NCD980602163_19970806_Warren County PCB Landfill_SERB C_Daily Disparch article - PCB protesters jailed in Warren-OCR

t ' t,,l/--Ui'L½ ~ a,(,ro-f & ) 1997 6A The Daily Dispatch TRI-COUNTY J Daily Dispatch photo by CHARLIE RICHARDS Protester Deborah Ferruccio scales the fence surrounding the PCB landfill. I . PCB protesters jailed in Warren I By Dail P. alle int ton H01 'I Cm and Ir C( V (AP day nal the mal con Sill{
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Daily Dispatch photo by CHARLIE RICHARDS
Protester Deborah Ferruccio s~ales the fence surrounding the PCB landfill.
PCB protesters jailed in Warren
State Highway Patrol Sgt. J. In its statement, the Working
By CHARLIE RICHARDS A. Lynch was called, and at 10 Group said it had re~ueste_d
Daily Dispatch Writer a.m. Ken was charged with first assistance from EPA earhe~ this
WARRENTON - A Warren
County couple were in jail 'Tues-
day night, having been arrested
for trespassing on sta~e property
. as they protested the manner in
which air quality tests are being
conducted at the PCP landfill
near here.
Ken and Deborah Ferruccio,
long time opponents of the land-
fill and advocates of its cleanup,
separately crossed a fence to dis-
rupt testing by the U.S. Environ-
mental Protection Agency.
Late 'Tuesday, they were seek-
ing advice from fellow envi~on-
mentalists on their next steps.
Both were jailed in the early
1980s when citizens tried to pre-
vent the state from burying the
hazardous chemical waste in
Warren. At that time Ken spent
19 days fasting in jail.
The Ferruccios live in the
Afton community, a few miles
from the landfill. They have
been participants in the Joint
Warren/State Working Group
which has worked to develop a
plan to identify threats from the
landfill and detoxify the dump.
'Tuel:lday night, Working
Group members conferred and
issued a statement saying the
Group "cannot in good faith sup-
port any unilateral action by an
individual that is not in line with
the group's detoxification goals."
Without mentioning the Fer-
ruccios by name, the statement
recognized their action but said ·
it could not support any direct
action that had not been brought
to the group first.
This latest dispute concerns
the fact the EPA is conducting
the air tests independent of an
overview by outside scientists.
The Ferruccios say they can-
not trust either the state or fed-
eral agencies because both were
involved in establishing an
unsafe landfill. Deborah said she
fears unchecked test results
would be made to show there is
no need to detoxify the dump.
When scientists from the EPA
lab in Athens, Ga., showed up
here 'Tuesday, Ken climbed the
fence around the mound and
refused to leave.
degree trespass and taken to year, and that one of its science
Warren Detention Center. His advisors had agreed the pres-
bond was set at $500 but he . ence of the advisors was not
declined to leave the jail. needed during EPA sampling.
Wife Deborah was notified. "This is the most sensitive
She sent their two children to method available," Slagle said as
stay with friends, alerted news he set up sophisticated filtering ·
media and went to the landfill devices on super vacuums that
herself at 1 p.m. Meanwhile, law suck air through for testing. He
enforcement representatives said the method has been tested
had left. · in court, and that "strict chain of
After surveying the situtation, custody rules" are followed.
Deborah scaled the gate in the Explaining her opposition,
fence where there was no barbed Deborah Ferruccio said "it
wire. She said she unplugged wouldn't cost much to have a
some of the equipment the EPA split sample," with an indepen-
agents were using but harmed dent test. "Scientific testing
no •equipment. without integrity is the heart of
Mike Kelly of the state's Waste environmental injustice. They
Management Division, who was wouldn't do this if it were
there to provide access to the Raleigh or Durham."
federal agents, then unlocked Prior to 'Tuesday's incident,
the gate and asked her to leave. . the Ferruccio~ and oth~rs in
She declined and the SHP Troop-Warren had directed their con-
er returned and arrested her. cerns at the prospect that EPA
Kelly said one sample of sev-may order the state to remove
eral from a previous testing peri-water from the landfill.
od indicated the presence of They said they fear that would
PCBs in the air and since then give the state an excuse not to
citizens have ~sked for tests. · completely detoxify the lan~ll.
(PCB, Polychlorinated Biphenyl, Kelly said such an E~A order
is a poisonous compound once is expected. Mea~while, the
used in electric tran1,forrners.) results of other testmg are now
Tim Slagle and John Vail from being studied with the prospect
Athens said their visit was in of a detoxification plan being
response to those concerns. The developed this year. ~en a plan
Warren site is treated like a is found, the state will be asked
Superfund site, they said, and in to spend the millions necessary
those cases EPA does its own to remove the poisons from the
testing at its own expense. landfill.
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