerns on 'the Warren
. County PCB Landfill Detoxifi-
cation/Redev~ent Project.
-Holman will be at the John
Graham Building, 307 North
Main Street, Warrenton, at 3
p.m. Thursday,: April 20. ~
✓ CUPPING SERVICE 1115 HILLSBORO
RALEIGH, NC 27603
TEL [phone]
n De
By JENNIFER LYNCH a design-build J>C<>ject RFP de-
Editor velopment will! he handled ~ , IJ
As tlie -PCB· Citizen Advi-through tho sta~ constIJletion~ bil , -~
sory Board moves closer to. is-office rather tbtn purcllasing ren y e 1ence •
suing: ~equests for Proposals and s~rviees. advisor. going fgrward, Barnes's -:
community leaders fear they are Oiie of the areas covered in -company would stand to gain · --
being left out of the loop rela-J)Ie RFP will be ~e qaalifi-more financially by bid~ing
tive to criticil <lecision making. cations as defined by the state and tiemg awardecl the mult
. At last week~.s meeting the and by the advisoty board. millio dollar project. 'E
· group learned that state epre-Accordina te Mib · Kelly The group favors working __ -_:
sentatives have had to contend with tb! divisioni of waste man-with Barnes but will only be ~
with several "roadblocks" of agoment, cortaun. state guidelines part · of the e~uation when it i5
which the local group had not may prohibit oqt-of-state con-.comes time to make a final de~~-
. been previously apprised. · trac~ors from bidding on the· cision. ~::-.-;;
While the issues in question proJect. Kell ·
had been handled effectively, And here is where the prot>-will be
local 14tnembers exJ>ressed con-. lem lies. bUt• wh
cent over the role they may or P:at Barnes with BFA Env1-. the way .... ·
may · not play in the selection ronmental basect;jn FJorida has . Boa :. ·
·process' for the general c()nttac-had a lengthy association with 'comb ,
tor: , . the · advisory group, J\aving want to be elimm
' Questions atose ,~fter D.ENR ' sewed as its science ... .advisor · process/' · 1 ·• -''f' J · r
representative · Pat i Backus up-· · prior to final pr-oject l:lesign. In 'other business, '.K.ellf)n~
dated the grouH on t_P;e currert.t .. Local members have devel-formed the group thaf the solid
·stat~s of RFP development. • OP-ed a certain level of trust with waste tipping fe_e · .· e~i'ou~ly
Because the detoxification is Barnes, a~d he apmittedly has See PCB, pag 3
t
Jpce · J Continued fr~m page 1 options were suggested for her discussed was not popular with . assistance in securing federal other municipalities who bad funding. exp-r~~s~_~, di~le_asu-re'.··,at , the;11• r •,, ,,TwQ· a~e~cies recommended _ p(fss_1b1hty; ofcthe state 1 manda~~ ,. .-i: to ··be rev1S1ted '. were EPA ~and. '1 . ing tbefee.·--' r• I-" -~-. l---~:•:kk the"Deparlme'iifofJ)efensd:·-... -' Chairperson Dollie Burwell : , ; , · Lancaster said he feels Clay-. asked if there ~as a deadline for · ion· is in a goog position to se~ securing the federal . dollars · re-: ·•: cure funding. ': • · · ; · : ., · · ·. · , quired to release the funds cur-, , He also said that a minimum . rently earmarked for detoxifica-amount of.· federal·:-funding ., · tion. · would · ti:igget availability of· Kelly replied ·that _the group . . siate money already_ set aside;. · should focus less on a deadline .: , l A meeting date of April 20 · and more o,n their goal of se-, ; .was set fo,r. the group. to meet ,: curing the 'additional monies with DENR Secret_ar.y BiU Hol-· between now, and the fali-when ,.,1; ··man; :,:=; '-"'· ',.· ~ }· · ·:-··• · : .. : the group wa~ts. to have a con-The meeting will be held at 3 j tract signed. , p.m. at the JC>bn. Graham, Build-:. i Henry Lancaster with· the ,;, ing 'located at 307 N; ¥ain . League of Municipalities in-' Streef in Warrenton. •·· · . · ·· · , formed the group he had out-· The ne:l{t regular' meeting of Jined a proposal for C:ongre_ss-the advisory poard _will ,be May _; woman Eva Clayton m which 3 at 4 p.m. • · < .. , · -.. \ . ~----. -------
I. ✓ CUPPING SERVICE 1115 Hill.SBORO RALElGH, NC 27803 TEL [phone] DAILY DISPAiCH HEN~N,N.C. L\l \ · i -~. ~ 7 0 0 .:-~----~----~ ·, f.,._, .. :···_.·•r: 'i) -~rF L ,·\·. f .. · _' . _-· ·;•2 _· f. .... ):;;C'':: t·: _.,1_, .. ,,,," .'!'·'T,·::·. · -ftft~"i1i6-.\,f:~~ .pc~-~.:!~?.-m ~~-!~ -~~:~It.L~. ·_, ::J.,:.:: _:j ~-,··:',.,,: '.:::'.~.,n·:,~ t:,~. ·. ~;,:~'.-.:~~1~k~:::,,:.;::.~;;k .. L .. · Q ._ --·:._--~ .. , .. ;_. •:'L_',. -,,:-~.,._li!-·~•4•1,· ·.-..~>.r."_.,.'1 .--~•,t~tal -r;,~_-,,.,-u, ._, '· _w ... ~i._,). -~S'o:'""'"!2i )tha--t~'t¥;r;R1,._.·,,.,. Rale''~':--·_,....,;.:,_., · --' . • . .• ~. 1~ . . t·· . ~~' ·At,,1Y~-... ..,..;.,.,.,~ ..r·.,,_,%-1!' .... ,J, L. ·-· ,,3}*,,,R;',.,,,,-., ...... --~~-, ... •'."-'· • . ·".t-: ···~rin .. :· -~-_ ..... · · ;;l , .. i~--~,;!i,i4!;~'.~1.m~L· .. --~--;:s.' ·-1i;...;:;·Jiah;r~~'aji'fl\¾... workinir"ev.erv: day.on.th;st::-. ...:.::--• · .. t · rr_:D l:l-DrD c 'M -·--· .,.....:>J.fi W-'ilj~~wd~i \ ,._..,,:iftl111&-fii:tilho'!f -.. ,,i\i'a""",.,...lOfaffiil . -et ,t :~'¾ But ~e~~ -~~!W,/• "'W~;. nze ·. e a~~stration to u~e · ~ BllnY~~'~!i.4~ t!ie .point, that· · · · · 'i · merly · wiot-· sti~ goven:ri11en~-up to $7 ~lion dollars fro,m ,_ Gov. James-Hunt made a com-,;. ~-~~1r;all~~~1~~:;~ ;;n;~i~~;d_=;~d::~~:~~; ,' :~::tr:d~: ::e~:: ~~:~·~ ·' .I!!,. _has ~n preP!I!