Claymont Steel Poisoning the Air-Will DNREC Act?
Claymont Steel continues to pollute the air at an alarming rate, according to a piece by Jeff Montgomery in today’s News-Journal.
University of Southern California professor Constantinos Sioutas made the observations in a newly released report based on data collected by a Claymont Coalition monitoring team working with the international group Global Community Monitor.
Levels of five metals found in Claymont dust “appear to be much higher than those even in the polluted urban environments of Los Angeles,” Sioutas wrote.
“Based on these concentration levels, long-term exposures to fine particulate matter in the residential locations near the Claymont Steel industrial [site] would be considered unsafe by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the World Health Organization,” Sioutas said.
It is not as if this should come as any surprise to Claymont Steel since:
Delaware’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control already has the plant under a “clean up or shut down” order issued in 2006, targeting soot emissions and smokestack releases of mercury. Regulators warned the company late last year that it was failing to meet its obligations.
Claymont Steel has not been a good neighbor in other ways, as their unwillingness to work with local and federal officials to make available an undevelopable portion of their land has thrown a monkey wrench into plans to use Federal stimulus funds to improve the passenger rail corridor in the area.
Nobody wants to see 400 jobs ‘go away’ in the area. But Claymont Steel appears to hold the position that the only choices available are to allow the company to continue poisoning its neighbors, or face the loss of the jobs. This willful flouting of laws designed to protect residents from serious health hazards cannot be allowed to continue.
Claymont Steel has thrown down the gauntlet. Time for DNREC to act.
Tags: Delaware
Two words: metalic soot.
An excellent name for a band.
So what has DNREC done to follow up on its notice to Claymont that they were in noncompliance with the previous order?
Do you know if Claymont is holding its undevelopable parcel hostage to ease enforcement of its cleanup or shut down order?
It is awfully remarkable that DNREC isn’t taking a higher profile on this thing — and I note that this article does not have any comment or reaction from DNREC on the study.
The company has scheduled an informational meeting for 9:30 a.m. Saturday at Claymont Elementary School.
Hope that someone can go to this and report back….
What? No chorus of concerns from the normally chatty Dellie crowd?
Markell’s fans should be calling him on his very weak stand so far regarding DNREC vs the pollutors.
Oops, Cassandra got that one in fast!
This is an ongoing fight that typifies DNREC and corporate will vs the commoner.
I wouldn’t worry about it – Barrack is going to create 5 million new green jobs any day now.
Speaking of environmental stuff… Anyone know what this means?
NEWS FROM THE DELAWARE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL
March 10, 2009
Vol. 39, No. 82
Contact: Charlie Smisson, Delaware Energy Office, 302-735-3480; or Melanie Rapp,
Public Affairs, 302-739-9902.
Delaware Energy Office Seeks Fiscal Agent for Delaware Sustainable
Energy Utility; Proposals Due by April 17
DOVER, Del. – The Delaware Energy Office, Delaware Department of Natural Resources
and Environmental Control, has issued the Request for Proposals for a contractual
fiscal agent for the Delaware Sustainable Energy Utility (SEU), the non-profit
entity tasked by the State of Delaware to provide comprehensive energy efficiency
and renewable energy services to Delaware households and businesses. Proposals are
due to the Delaware Energy Office by April 17.
The Fiscal Agent will manage all financial aspects of the SEU to include: developing
and maintaining an accounting system; receiving/disbursing SEU funds under the
direction of the Delaware Energy Office; interfacing with revenue authorities;
overseeing financial transactions involving renewable energy certificates; and
paying SEU invoices.
The complete RFP and timeline, including information on the mandatory bidder’s
conference scheduled for March 23, is posted on DNREC’s website,
http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov.
For more information or to request a copy of the RFP, contact the Delaware Energy
Office by phone, 302-735-3480, or in writing addressed to: Delaware Energy Office,
1203 College Park Drive, Dover DE 19904. For questions or comments, contact Charlie
Smisson, State Energy Coordinator, Delaware Energy Office, 302-735-3480 or
Charlie.Smisson@state.de.us.
The Delaware Sustainable Energy Task Force was created July 1, 2006 to develop a SEU
for the state. The final report was adopted March 28, 2007, and on June 28, 2007,
Governor Ruth Ann Minner signed Senate Bill 18 creating the SEU, a public/private
partnership that will focus on energy efficiency, renewable energy use and
conservation of energy for Delaware residents and business owners. Senator Harris
McDowell was the primary sponsor of Senate Bill 18.
Jack spoke tonight in the 6th District. Kovack, Alan Levin, Harris McDowell, guy from Greenways, and a guy from DNREC. Not one question about this from the big crowd at the school…they were more worried about Fox Point Park, and the old Merchandise Mart. Are these residents so “metalliced” they dont know they living with a real environmental problem?
I was not impressed with any of the so called “community leaders”, one would think they would have asked this question?
Different ends of the Pike. They’re not really close to the Claymont Steel site. Would’ve thought that the Cauffiel site, the proposed Fox Chase regional center, and the duPont Edgemoor plant (more of a direct environmental issue for this locale) would’ve been discussed, though, and maybe they were.
Our family lived about 1 mile from the steel mill from 2002-2007. During that time I had a miscarriage and my son (born in 2004) has several developmental delays. On the street that we lived. three other women had miscarriages and 7 of 13 kids had some form of developmental/learning delay. We moved from that neighborhood in 2007 and my son has made great progress since…I always found it suspicious that there were so many kids with challanges in that neighborhood????? Are there any plans to study the health of children during 2003-present when it seems that the mercury emmissions were so high (not to mention the lead, magnesium, and manganese).
My husband and I are just learning all the details of this and will attend Sat am meeting at Claymont. After we gather our facts we are going to start writing letters to all and any to get more attention paid to this issue.
Thanks for your comment, Jackie. Letter to everyone plus, I think, asking for a meeting with the Governor and DNREC to get a real Action Plan for dealing with this seems to be in order. Let us know what happens at the meeting on Saturday.
I live about 3 miles from it. Do you think that air doesnt travel? The soil poisoned. There is a dusty hazy thing on my car sometimes, not all the time, but enough to notice. wonder if the cancer cluster report has any numbers on that area?
El: nope they werent discussed either. Mostly questions about the Parks. Of course millions have been spent “connecting” all the parks. A total waste of money.