Army Corps meeting postponed
A quick news flash from WHQR, who’ve been tracking Titan events closely:
The Titan meeting originally listed on our calendar on June 12th at Laney has been moved to July 1st at Wilmington Christian Academy on College Road.
This in turn pushes back the comment period from June 30th to July 15th.
I would like to work with a group to develop Q’s for the Scoping meeting. I am a retired Army BG with MS in Chemical Engineering (Air Pollution Control focus) and over 20 years combined experience in preparing EISs and associated permits (air, water and hazardous waste) for munitions manufacturing and disposal plants in 7 states (IN, AR, MS, OK, UT, AL and OR) and the US territory on Johnston Atoll in the Pacific Ocean where I was the responsible program manager for the US effort to destroy our chemical warfare (CW) stockplies. Worked with every EPA region, multiple states/tribal councils and environmental groups (Greenpeace, Sierra Club and various environmental justice groups). Also worked with former Soviet Union in establishing their cold war CW stockplile disposal program and provided technical assistance to the UN in disposal of Iraqi CW materials and facilities after the 1st Gulf War. Somewhat dated on current EPA standards and regulations (all of above facilities met or exceeded existing regulations), but I know how the process works and how industry can game it.
Wow. That’s great, Walt. You sound like just the guy to organize this effort.
Not sure if you want to use space here on stoptitan.org in some way — which I can help with — or if you’d like to draft something, or request input from stop-titaners here, or if you’d like to leave contact information so that people interested in formulating these questions can get in touch with you.
I know that Lloyd S. has a google group in which these sorts of things might be organized, but have misplaced the URL for that.
Found it: http://groups.google.com/group/SayNoToTitan
Walt,
We’d love to tap your expertise on this and thanks for the offer. Your are welcome to give me a shout at 910.686.9445.
Look forward to hearing from you.
Best,
Joel Bourne
Joel….the fund raiser is this Sunday @ 5-9pm, will there be a program ? If yes about what time will the program begin ? Do you expect to accomplish more than collect
donations ?
Thanks….WP
Walt, I think I perused your Johnston Atoll disposal DEIS.
I have a few ideas as to areas that should be addressed in the DEIS.
1) Alternatives. The DEIS should discuss other geographic areas on the East Coast (U.S.?) that have transportation, limestone but not wetlands. This goes to the primacy of avoidance in the 404 (b) (1) guidelines. If there are other “reasonable” sites that avoid wetlands loss then no permit should be issued for this site.. The $4KK incentive should not be considered in a reasonableness test. It is merely a transfer payment that does not go to the inherent profitability of the proposed project. We should take the stance that the burden of proof in on the Corps and Titan to demonstrate that the avoidance test has been met.
2) Economic Impact Analysis This analysis need expansion and documentation and critical outside review. The model that produces the economic impacts [direct' indirect and induced] should not be some black box.
3) Financial impact analysis in local governments. This is especially important to Pender County. It will not receive tax revenues from the facility but will have to provide services to workers who choose to live in Pender.
4) Secondary and tertiary environmental impacts, a la the economic impacts should be analyzed and presented.
5) To the extent that barges are used to transport inputs and outputs from the plant the Coast Guard should do a traffic and hazard analysis.
6) I presume the the Corps will cover impacts of floods. There should be ample data on the extent of flooding that could occur. Also flood maps.
7) There is a great need for a functional analysis of wetlands that could be destroyed. What are the wetlands contribution to welfare [flood mitigation. store of water, carbon sink, flora and fauna. The analysis should discuss monitization of these values. This will enable decision makers to understand the potential losses. It will also place into prospective the mitigation plan.
9) I suspect that the Corps will not forget [it has check-lists] but tha impcts on migratory birds mad be significant.
10) Mitigation will need extensive discussion to assure that functional values are replaced.
This is all I can think of off the top of my head.
DEIS Notice from Federal Register:
http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA-SPECIES/2008/May/Day-30/e12065.htm
[Federal Register: May 30, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 105)]
[Notices]
[Page 31072-31073]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr30my08-35]
———————————————————————–
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers
Notice of Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact
Statement for Carolinas Cement Company LLC Castle Hayne Project in New
Hanover County, NC
AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
Hi,
Is there anyone who has stepped forward to organize all the various people and groups who are likely to respond to the Draft Environmental Impact Statement and to the various state permits? It seems to me that it is worthwhile to coordinate a response. I am interested in helping with this.
I also have access to a meeting space at 317 Castle Street, former home of OutWilmington and now operated by Southeastern Alliance for Community Change. (SEACC) This space will comfortably hold 30 people or so. It’s great for strategizing, work-shopping, planning, and organizing. Please contact me at 791-4877.
Thanks,
Steve Lee