~. for. Ql11ffen'~r The the 11utlfonzabon reqwred.:_. · .... -;-, · ·, · • · · , . -. ;! :• '•if'' ,.,, .. .,, ~w•<f hf' --·n""' • th t 'fi d .. al fund be d t' · . a contract m force before his . kconsl_f}{!~ti~l1ii 1iTL:LIRi·._u,e~ 'Th a.:,.~r.. b" 't'h,8 'tteus,et·' 00.:·, term of ~ffi.ce'~-nds. C-:· ·,c .. -·· appr9acn .• ,,ne _f:'ePJU!'IIle!!,~ .. 9J.>.· aLS·w y . ea .1!-_IOn 18_, • .".,!,.-·.,·, -. ,,. , , : ,--·. 'J'.jef~n~e'.'W~ ~n.~ii~~~tal:· 'on Rep: Cliiytoii;:'}!f;W r';;'')••f<;', '_._. _,_. ----------.. : J>i:~tecii~~ Ag~C'} ·a1f ¥,E:~~j~,~'. The urg~n~ is ·created by t~~:; _· '.,,,~aIY.:<t~~B~'rl:JJfi,:i.1r,:i«f.;,: fact_tha~ ~r~ for~~_dean u~. 'i1Y· ~t ~~I}~ 1!! l ~ _po_si;i. ~e. a,Jm_o~~-~~~pleti\ and pro~_' '', ~~'"'t~· g~J .'8~ffieJ~B.~r~-~~~-f •Ject''.' e~gi~ee~L Pat" Backus· ' ¾i~caster.~iµ4h\'?' 1~,tri"J.,,~,,Jl.' _ expects ro, h~ve Requests f~r i,:~"\ Th~ bad_~ews~ L~c~~r..,. Propos~~-s •. frpm.' contradors_. 1 . bl'()ught. was tha~. :mumc1palk ready to go out by summer. •·· · • · .. ties would not lik~ the idea of a , • Kelly· said he would ·like" to'' " 'new fee levi_e~~oiiJioli«r waste·: se~ a contract for clean up work· . d~ P?~~ts ~~,!~~~~ ~e -by fall, but the state can't si~_ ~-~ 1· dn t thmJl counties ~Ia : one until the dollars are avail---:_' heff·';,.,.t;,~;·,t \; _., i,•;i:1 · t f able. The· goal, he said, "is to /' Th,~ idea,.~~-,s,till_ b~~11g ~evel-! get federal matching funds , · •·•·"';~ .. p_ •¼Ji:~_.· ~d ~ ~e1gh, Kell_ Y s_a~d. He . between now and then." . fl'#I v~N-.. , d there 1ll"e,;8~0 .oJd ~andfills { Kelly assured ~~Uy Burwell, 1North Caroliria,_.!lD,d close to., who chairs the citizens __ group --· IftQ are leaking rig~trii>wl The.'. . . . -. •·'. . . . ' l _proposecfl~~' g~r~ag~;-..trur r--.. ~. ·could address that ,eroblem rut . . '..,,,;u~·••ffi.· 'pcJ3-'·. ':;,r~~f.li•'-Y.( ~'. :i~ 'uf ilie~ ii ir:::-:-:ri:I:icfit ' . ~~,'pf<iBie~ ·ror' t11P-lc1eM•'.up~ •~· ' .. --'·:•~,.::$·r~f;~•~:i~.,"--~--~~'&A,.•;£!,..·11.,ta-.·
✓ CUPPING SERVICE' I 1115 HILLSBORO RALEIGH, NC 27603 TEL. [phone] : WARREN RECORD W~N.G. MAR ·c9 00 :8 On Marc:h lSj the Watren County PCB A~isqq ioard met with governarie.'DJ -.mcials bin Japan. 't.he BCD dototification process, wliich is what ,will be used locally, is going ,o be used in Japan at severil ~nated tom waste sites. Bua, the Japane~ pernment is experiencing levels of non-acceptance from some of its l:itizens. Tb 4ll of COlnmunfty According co-chair of made the diff1 ,, . . community 1 the very·start. "The big diffeie the wat we bav~ and the ·way it bu bteJl in Japan is lhat our 1~ have been · involvecl ftom ..i serve on the ad-'fisatJ "°8rd," she said. "The Japanese government hire4 consultants to come up, with a re-commendation for clean ap instead-of involving the affected communiQes. "Now, their. citizens are . voicing concerns over the rec-ommencla&ioa." she continued. Btatwell said that some mem-bets of the affected Japanese commuaities migbt come ti . meet willt tho group as a folio· up to dais 'meeting.
CUPPING SERVICE
1115 HILLSBORO
RALEIGH, NC 27603 TEL [phone]
WARREN RECORD
WARRINTON, N.~
the oard, questioned the
of Cime (60 days) allotted lb,
preparing and issuin& the RJ'Ps.
Backus responded that the RF.P. ~ould be complicated, re-
qumng two sections to be writ-
ten: one section for technical
specifications and a second sec-
tio? for providing project cost
estimates.
. -~ prebid meeting . and site
v1s1t are planned about · two
placing a per ton
fee on solid waste collected by
large disposal companies
throughout the state. .
Mike Kelly with DENR told
the group tbet the ·phased fund-
ing concept looks favorable so
far but needs to be discussed
with pol~cy makers. ~ui'rently,
state legislators· h_ave n:ot been
approached a'°ut the· idea. .
Burwell, .,.,ho works in the
for ju
tional state funding. .
The next meeting of the ad
sory board is scheduled for
April 5 at 4 p.m. ---~ -------==
_/
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Sllbloa, depaty .-tary for
polfcy aad propama. far tie
Norlll Carolin Departmnt of
EuraY ud Natural Re--. . · H , EvlllifS .. ~
tile pin would place a a. OR Would 11w. lo
IOlid,..,. eollected ~ ~-:'!l!I 1-PIOONf.
Ibo state. Pwad1 patr1td U, co-chair of
woul be pla.d in • ..... .... 111d Ibo fcell It
and uud for delOl:lflcatioa. =ldr fO lo NU ftderal
clelllia1-up old solid wute • Hut had
ladfilll, 11111 IIJvwa&ld dlftJ,. ~-to olaaa ap
~lllllwide. l'C9-~MD-11Ulmil
SlieaidtllatiftMfN-.
set at SI per 1011, ~ Cllli!ililtted • ,lust
S8 billioa coald be railed
lluollp 11111 pla ia ODB y11r.
Sile empllamld tbet Ille pllla
bas DOI been propolld to th
govenior.
"nlella,-llllt.«lllll.lt
flmdlq-lfwtcaa .. tr..-.
buy lato IIOl!lelhill& like tlaat,
Evans-Sta1o11111d. . ud Oo~ litU111
"Tbe badpl office IIJI IWa Hulll9'Y' llit wiJI dofvr
is golag to be u utremoly dpt two yura if hi i. DOI
year. Tban, ia IIOI I aood c:huu:e to wlllt .. told Wama
of gellill& uy ldditional state lie would do fer 111 20
fuudiug for Ibis project Ibis a,p, • qualioatd Bunwll.
yea,,• llid Ev--Stu11111. • Doud membtn Jim W
Tbe state bas previously aad Daria Holcomb cacb
committed $8 million to tbe c:ated lbty feel the trust
projec:t. Tbe estimated total cost idea will work. E.vans-St
of the detoxification and rode. uid it could come before lhe,
velopment project is $20 mil-state leaislalunl during the M&Jf'
lion. · short Bellion.
