20150042 Ver 1_Christopher D. Hassinger, M.P.H._20150324

Burdette, Jennifer a
From: Christopher Hassinger <chhassin @gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, March 24, 2015 10:46 PM
To: Higgins, Karen
Cc: Burdette, Jennifer a; Devane, Boyd
Subject: Comments on Proposed Coal Ash Landfill in Lee County
Attachments: NCDWR_Hassinger_Comments on Proposed Coal Ash Landfill in Lee County-24 March
2015.pdf
Dear Ms. Higgins,
Please find my comments on the proposed coal ash landfill in Colon, NC (Lee County) attached to this email. I
hope that you will take a few moments out of your busy day to read my comments. I live one mile away from
the proposed site and feel very strongly about this matter.
Thank you very much for your time and consideration.
Christopher Hassinger
Christopher D. Hassinger, M.P.H.
104 Balsam Lane
Sanford, NC 27330
H: (910) 775 -4266
M: (734) 417 -2491
chhas sing gmail.corn
"Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience."
"Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak."
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal from many is research."
"We never really grow up; we only learn how to act in public."
1

Christopher Hassinger, M.P.H.
104 Balsam Lane / Sanford, NC 27330
Telephone: 919 - 775 -4266 (Home); 734 - 417 -2491 (Mobile)
E -mail address: [e-mail]
Ms. Karen Higgins
North Carolina Division of Water Resources (NCDWR)
1650 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699 -1650
Telephone: [phone]
E -mail address: karen.higgins&ncdenr.gov
March 24, 2015
Dear Ms. Higgins,
My name is Christopher Hassinger and I live approximately one mile from the proposed coal
ash disposal site in Colon, North Carolina. I am writing you to voice my strong opposition to this
proposed action and to encourage you to do all within your power to help the people of Colon
and Sanford defeat this proposal.
My wife and I moved to the Sanford area about 6 years ago to a peaceful subdivision off of
Amos Bridges Road. My wife is a dentist and served her country in the military for six years and
I have a master's degree in environmental risk assessment and work in the field. We paid off
our student loans as quickly as possible, bought a home within our means and are scrupulous
savers. We pride ourselves that we have done things the right way to get ahead in life. The
proposed coal ash disposal site one mile from our home will undoubtedly reduce the value of
our home significantly and make it very difficult, if not impossible, to sell the home without
basically giving it away. The truth is, no one wants to live near toxic chemicals that may leach
into groundwater or become friable and impact air quality.
Infinitely worse is the potential impact on the communities health. I have a 3 -year old son and
another son on the way in July and my wife and I have much anxiety about raising our family in
close proximity to almost eight million tons of toxic chemicals contained in the coal ash. I am
very concerned that, if permitted, this proposal will have numerous deleterious effects on the
residents' of Colon and Sanford quality of life, our property values, and the economic reputation
and prosperity of Lee County. As you enter Lee County you see the welcome sign with the
motto "Committed Today for a Better Tomorrow." I ask you to think about this motto for a
second and ask yourself whether taking in eight million tons of toxic chemicals and placing them
in close proximity to families (including young children) is making a commitment for a better
future for Lee County's citizens.
Please consider the following specific reasons that this proposed action should not be
approved:
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• Economics: Duke and Chara will swear up and down that this will not be an issue;
however, no one wants to live near a coal ash disposal site. The real estate market in
my neighborhood is already anemic as homes sit for years sometimes before they are
sold. With a coal ash dump down the road, it is very reasonable to expect that homes
will be have to be given away in order to be sold. In addition, Lee County and the City of
Sanford will be known to be the home of eight million tons of coal ash waste. This area
already struggles to attract major business and investment with the economic
powerhouse of the Triangle nearby. With a coal ash dump in Lee County, I fear that this
gap will only widen. I don't think we can expect another Pfizer or Caterpillar to invest in
the area any time soon it is known for taking in other areas toxic pollutants. The only
ones that would benefit financially are those invested in Green Meadows, LLC (whose
members not public record in the State of North Carolina), which owns the land, and
Chara. The rest of Lee County and its residents are going to lose economically if the
proposed action is approved.
• Air Quality: Chara has issued a statement that they will seal all railcars prior to and
during transport and will keep the coal ash at 20% moisture to prevent it becoming
airborne. However, this solution relies upon Chara personnel actually doing so to
constantly keep the moisture at 20 %. If moisture is less than 20% for even a short period
of time, coal ash dust may become airborne and deposit on nearby communities where
people are raising their families and children. This is totally unacceptable.
