Proposed plant in Smith Twp. concerns Mahoning panel

By Peter H. Milliken

‘The air pollution concern is paramount,’ the county’s recycling director said.

YOUNGSTOWN — The Mahoning County Solid Waste Policy Committee has some concerns about a proposed $250 million waste-burning electric power plant in Smith Township.

The committee instructed Jim Petuch, the county’s recycling director, to write to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and county commissioners. The letter will express concerns about potential air pollution from the proposed Alliance-area plant and ask the OEPA to carefully reconsider the project in terms of the health and safety of nearby residents.

“The air pollution concern is paramount,” Petuch said after the committee’s Tuesday meeting.

The facility, to be known as the Mahoning Renewable Energy plant, would occupy about 30 acres at Transload America’s Central Waste landfill, 12003 Oyster Road.

The Ohio EPA issued a draft permit for the plant’s smokestack emissions Jan. 18.

Gregory L. Benik, president of Jefferson Renewable Energy LLC of Warwick, R.I., the firm that would design and operate the plant, said Jefferson officials expect the OEPA will soon issue a final smokestack emissions permit.

The plant also would need a solid-waste handling permit and a permit to operate, he added.

When they unveiled their plans to the committee last spring, Jefferson officials said the facility would generate 250 construction jobs. Operating the facility would create 60 full-time jobs paying an average of $50,000 a year, generate reliable electricity, promote recycling and conserve landfill space, they said.

“My understanding is it’s just a trash burner. There’s really nothing green about it,” Anthony T. Traficanti, chairman of the county commissioners, said at the meeting.

“The Ohio EPA has issued a draft air permit, which is very rigorous and assures that the emissions will be well below regulatory levels, which are set to protect public health and welfare and the environment,” Benik said in a telephone interview.

“This plant will have the most advanced air-pollution-control equipment available,” Benik added.

The proposed plant, which would burn municipal garbage and construction and demolition debris, will emit 60 percent less greenhouse gases than a typical coal-fired power plant, Benik said. Many people believe greenhouse gases, which include carbon dioxide and methane, contribute to global warming.

Traficanti, who initially endorsed the project, said he was concerned the county would receive $1.50-per-ton disposal fees only for the ash remaining after burning and not for the total waste volume entering the incinerator.

But Benik said the county will be compensated for all waste entering the incinerator.

Traficanti said he also is concerned the county won’t benefit from lower electric rates because of the plant’s presence.

Benik said Jefferson is exploring ways to supply electric power to the local community to the extent allowable under Ohio law. Because the plant will burn waste, it won’t be subject to price fluctuations associated with facilities that burn commodities such as oil or coal, and that should stabilize electric rates, he noted.

Dr. Kristine Shoemaker of Beloit, a retired dentist and committee member who opposes construction of the incinerator, said the plant won’t do enough to promote recycling because metal is the only item Jefferson plans to separate from the incoming waste and recycle.

“We feel we’re doing our fair share of recycling,” Benik said, noting the plant will recover as much as 20,000 tons of metal a year. The Jefferson facility won’t be designed to remove other recyclables from trash, he added. “Recycling is everybody’s responsibility,” Benik said.

milliken@vindy.com