'Evans-Stanton also said lhal a E.vans-Slanton said she is i small amount of matching funds · scheduled 10 meel soon with
is needed from the federal gov-slate league of municipalities
crnmenl in order for the stale lo . and Ibo slate association of
release lb~ $8 million. county commiaioners and will
"We don't need a lot of fed-have a '!etter feel for the possi-
eral money, bul we do need ble success of Ibo plan after that
some. Then we can go ahead meeting.
with phased funding," she said. Pal Backus, also of the De-
. According to Evans-Stanton, partmenl of Energy and Natural
lbere is good stale support for Resources, said after a meeting
phased funding. beginning the with the EPA, abe found lbal the
:project wilb lbe available permitting process under lbc
money while seeking the addi-Toxic SubstllJICCS Conlrbl Acl
tional funds. She gave . the Envi-wQuld actually like Jess time
ronmcnlal Profeclion Agency than _originally lhougbl.
.)
i
'Creat:ive' funding sought
for Warren PCB cleanup
1, CIIARUE IIIQIARIIS
DAILY DISPATCti WRITER
designated for. cleaning up envi-
ronmental problems statewide:
Stanton said the "chances for
appropriations from the state in
WARRENTON -Could the 2000 are not good," with flood
task of finding dollars to clean relief and other demands forcing
up the PCB landfill in Warren 8 tight budget situation. While
County lead to a new state _fee Gov. Jim Hunt has not signed off
and fund expressly_ for clearun!l" · on the new fee concept, it will be
up not only that site but envi-presented to city· and county
ronmental problems in general? leaders from across the state for
And can North Carolina and reaction. :
Warren interests find a way to "We are trying to be creative
squeeze some dollars out of in terms of options," Stanton
Washington to match the limit-said, "and this is the best idea
ed funds now available for the we've come up with." In addition
big task of detoxifying the waste to concerns al:lout the PCB land-
site here? fill in Warren, other contaminiit-
Those were questions that ed sites in the state, possibly
emerged from a meeting includin.; old, unlined landfills
Wednesday night of the Warren now closed, may prove expen-
County PCB Citizens Advisory sive to manage.
Board, the group working with "There is a statewide need
the state in guiding efforts to . around failing landfills," said
clean up the landfill. Jim Warren, officer of the envi-
Both questiohs were ronment group N.C. WARN and
addressed by Sherri Evans-a member of the advisory com-
Stanton, deputy secretary of the mittee.
state Department of Previous legislatures have
Environment and Natural dealt with waste problems with
Resources, the senior state offi-special fees, such as those on
cial who has been involved in white goods and tires.
the clean-up issue. While local and state officials
Having previously explained are dealing with the funding
the competition for state dollars issue, authorities also are pro-
from Hurricane Floyd relief ceeding on the technical side of
efforts, Stanton said the "top the PCB project. Project
priority is federal dollars." They Director Pat Backus said that
are needed to match the $7 mil-with plans completed, the state
lion in state funds that have can now prepare request.~ for
been designated for the PCB job proposals from cleanup firms.
but cannot be released without Also, she said, it appean; the
some federal match. project can be handled on a
Stanton promised to provide "phased funding" basis, con-
the citizens group chairman, tracting to do as much work as
Dolly Burwell, with names in funds available allow. ·
Washington that Congress-Gov. Hunt as well as Warren
· woman Eva Clayton of Warren leaders have expressed hope the
can approach. Burwell is on project could start this year
r Clayton's staff. before his term in office r,nds.
The other idea being floated And with funds now short of the
around state environmental estimated total of over $20 mil-
offices would create a new fee on lion required, contracts in phas-
solid waste, which would be es may be. the only way work I used to establish a tr\!5Lfund could start this_~ar.
·-:Finally,··i ---.>·•.(I• .. _: q;.,cf-t)i)' ~ . ·,. ~-.. . . .. . ': ..• --....... :~"" . ~_:_~-,~ ~ -~--·-·. ·--·--~~;-· . . . . . -......I ;. . , .. , ·. ,.•: .. ,t.'j.:j•~ 'COUNTY· ..... , ..... .. ,.: J ~ r--~ :·. · d · ·1 • ··:··/ :· :tn, ~'.: · .1.·.nl • . r{ 'a ·I:·rea y . ' ... _;: .-. r' ~ · -:· ;t · · · :. ·· \ · PCB, from·page one , -~ ~ : ito move 1 =~~~:i:;~~00~ \ .· . . . . selection. The mterested compa-~ nies will. submit their qualifica-~ ~ -: . ·w· ' p C B· tions and state. officials . wili : : i , . arr en . -. · review and select those eligible.·. . . . . · . . · Then . a competitive bidding > ,·c1ean·u p· wor· k . process'will start.-A contractor'. '. : · . . . . , coul~ be selected befon: the end , ; · . · • · of this y~, Backus 881cL There , · I: . sh Ou Id f I n ally . '1 . ~ ~ more planning and per-t . · . : . . . . . ; IDitting, b~t work could, ~ L '. · . . . · . I· n~:~i;!: :l:as:;~~1~ ; : : CO m, m 0 n. ce . . · an oversight. contractor, Earth i: : · ,. · · · . . Tech, which, will provide engi-·:: j :. 1, CHARUE RI~ ' '· i · · neers · from·.' offices · in "Raleigh, ; ·· • : . ":. · DAiLv 01sPATCH WRITER · · Greenvillej S,C., and' Richmond . : 1 . . i to represent.the.state.in super"'. i: ; .. WARRENTON '_ After· so · vising the. technical detoxifica-:· 1 Iong, 80 IIlBilY steps, so much; tion w~rk. ,. \;-:'--( ... , ; ·· · : / effort, 80 many promis~s. when It was over.a year ago that the ,, I • l • . r the big moment came Tuesday, i state legislature ~uthomed the ! leaders of the effort to clean upi Hunt Administration to transfer . : the PCB landfill near here had: . up to $7 million in state funds to CZ> 9 1 o 11 7< . : : ~ ask themselves, "Isn'.t this ~e: ·. the pro)~, conditioned on feder-0 ~ 1 . 