• Water quality: The proposed coal ash site will certainly impact groundwater quality. The
clay mines are indeed lined with clay, which does afford some protection of groundwater,
and an additional synthetic liner will be installed; however, most liners are only
guaranteed for approximately _ years. In addition, based on the contractors that Chara
has identified for liner purchase and installation, potential liners are designed for
municipal solid waste and not for coal ash and its fine particulate. Finally, it has not been
investigated whether the clay is fissured or intact; therefore, one cannot take Chara at
their word that the clay will provide an additional layer of protection against groundwater
impacts. There are private residences directly East and West of the coal ash site, in fact
these properties share a boundary with the proposed site. As these homes are not within
the city limits, they will draw well water; the same groundwater that would be impacted
by the proposed action. This is environmental injustice at its worst.
Wetlands Conservation: Using Geographical Information System (GIS) data
downloaded from the United States Fish & Wildlife Service's National Wetlands
Inventory (http: / /www.fws.gov /wetlands /Data /State- Downloads.htm1), there are 101
bodies of surface water in the NWI within 1 mile of the parcel purchased by Green
Meadows, LLC totaling 70.7 acres. In the map below, the red parcel is owned by Green
Meadow, LLC, light green polygons are NWI wetlands, and the circle depicts a 1 mile
radius around the center of the proposed site (yellow dot). These surface waters are
hydraulically connected to groundwater; therefore, they could potentially be impacted by
contamination of groundwater by the proposed coal ash dump.
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• Safety: The proposed action would transport 8 million tons of coal ash, or to put this
number in perspective, enough to require 992 miles of continuous railcars end -to -end to
transport this amount of material. This is roughly equivalent to the distance from Sanford
to Havana, Cuba. Conservatively assumin_a an average distance of 75 feet, this is
approximately 70.000 railcars full of coal ash or a 40 -car train every day for 5
years. This will essentially be a constant flow of railcars through the Sanford and Colon
communities to transport coal ash to the site. Keeping in mind this staggering number of
railcars, it almost certain that some of the coal ash, despite best practices to seal the
railcars by Chara, will be spilled into communities. As this is not a stationary point source
such as a power plant, it will be very difficult, if not impossible, for regulators /inspectors
to catch any emissions as they occur. The bottom line is that accidents are likely to
occur given this amount of material and the number of railcars involved, meaning that
communities on either side of the proposed rail lines will suffer the consequences.
• Property Ownership: If I destroyed some of my neighbors' property or undertook any
action to decrease the value of their property, they would have sufficient cause to seek
compensation for such loss or, in some case, pursue criminal charges. The proposed
action will decrease property values certainly where I live and most likely for much of
northern Lee County. Why is it OK for Duke, Chara and Green Meadows to decrease
our orooerty values when ordinary citizens would either be taken to court or prosecuted?
Is any reasonable person honestly expected to believe that Chara or Green Meadows,
LLC will compensate impacted residents when their homes cannot sell or when they
appraise for significantly less than what they paid for them? I think we both know the
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answer to that question is unequivocally "No ". The only way that residents can attempt to
made whole is through the legal system. The only way I see the residents of this area,
many of whom are poor and most likely disenfranchised, can stand against big business
in the courtroom is to join together in a class action suit, which will require a lot of money
and organization.
• Basic Human Welfare: My family is fortunate in that if we truly feel compelled to leave
the area, we have the financial means to do so, even if this means taking a considerable
loss on our home. However, Colon is largely a poor community. Many of these families
have lived here for generations and do not have the means to relocate to other areas;
therefore, they are essentially stuck living next to a significant human health and
environmental hazard. Children will spend their formative years drinking groundwater
potentially contaminated with coal ash toxicants, breathing in air containing coal ash
dust. Is this what we want to do to our own citizens? The Golden Rule states "Do unto
others as you would have them do unto you." I ask you, would you want your children or
grandchildren drinking this water, breathing this air? If you answered "No ", please stand
up for the people of Colon and Sanford and do everything in your power to prevent this
action.
I thank you for taking time to read this letter. I appreciate your concern regarding this matter
and hope that you will be a voice for those whose voice is often drowned out money and
politics. Let's uphold the motto of Lee County and its board of commissioners "Committed
Today for a Better Tomorrow."
Very Sincerely,
Christopher D. Hassinger, M.P.H.
Copies:
Jennifer Burdette, NCDENR (lennifer.burdetteP_ncdenr.gov)
Boyd Devane, NCDENR (boyd.devaneP_ncdenr.gov)
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