7a ;,v .. : big news?" · . · _. -'< al mat.cbing dollars .. Sen.. Frank· ,. J.¥: ~-: And indeed, as Dolly Burwell r Ballance. of Warren was instn,i-· OCT, 2000 -~ , ·.: i Said. on reflection .Wednesday, .• , ~ental iJ;t .. ~-~t il~~". ,· .·. . . , ~twasamomentofexuberance1 I·, tion. . .. · .. • · , ... • ,· .... , .. , .,, · necehrct.1 e,; •. ) ; : IHs a good feeling to get in this'-~ t>'f • Since ·then stiite' officials :,~ . · .. Wa,L: f..:·,11• :_:,,,,wilt <3' -,,. , ,, · . , , Oi\'i~\i)n ,.J · · .. ~mt. . . well as Congresswoman Eva· () . . . . . . ~\ . . <·', . : ·,;The point was a_ rej;>Qrt to the · ... Clayton of Warren have _lobbied . -"1 '· ·1.-Sl .. l "l sci ho· in tol, pn ho· 881 pli . sa re• no .fe1 yo ca st1 \IV( to Pa me th frc t.o fro . :, l t~..,_ , _.. ·}: ·· . · ! Citizens .1Advisory: · Board . that the. · ;EPA., -8a~kus .,. reported, ~-:-:,. , . LB~ell chairs that two_ things Tuesday the federal agency con• ·,. '-K;;,·,,4 3 ,() \"; ~-• , . !i-j;'('!· ••• ,· ,·';t> .... ,; I an · ·. ''.bave·happened'since the.meet-. firmeditwillassistinacquiring' · •·· · · "·' · •, iss init lruit month · th11t virt1111Uv, nANT1if-a mah, .. anrn<> nf f-h ........ _ i ........ ·,.r-n... .._,,,,._4-ft4-n4-.M -~ 1 .pa scJ ~ ab .sis
, I ••;••o, •------•••.,/ ----,-, ---~----• ............. tOV•a•• · : .. ; effort, so m~ny promisi:;s, when It was over a year ago that the ;. ; 'f the big moment came Tuesday,) state legislature aqtborized the ·: j leaders of the effort to clelll} up, . HUQ.tAdroinistration to transfer : : the PCB landfill near here had'. · ' ~p t.(l $7 nill,lion in si4te funds to : : to ask themselves, "lsn~t this the. . ::-,_·the proj~, conditioned Oil feder-,. ' b. ?" . .-":• ... 1 --._ +.:.1.~ ... ,. d II . Se 1.1..,,....,:1• . .. : 1gnews . , .':J:}7(~«1'~"'4~-9 ~ •. n.-~_4AUI\. . :. " -And indeed,· as Dolly Burwell'· Yi Ballance ·-of Warren waa instru-· .. Pa m, th; frc to,. fro(·. :··(taid on .reflec~ion Wednesday, .··•·mental in securing thatlegi$ .. :,. : i ~It. was a mome1;1t of exuberanC?· · tio~.. · · · '._ , _ _ pa _, i ft ~ a good_ feeling.to getjq ~ .1 : , , Smee. then, s~~-officials, as ' · sci ' ~'-.... . ;. i ~mt." . : . : . · _ . . . ·. ~ , l ::well . as. , Congresi,wqman. ~va ,.., ~ -~-: .. ·•1The pomt was·a repQrt to the.·. ·•Clayton ofWarrell_bave lobbied ab ·· '. Citizens 'Advisory · Board . that· · 'the · ·EPA •. •. Backus , reJK)rted . sis ~ .:Burwell. chairs that two things Tuesday the federal agency con-an >fhave· happen,e~ since the -meet-· . firmed it :will assist in acquiring -iss ;~ 1fi!g ·· 1ut ·month·. that virtu~ . permits, waive some. of the per-tance of the present status of ~ -ID1sw-e. ·an: epd to the. fCB sag~ -mit fees and offer the loan of funding were expected N, ~;,A. contract could f>e awarded -· some equipment. . Wednesday fn)m Gov. Hunt and re . iearly as this year W1ib' actu _ · The $7 million.of state ~ds Rep. Clayton. , . st .• · .. ,work. starting.· as early as n .. thus released will be far short ·of . Meanwhile,. Burwell said she . ca spring. . . . I the total needed, which has been considers the governor. ..is . · The prospect_ ~s reali1:1tic tha estimated to exceed $20 million, halfway toward meeting · his SJ ·' · Goy. ·Jjm Hunt will fulfill hi , 'But 1:Jtate authorities have ruled promise to cleanup the landfill tl · promise• to Warren Couno/ .PY._ .. a phased approach can be used · site, which he said piany years le the time his term in office en~ and a·contract awarded for part .ago would be done when techni--in January. , · 1 · ·· • 1· . of the worlt while ~ffoft$ contin-· . cally feasible. P. _ · The two t;hings . repo~ . ue to ~k more fun~. . ,.,' . . She said 11he hopes for ~me : ··. 'fueijday· are ,l) the feder. Secretary-Bill,Jiohn4lll :of the· kind of ~remony in the county . : · Envirolllilental. . Protectio . state's Departmen~ of ~nviron-. · this rear to mark the signifi-. : : , Agency has confirmed ~ts offer . -.-. 1'1lent and·· Natt4l'ld . Reso111'Ce!J cance of progress th~ far. · : in-kind servic~ and 2) the Sta~ · ·.w~ reported: t.Q }lav~ discussed ' · In the early 1980s, det.o~ca-,,. : Budg~t ,Office has ruled tha <.this with .ErA'.· >.~ministrator ( tion: of the ,toxie:)?CBs Jound d : , off~r constitute~ ~ ma!-'=h tha C~l}3ro~!!: at ~ .. ~n~ ev~t ,:·:-d~ped , along . Tm:. lleU · roa1"' (1 • releases $~ million .m sta4· : a~-~~;,EP.~s·i1~8:W; .. h~,~~~! ~!!J~.~~,:~1~11AJ~-,;i_,;~ ~~ set.aside for the~~ p .. ~~le~--•"·,--_ ·· ·r-bfe.-,But -roUliorul~~f ~onffi'~¥\ _ l;li# Ject. · . : .' And · ,.,;. proponen~. . of. the tests and researth feel' a Jomt E · Pat Backus, ~~j~ manage~ · cl~\lp, ~ij) Mv:e loo~ to this · _stat&Warren working· group f:«> , , ~pr the state's di~s1on of wastt, po1Pt fqf ~ve~Ql Y.ears,. feel sqre ~nclude a f~w years· ago that it -~ , . management, smd the state c~ the ,legisla~. will not ~t Qft' · 18 now feasible. A method was .-1 : now enter into a contract for th ' funding for the_ process 011ce U.ie . chosen and lobbying for money t . _ , · . clefinup, using I a · pha~e . ' $7 ·milllon have l>een speqt; · ··.' . · to · apply that method has t ' · < approach. r • · • · Statemellf':.$ :about: the· bnpor~ . brought the effort to ms point. · , : The tentative schedule sh · ., · "· · ' · · · I, outlined starts with the issuance r· ·-.. .. --·. · :, ,' -I t this week of a qualifications _ j · :· ,. i -; : -. -· . PlEAsE SEE PCB, PAGE13A f .
" •' RAi..eK3H~NC 27603 f et"' TEL. [phone] Wf>..:'l't\>J RF.C' '!RD W;,.tRENlON, N, 0. ,: _,: i i ::i t I r~~:~~;::i~~~~!1e~~u'.Pf ~ct!,I . ~ff,~~J (d",J ,~g ~~;f.c,,~ ~y MIK~=1~!, ~. E : .. :~l~a::i:g :e~:i~~tes\o · ~~~.~t1ebu;a~:ina;1~~: Governor Hunt has said it, is; . cuss options for p~edin&',:,,.,ltb , prov al. " •.· · \ ' bis goal for detoxification at the ,1 a partially.,.fundod projc_ct,i,Tbe.,; · Backus added that P\l~ping PCB landfill in;Warren,CounlW•,t•U.S .. ~nvironmental,·Prot~cliou" at the site hu1been stopped for to begin by the end of this year, .. , :Age11cy has given its blessing -the winter. If ·tltere arc no dra-Discussion at last · week.!~ ,,; for. proceedilJg. ·in,-.!/1~ W&DJler,. • matic changes when planned re-meeting of the citizens advisoi:y,, 0J(elly ll(lded: . . . --~' , .. .. . · ·_ asscss'll"nls are taken, pumping board for•detoxificatio11:and-re-.:-, EPA's lllain, concern·~ that,, will resume on March 1: · . dcvelopm~nt of, Iii~. \pn~~µ in,,.,. ~h.QQ\/ I~ ill.~ i1t!,ll[i 'llQ\., ~~:;f~ll.Y · ·-. fl~ren; t.1,a,.s\~r '. of MACTEC '' dicalQJ .IMt.wbil~lt lvill;t~a_..,.JAAp_jd.,.v,~~ilde;Jo,~l,il..ihtl.flriliJ.'~olgn.d~onls somo,etfprt, that goaUs:roachi,,,.,.cap>and.-"4oso,lb!I pJ9J~~,l,-lf i_l,a wlll be done by the ,e'nd of thiA . able. , · · · · · , ... • ., , can not be oompleted,1· .. .,, .. ', • : , month'. ~nd submiiled to the Mike Kelly .with ·the North;,, Pat Bac!fus,'also·of,·DENR, state.'At tbat'point, he said, all 1 Carolina Department of Energy : said that, !MACTEC,ETGr· is,:: documents will be in the bands ·and Natural Resources'. (DENR) · close to: completing.tho -final de-,: 1' oflhe state.''··" . ' . , . . told the-group tbat,tbo funding sign of-the clean11p<,project. •·' •we' want to be able to re-I status of the, project has-.not _--They intend to do'so,b)l..'&lle end-spon~· to Governor Hunt's ob-cbanged. .. of.-tbe month. Ar,'thalilpoint, jective," said Ro.n Bacskai of • Currently, there is $8 million . tecbnic;al issues· ·wl1¥1'be. re-, M,'\CTEC. "He wants to begin available, $7 million which was viewed and a presentation will processing soil by·the end-of the · set aside last summer and $1 then be made to the commu'!i_lY . year. We will have to move \llHlion which was transferred letting the public kno"lf &'l,w the , pretty fast, but it is possible." from the state's while goods cleanup will proceed. 't•·. ,· . Bacskai noted that typical site fund in December. Feb. 19 · and March· 4, both preparation for such a project Another $1.4 million which · Saturdays, have been given as takes 12 to 14 mont,hs .. · could have possibly been made : possible dates for this presenta-"We have done it faster, and available bas been put in the· lion. . .. •: we can do· i.1 faster· here," be budget to help with Hurricane According 10· the .Toxic Sub-said. Floyd relief, Kelly said. stances Control' Act (TOSCA), According to Bacskai, It is estimated that $20 mil, Backus said whatever is done MACTEC recently completed a lion will be needed to co111plete with the materials.. from the project in Maryland that in-the cleanup. · ·• ·• .... · landfill ·must•be -donc.,fo-'a TO-: volved 150,000 tons of soil,· As the' result of a recent SCA approved facility-and with: three. times the amount of soil · meeting with MACTEC-ETG,: · a TOSCA approved process.·'.•· thar:will be decontaminated /the firm that bas been working•:··· Kelly said that the process here. on the project, Kelly said addi• anticipated: to be used here, While there were no PCBs tional funding will be pursued. Base Cataly~ed Decomposition,· Kelly went on·to say that he ~:is not,-curr~ntly, a TOSCA ap-. ~~ ,·,· .. ;; ·: .. .-":·;·.~'\-y--···•· ':,ji"'•J--.-;------·-.-;-, . PCB: . ·. · · ., l' '. · project. rlie .trkkle-dOW!lleffect ' should aniotlnt-'~0:.$3-5:ulillion (Continued from page I) in jobs for local people through I there, Bacskai said the chemical sub-contractors and the pur-compounds dealt with · were chasing of goods and services . I similar. · from the local area," be contin-I "We started up and showed· ued. proof of performance in less Under state law, Kelly s~id a than a year and we·re able to competitive bidding process will complete the project with no have to take place for the actual negative incidents,"• said Bae-work, He added that be is not skai. sure how phase funding wi!I He-noted that the Maryland work. Under state'law, funds project was funded in phases, as· have to be· in-place before a the local project ~11 be. , contract can be issued. "As that project matured, Some environmental projects more funding was Jeleased. We -have been financed by the com-were prepared to stop if the ', pariy •performing the work, "'··-..,!--'---' -•-----"" .... ..a th .. • · hf'lwP.veT. Kellv noted that North
✓ CLIPPING SERVICE 1115 HILLSBORO RALEIGH, NC 27603 TEL [phone] r·--· DA!.· Cl::->A1Qf HE.~w~N.C. ,•.a;~ l 3 C .. THE 0AJLY DISPATCH J1 ~ .. ~ Cj -\ (} 1 -PUBLIC RECORDS -,)-YJ3-~ -.... THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2000 Unique procedure;-' might be sought for Warren PCB cleanup BY CHARI.IE RICHARDS DAILY DISPATCH WRITER WARRENTON -Ho~ can the state start cleaning up the PCB landfill in Warren County without adequate funds on hand? And how can the citizens of Warren be brought up to date on the status of the long-sought detoxification of the site? Those were the questions dis-cussed at a meeting of the Local PCB Advisory Board Tuesday. The second was easily answered. A community presentation is being considered for sometime in February. The !Mt community .meeting explained the detoxifi-cation process that had been !:;.,, selected; the next one will con-centrate on exactly what will happen . on the site ii.ear the Afton community. The other question is much more complicated. The consult-ing engineers designing the cleanup plan, who also are in the business of cleaning up toxic sites, have a suggested answer, but it's not clear it can fit into state rules. The situation was explained Tuesday by Mike Kelly, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources official who oversees the landfill project. The possible solution was explained by Ronald Bacskai, president of the Pennsylvania firm Mactec-ETG. , At the. heart of the problem is a stated desire by Gov. Jim Hunt to see a shovel in the ground before the end of his· term. The governor has long been held accountable by Warren citizens , and· other environmentalists for placing the dump here and for his promise to remove .it when I feasible. The efforts of the governor and State Senator Frank · Balance have resulted in about three million dollars being spent on research and planning. Another one million from a spe-cial fund is now available, as is seven million that the state found to match any federal grants it may secure. But the total cost of the cleanup has been estimated at well over $20 million. Other funds that had been appropriated have been diverted · to the rebuilding effort in the flood damaged eastern part of the state~ Kelly said state officials are starting to renew their efforts to secure federal funds and will pursue alternatives with higher up state officials. He said both his departnJent and the federal Environmental Protection Agency are agreeable to a "partially funded project" concept if it can meet state regu-lations. The concept, which ETG used . in cleaning up a larger and more expensive site in Maryland, involves a contract to start the cleanup, counting on more funds becoming available to continue it later. Both the EPA and Warren cit-izens indicated they would require that funds be kept in reserve to safely terminate the process and close the landfill should the continuation funds not come through. The cleanup process, the per-mitting process and the phasing concept will be reviewed with federal authorities soon, said the Project Coordinator Pat Backus. Kelly said he did not know what process could be used to fund the cleanup as proposed by ETG, but that will be a subject of discussion among top officials in Raleigh. Normally, 'contracts cannot be issued unless funds are on hand.
0
Patricia M. Backus, PE
Division of Waste Management
401 Oberlin Road, Suite 150
Raleigh, NC 27605
Phone: [phone] ext. 308
Fax: [phone]
Fax
To: Mike Kelly
Fax: [phone]
Phone:
Re:
□ Urgent ~rReview
• Comments:
MA d~
NCDENR
From: Pat Backus
Pages: ,3
Date: February 17, 2000
CC:
□ Please Comment □ Please Reply □ Please Recycle
>CB "Clean-up Financing Plan Proposed
By MIKE BOLLINGER
Editor
A possible plan to secure the
naining funds nee.de.d for de-
:ification and redevelopment
!he PCB landfill located near
ton was presented to the War-
. r~11nh; PrR r1t;71-_n~ Ativ;_ ! '--•\.•'f'••~.1 ...... , ..................... _.., .................. ..
v Board on Feb. 9.
Presented by Sherri Evans-
mton , deputy secretary for
tiry and program~ for the
rth Carolina Department of
ergy and Natural Resourc-es1 .
..-. j A._ nu,u iri -i "-'"""0 Q fp.JJ,.. /\Tl p.1.au nvu.au }"J."""""' "" 4,v1i, v-.1.•
id waste coliccteci throughout
, state. Funds generaied
uld b~ pli-!i;.ed in a trust fund
i used for deioxification.,
an ing up old !5oUd \traste
dfilis, and brownfield devel-
nt nt sratewide.
she said that if the fee were
;it $1 per ton, approximately
billion could be raised
:,ugh this plan in one year.
:ihe ernphasized ih:st ihc pl&ti
; 11ot been proposed to the
1ernor.
'T!lis is a possible source of
,-f;1'1.:, if WP r lln CJf't fnlks: to ._ ..... b ..... •' -........... 0,."' -""' ...... .., ~ -
, into something like that,"
'The bud2et office savs this ... -
~Ging to be art exrrerneiy tight
r, There is not a good chance
getting any additional state
ding for thi5 project this
r," said Evans-Stanton.
r he state has previousiy
omitted $8 miilion to the
iect. The esti mated total cost
the detoxification and rede-
i.
~vans-Stanton also said that a
,ll amouni of marching funds
_P.P . .-1.P.rl frn m thf' ff'rlP.f'11 gov-
nent in (lrder for the Stille to
ase the $8 million.
We don't need a iot of fed-
money11 but '\Ve do need
e. Then we can go ahead
: phased funding," she said.
,ccording to Evans-Stanton,
e is good state suppori for
;eel funding, beginning Uie
ect with the available
:ey while seeking the addi-
:-.1 ~n"'~·""'n C'hr. !"H•.n~ ~1-,..-,,. 'C'rt~!: rn·d
and tht: Department of Defense
as possible federal sources for
rhe i'l\atching funds.
If the phased funding ap-
proach is · to be used, E~ an·s•
Stanton said the preparation of
requests for proposals needs to
begin immediately.
Interest has been shown by
other companies besides ETG,
which has been performing pre-
liminary design work. The
state's contract with ETO ex-
pires this month . Evans-Stanton
said the project would have to
be subieci to a bidding proctss.
Doilie BurweH, co-chair of
tbe local group~ said she feels it
is not fair to have to seek federal
monev. that Governor Hunt had
earlie~ committed to clean up
the PCB landfill even if there is
no federal money available.
"He is c;;ommitted. We just
had a major hurricane to destroy
significant parts of eastern
)..,..,._.,. I'"' ..... ,,.,: ... " ,,, ........ _ h ~,'\,}'U !"'Ull.U LiUUU1U1, ,-, ~ CU\J J.U\.,,I\.J
we didn't lost the $8 million we
already ha:ve," Evans-Stanton
replied.
-''How can th~ p~ople of
Princeville, Tarboro, .Kinston,
and Goldsboro believe what
Hunt says he wiii do for them in
two years if he is noi. iiving up
to what he told Warren County
he would do for us 20 ye;i.rs
ago," questioned Bu.rwe!!.
Board members Jia1 \1/arren
and Daria Holcomb each indi-
cated they feel the trust fund
idea will work. Evans-Stanton
said it could come before the
state legislature during the May
short session.
Evans-Stanton said she is
schedu!t!d to meet soon with
state league of municipalities
and the state association of
county commissioners and will
have a better feel for the possi-
ble success of the plan af:er that
meeting.
Pat Backus, aiso of the De,
partment of Energy and Natural
Resources, ~aid after a n1eeting
with the EPA, she found that the
permitting process under the
Toxic Substances Controi Act
She also said the phased
funding concept has been re·
ceived well in Raleigh and indi-
cated that with the available
funds, si tc prep;ar;llion can be
done, equipment brought to the
site, and the processing of mate-
ri11 ! can begin; a~~urnjng the
permitting process goes as
planned.
The state's contract division
will now . be consulted as 10 the
particulars of the funding ar-
rangements.
The advisory bofird abu
agrc;:ed to be.sin planning for a
newsletter to be distributed
tbrousb churches, local busi-
nesses, and county agencies to
keep citizens informed.
L.E.P.C. Discusses
S ........ Y ,,. ... ncer .. s a1a1. 1.,u1 . --,1 ·
By LUCI ,•,et.DON
Assistant Editor
The c;;ounty's Local Emet•
gency Planning Committee
(L.E.P.C.) addressed several
safety concew$ at its meeting
last week.
Code Enforcement Adminis-
trator Don Stith spoke before
the board about road widths in
subdivisions.
He expressed concerns about
whether the mads are wide
enough for emergency vehicles
to go in and out of subdivisions.
"Subdivision road widths
vary according to hew many
lots you have in the subdivi-
sion," Stith $:ii.id.
_"A 50-foot right of way is the
minimum," he said.
Stith added that mlljor subdi-
vision use a 60-foct right of
way. The 60-foot right of way is
the DOT standard.
A 30-foot right of way may
be used in subdivisions up to
five lots. with a SO-foot ri.ebt of
way used for those with -more
lots, he added.
Stith noted that changes had
been recommended.
Stith discussed fire safety
concerns from the fire marshal's
perspective, saying that a mini-
mum housing standard is
needed.
Of concern to the members is
thit at some subdivisions, oniy
one way to enter and leave is
availabie. The danger is what
couid occur in the case of an
L.E.P.C. could do to address
these matters, the members de•
cided to send a ietter to the fire
association outlining its con-
cerns and requesting that prob-
lems areas be identified and pri-
oritized for search and rescue
purposes.
A continuing concern for the
L.E.P.C. is that the Warren
County High School/Warren
County Middle School campus
has only one entrance and exit
particularly because hazardous
materials are taken along U.S.
158, whic;;h goes by these
schools' campuses.
Members discussed studying
how many trucks carrying haz-
ardous materials travel along
that area of highway with the
possibility of bringing this in-
formation before a joint meeting
of the board of county commis•
sioners and board of education.
Emergency Services Director
Gary Robenolt mentioned an-
other oom;em,
"The chemistry lab and bi,11-
ogy lab are built into the interior
of the high school," he said.
"There is little or no ventila-
tion."
"Wh en they did the reno,;a-
tion, they were supposed to
move the h1bs to an outside
wall."
Also of concern is hc\v
chemicals which are used for
experiments are stored.
In other business, the
T 1' n r ,-1.,....,.;,.t'"'-A ,;'"" nln" n.-.n.t'ho.-r
dr10cJ~l 9~~I>lcJOPl 8)d
·lJleWarr81)~!:W~NQ!Jt~.~-~8,1999~!,; Final Plans for Deto~ifying PCB, l.alldfill 'Are 'Nearing'_·Completion By WCI WELDON Afl!allntEdllllr P'tat!S for 'detpxifyillg the fCB l~clfijl ooar "1t<>ll .-re 1'1'\lpfssipg as the Wanen aoan~ PCB Detni6cation-Re-~lop,111eit 1'1!Jiect _CitiQns Ad,/isory :Board continues ef-·fcit18 to sec:we fllodiug for the Jllojeu. . Aallils aillo, ~"fuadl' ~-tie dlltoldfic:adon pRJCeSS Is ldol'e-diftic:alt .u more funds iatl been dilecled toward Hur-.ric:llle Ptoyd Rlidefforta: S At the board's Dec. 1 meet• ~g, SbeII)' Evans-Stanto11, ilep-!ll>' ~tary. of the North caro-ljna J)epani»ent of BQviron-mont, Heal1h and Nallltll 0Re-~ources (DBHNR), told the board meDibers that $1.7 Dlillioa has been ~ on detoxification ellorta IO dlis ~L 1'fle project Im S8 lllilli!>n m funds. Jlow· ever; $1.4 miDiol! in fullding has been ~i:re,11 for Hllrricane fl!>yd~ effoqs, ' ' "W~ are proc:i=cding very @!>idly througb the final desip ISSOciated wilb the PCB ifelmi. ficatio!I of llle landfil,." 'Sleft l>,twiler, vice-preaid_eat of llmilllllB dev~t of Sl'G Egv~ Inc., .said. -We have ·continued 10 finalia a lot · _of the plans and the drawinp . ~ with the desip." • Patrick Barnes, panner with die environmental firm Bama, Fteeland and Associates or Or-lando, Fla., said' that the designs arc about 80 ~rcent "overall 1d!)ne... "' .. ' He added that work is COIi• tinuing on a community out-r-:b/'m.volveJDent pl~. I "'lbat doeumebt is juat about ready to ao out to the .amunu-oity," he said. "Because it does 'nvolve the community quite a ,it we ue looking for _flledbact !Ill Ille COllllD8Dity on it." "Tbe communi~ outreach 11e-r.pa~ ~--~~II. bid ~l/l8'-pcnon ~• 11o pl~ by the tiJbe tllat dris ,Ian w~ ready to get feedback' ,rrom th~ comm~ty,-Do~ ~ cilians adv' O board ~sai4,~the ~ of diis peraoll's nJlc in receiviag iApqt !tom .local -We wlllt ·the community. to J)etwiler said. '"1be p_roc:esaing be nare 1111ft 8lia project exists ll plant will be decontaminated lUld dlat dlae ate opportuaitics ··and taken away." fo;busineiaesandjodjviduals to Mip. Kelly, deputy director panicipate · ia the ecoaomii: 9f th!, diviaio11 of wute man-benifits !ht tlis project Cl!I ,ligament at DEIDQ., gave .• bril!g to ~tlle eorbm!Jllity," r.!1• tentative timetable ,for the pro-, said.-:, jei:t-by the enll of the year, i,o~ ~ ~fill will be. 'uve the final desip drawillp, ~ ciP~rtw1itles, 11~bave a requeslfproposal lD Jiu.. 11111 ~ jobl, •· fJ.ary or February, and by June, kifable ikllls ma tra1n1aa, he lise1ec1 a CODlnlCtQr, • '" Aicl. ~• ' , Pat Backus, Pql landfill Ia response, t a q-ti~a owiager, tokl the board that the. from Warren Co y ColDfnis. ,1pumpiag sylllem that is remov-sloner Roy Detwiler illg water from the laaclflll will described th . lhat wil be sllut clown through February dbtoxify the u a "mini~· ~ order le protect the ayllUI ptoc:esling pJafll Dlinl-dlemi· from fNeaina daring die willler. C11 plant." 1 ' ~ She also tvld the board that •When we're i8Jled it's ,the Waler level la the aalh well (the. lm4fJII) • to be a dean i 'of the laadflll was list meuured · facility that ii sui fot ---°' Nov. 19. ~ water level had velo'pment dd building." ~flom 12 feet to 4.S fNt.
CUPPING SERVICE
1115 HILLSBORO RALEIGH, NC 27903
TEL [phone]
w. . :EN IEQ:)__,ID
WARHNJON, N,0,
SEP l 5 99
If .
Cou ty. Seeks Federal Assistance
In PCB Landfill Detoxification Work
.jy IIQ IOLUNGER
dltor
Wamin County wants fed-
eral llelp in tfae detoxification
ofthel'CB~.
A resoludoa adopted at the
Sept. 7 board of commission-
ers meeq officially asked for
that help UICI also showed the
county's support in redevel-
opment al tbe site.
Mike Kelly of tlle North
Carolina Department of
Bavironmeat aad Natural
Resourcu was at Ille m,eettng
and said $9 detozifiatioa ef-
forts ue at a c:rilieal peiRt.
He noted that tbe joint
working group establislNd sev-
oral years aao bad secured ap-
Jm>xim&tely $4 million for the
effort, witb an additional $7
million available if matching
doll~ can b secured front
t\lc federal 'fr,el, ,
"We're working on
Congress and looking at bud-
gets for the Department of
Defense. We have a contract in
place for the phase three de-
sign for the detoxification,
wltich will be kind of a c'Oek-
book on how to do it," Kelly
said.
He said he is hopeful this
will be completed by m1d-
December.
By spring, Kelly said he
feels requests for pro))O!lals for
the actual work can be sent out,
and a contract should be in
place by June.
"I hope we're digging dirt
by the end of next year," be
said. "The federal dollars are
needed to push ahead the pro-
ject."
Federal assistance is being
sought since some of the PCBs
disposed of here came from
Fort Brag.
Once . the landfill deto:lifita ..
tion is complete, Kelly said, he
would lib to see the property
redeveloped into a roereatiaul
•facility.
"There could be a ballpark,
hiking and bikin& trails, aad
other recreational facilities.
· This is a beautiful piece of
property," said Kelly.
The community outreach
coordinator wltich will be hired
by the newly-formed citizens
advisory board could also loelt
at ways to redevelop tbe prop-
erty in addition to acting as a
liaison between state offu:ials
and the local eommunity,
noted Kelly.
· The board also appointed
Vice-Chairman Clinton Alston
as its representative to the citi-
zens advisory board.
...,~.... .... --l
~LIC RECORDS · TH\JRSOAY, Ju1'E 2~. 1999
THS Warren reminds· governor of PCB promise
'ade,
er
>f
me
ids
)
r·
nie
Activitists ralfy to rid
county of PCB tandfill
--· .. -----------
BY CffAftl.lE RICHARDS
DAILY DISPATCH WRITER
WARRENTON -A.cti vis ts in
the campaign to rid Warren·
County of its PCB landfill held
a rally here Wednesday to
encourage calls to legislators ·
1;egarding funding foi-the
detoxification project.
But they took advantage of
the occ~\Sion and the timing to
press Gbv. Jim Hunt again to
hold to his promise made many
years ago to clean up the land-
fill.
And the governor sent word
in retum that he is doing just
that.
"This is our last shot at ask-
ing the governor to live up to
his promise," said Dolly
Burwell, leader of the local part
of the Warren/State PCB
Working Group. She noted
Hunt is "serving out his last
tenn.n
_. Hunt's spokesperson at the
rally was
·Sherri
Evans-
Stanton,
deputy secre-
tary for poli-
cy and pro-
grams in the
Department
of Environment and Natural
Resources (DENR).
'°fhe governor is fully com-
tnitted to finding the funding
)
for detoxification in the coming
year,". she said.
She explained that Sen.
Frank Ballance has included in
the Senate version of the bud-
get now being considered by a
legislative conference commit-
t.ee the transfer of $1 million
from the '"white good fund" to
be used on the PCB project.
She said the governor's office .
also has provided language that
would direct her department to
look for funds from other·
sources, and direct the budget
office to allocate other available
funds needed by the depart-
ment.
The rally here is well timed,
Evens-Stant.on said. "It would
help now to call your delegation
members." It is criticar now
because the budget may be out
by the end of June, she said.
'lbtal cost of the detoxifica-
tion project is more tahn $24
million.
Also reporting at the rally
was Pat Williams, another rep•
resentative of DE:NR. She said
$2 million appropriated last
year is being used t.o complete
the final design for full detoxifi-
cation at the landfill, and that
her department is now pre-
qualifying companies interested
in the work.
Under the current schedule,
with funding, a contract could
be issued early next year, she
said.
Meanwhile, a three-year,
$225,000 grant from the federal
Environmental Protection
Agency will be used to provicle
a community involvement coor-
dinator, who will keep citizens
informed and be involved in
.employment of local citizens
and use of local businesses.
A.
1ter
i of
ny
1m;
.all
lee
Oxford J~ prepar~d for St. John's Day events
'Id
l\,
Is
Masonic Home for
Children to hold annual
celebration on Saturday
OXFORD -The Masonic
it Home for Children is preparing
for its aru'lual St. John's Day
1 Celebration, scheduled for next
Saturday, and Oxford is getting
ready to host the major parade
that draws thousands to down-
town streets.
The Police Department has
advised of a
new parade
route for the
Shrine parade
units that com~
from all over
the state.
Lineup of
parade entries
will be on East
Spring Street
from Belle
Wtlliamsboro, then west t,o
College and then north t,o the
Home grounds.
The schedule for the day
start.s with the usual opening
ceremonies for visiting Masons
and others on the campus at
9:30 a.m. The parade starts at
lOa.m.
A Gospel group will perform
during the lunch hour, starling
at noon, and headliners for the
afternoon of pnt.1>'l"t~1nn-o"""'"
=
Sehl
I sur1
toe~
herff
s~
.M.D~~
\7ascu: 0
Par~·
Gr~·
pletel couni
Lap31
Vent{
InciS\·
Hem
at Th
Adv.;•
Lapar
Surgr
Work,
Med.ii.
Juue'·'.
Th
teach .. new 1: Jo
rep~
surgt'
Th
for sl'·
to 52'.
Laps
reduc'. i · hernr.
Mosf
taI th:
niqu~·
a spe ,
f
t' _, .
' ,,
ThefQI,
t10tlic0 •.
Iha rd '
Carolina ; Sorvices :·,
N.C.t('
is lour!:#
46.93. Sl
pour,ds 1.
olthem bOJI; Sautlle •In sb , Page 1 B
SATURDAY, JANUARY 30, 199
· P TCH
21
i•'P~ -r~u1i11111 •:· ---~ ,f ,, ! 1 • ia.-! a' r . . . -~t !11n 1~111~,u,1, : _ _, -~ n fa !id{ 11\U ft• flifJUUf 41f 'fPll• ••·~ I 11lp ,;._11§1_,,,,fft. )I_ I ,i_u 11t,1ri11.·. ·• .. ·_: f :i -Cl t -II" f_lt1 :·1• IIPHI_-.. _ t '1· I l! 1 1-t -I , ~ ,1: J _, r . . ·'· l 1r1r f! i• ._ 1r1•. "II -r:-:m~ ltlf d dJl J l;1Ju • 11 i'h IUtt-g !1rJ '!Jffi i}ftJ, r-f .J iii; --
equipment on the sit.e eould take a few months nat year, but it is
poseible detoxifteation of BOWi
eould start by mid 2000.
By stallting final planning
steps naw, the stat.e will avoid
having to put .a new cap on the mound ef waste1 uonier.el11aet
~ by tile w..i
ln'llroDJ9t'1tal ~
Aaeney.
Jlqwew, seiaa6C,.9e ... 8 ata&:od•~ .._ ttonot:e.-.~-.., out onl'n,~ ~~-. tMW-
6)1. Itwaa the ~ti-...
in the landffll a few ,-. IIO,
and feara it could ...,. ad
eontaminat.elaacl -----aide the landfill, that led to the
atudiea resq]tinl In the CftD'IW
dean up efflirt.
The toxic PCBa an ..., fil.
tered from the water• stand
for treatment lat.er. Kelly aaid the level of the ...,_, iD b-
water is atremely low; llelin,-
levels conaidered safe.
Afr, water and aol l8Dlp)ee
hm the landfill ltaw .... llliJ
object.a of many tests over the
put eeveral yean, but Kelly
aa:id IOlllt! t.elting will be contin-
ued aa part ef tbe final planning
proeeu. AJao, during the demi-
ftcation itaeJ( final tests will be
conduatecl to verify "that the
&ta am walk away hm the
de with -wrry of fbture li• ~-
'ffiat C, =--....... ·•~tithe liiMID .,._. rather than
~ ..... CII' liapf,
~~-The pitblll &y the state, and
the joint wo,kinf poup.W,
ing local people, is d~-to
actually n&~ the daJlllll-ous chemi~, ,turning 1mm into harmleea element.a.
Kelly said a propoeal la 11ft
before Seerewly. Wfpe
JldtMtlt to cont:im1e the joint ..,... poup. Originally
cbanared to study the landfill
pn,blem and ae1ect aaolution, its
8ffr.alewvaldbeto.-.euan , __,,._.. .. theaat.ecar-
dlloaltheclln$
•
CAROUNA
C00La I HEATING, I&
Ray Clopton, Your HomeWl Comfort Con8ullaat
438-4125
Illa lart al llld8rsaa
133 Raleigh Rd.
Home of PTeowned
Caf!I ti Tn,cks
1 .... 74-3805
• • oun l(. I . .
na ea ay.sitr1,1978;
s M..._ging Edi Sc1;lool s .
Twenty-two years afteF the :specter pf an ille-
gal memical a,ill ~ Franklin County high-
ways brought f~ :viions of ~ and sick-
n•, the event is haunting. the Bimn area agam ...
A county offidal, however, said there· is noth-ing to he concemied about. .
Katl)y Eldridse of Bunn has made claims that
ongoing health probJems in the Bunn area may
be ca'UHd by PCBs (poJychlorinated biphenyls}
illegally dum~d by Ward Transformer Co. of
Raleigh along 27 miles of Franklin County high-
esaay that the.re are noincreased indden
tespiratory preb'Jems or skin rashes at Bunn-area
chools as Eldridge has claimed. ·
Many children and. teachers have contracted
strep throat, but that ii not caused by any chem-
teal spi'll, said county h,aJth ~t diTector
I<eith Patton.
"We have inv ·
talked with the
there is nothing t
m~king people sick." , .
. ·. ;,.Several miles of N.C. 98
directly east and we~t of B~
were contaminated with PCBs m .
, 1978-when a father-s~>n team from ;·
, Ward Transformer Co. poured
hundreds of gallons of the che_m-
ical across rural North Carolina
counties rather than dispose of
it through proper channe~s. After
discovering the illegal spi~, state .
officials identified contaminated
areas and removed the. soil. The
father-son · team was fined ?1'd .•
served prison ~erms for the ille-
gal dumping. · ·
Health officials in 1978. ~d
today claim that the PCBs cling ,
tightly to soil and that human
contamination only comes ~rom .
direct contact with the chemical. ·
• "Symptoms occur when th~re .
is high exposure," said Dr. Rick .
Langley with the N.C. Depart-
merit of Health. "PCB bonds
tightly with the soil and is not
likely to cause symptoms. E~po-
sure usually comes from direct
contact. . ,,
"There is no· need for panic,
he said. . .
Eldridge claimed that digging
trenches along N.C. 98 to install
water lines has exposed B~
area residents to P~Bs .. ~ _ _