Schaber: "Destroy the PCBs"

What to do with the toxic sediments that are dredged from the Fox River as a part of the clean-up has become a controversial issue lately. In today's Press Gazette, Dale Schaber, conservation chairman of the Fox Valley Sierra Group, had this guest commentary about the issue.

Permanently destroy as many PCBs as possible
By Dale Schaber

There are no easy answers to the question of how to deal with toxic or hazardous waste, other than to avoid creating the waste in the first place.

When it comes to dealing with the Fox River sediments, the Sierra Club supports the use of safe treatment technologies that permanently destroy the toxic chemicals in contaminated sediments, especially when sediments are contaminated with persistent, bioaccumulative toxics such as
PCBs. Permanent destruction offers a better alternative than disposal options such as landfilling that do not permanently destroy contaminants.

In particular, we believe that the glass aggregate process called vitrification has significant potential and ought to be seriously considered as a viable treatment option, particularly for the most contaminated Fox River sediments. We believe that its few negatives — minimal air emissions, high consumption of natural gas, somewhat uncertain cost — are far outweighed by its ability to permanently destroy the contaminants.

Vitrification destroys virtually all the polychlorinated biphenyls in contaminated sediments while encapsulating heavy metals in the
finished product, and wet scrubbers can significantly minimize air emissions. Given the available options, we feel that a vitrification process with the use of wet scrubbers offers the safest method of disposing of Fox River sediments.

Vitrification uses a glass furnace to treat contaminated sediments. The furnace is designed to destroy PCBs and all other organic chemicals at 2900 degrees and has air pollution control equipment to trap any vaporized metals. The sediment melts into a smooth, molten lava, is immediately doused in water and becomes a black, glass-like product that traps metals and other non-combustible pollutants. The material can be used to make a variety of useful products including shingles and roads.

Vitrification costs are estimated to be comparable to those of landfilling, and it is less expensive than shipping Fox River sediments to the toxic waste landfill in Michigan. While we are not opposed to the landfilling of Fox River sediments, since the costs are comparable and vitrification offers a permanent solution, we ask that as much Fox River sediment be vitrified as possible.

We recognize that it may not be possible to treat all of the dredged material, particularly materials with relatively low concentrations of PCBs. Any contaminated dredged material that cannot be treated at the time of cleanup should be placed in a segregated cell in a TSCA approved landfill.

As stated in a recent Green Bay Press-Gazette editorial (July 19, 2006) "it's time to get on with the river cleanup." Let's build an on-site vitrification plant near the high level PCB contaminated sediments and get this stuff permanently removed and out of every NIMBY's ("Not In My Back Yard") backyard. This would permanently clean up the PCB contamination in the Fox River and provide for the economic and environmental health of the region.

free backpack!!

The Fox Valley Sierra Club is having a summer membership drive. Click on the logo below to join today and get a free backpack!!

DO SOMETHING: Wal-Mart

DO SOMETHING!

Attend a public hearing to voice concerns about the proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter on Green Bay's east side. The meeting will be THIS Tuesday, June 20, at 7:00 PM in room 203 at City Hall, 100 S. Jefferson St.

BACKGROUND

The Clean Water Action Council, Midwest Environmental Advocates, and The Fox Valley Sierra Club have taken a stand AGAINST this proposal. This type of development causes many environmental problems that include: increased run-off and pollution, local flooding, airpollution, lights, noise, traffic congestion, loss of habitat farmland and woodlots, and because WalMart outsources it jobs and production, it contributes to environmental deregulation and degradation in other countries.

Other problems with WalMart include: outsourcing of American jobs, slave labor in other countries, extremely low below poverty level wages that force their workers to use taxpayer funded services such as housing assistance and heath care, and negative tax revenue due to high infrastructure costs. Also, studies have conclusively shown that WalMart destroys locally owned and unique small business that already exist in host towns. If this retail space really is necessary, and that is doubtful, it should be developed locally by locally owned and unique businesses.

For more info go to:

http://www.midwestadvocates.org/advocacy/Sustaining%20Communities/index.htm

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/

Air Quality Health Advisory Again!

Air Quality Health Advisory issued for Milwaukee, Waukesha, and Brown Counties

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is issuing an air quality health advisory for Milwaukee, Waukesha, and Brown Counties in eastern Wisconsin effective from 1:00 p.m., today Thursday, March 30, 2006 until 12:00 p.m., Friday, March 31, 2006. The advisory is being issued because of persistent elevated levels of fine particles in the air. These fine particles come primarily from combustion sources, such as power plants, factories and other industrial sources, vehicle exhaust, and outdoor fires. Current weather conditions leading to this advisory are the presence of low level clouds and light winds trapping pollutants near the ground. Air quality is expected to gradually improve for the affected area beginning Friday morning.

The Air Quality Index is currently in the orange level, which is considered unhealthy for people in sensitive groups and others, including people who are not in sensitive groups but who are engaged in strenuous activities or exposed for prolonged periods of time. People in those sensitive groups include those with heart or lung disease, asthma, older adults and children. When an air quality health advisory is issued, people in those groups are advised to reschedule or cut back on strenuous activities.

People with lung diseases such as asthma and bronchitis and heart disease should pay attention to cardiac symptoms like chest pain and shortness of breath or respiratory symptoms like coughing, wheezing and discomfort when taking a breath, and consult with their physician if they have concerns or are experiencing symptoms. To receive air quality health advisories by e-mail, visit http://dnr.wi.gov/org/aw/air/health/listserv.html.

There are several actions the public can take to reduce their contributions to this regional air quality problem.

-Reduce driving when possible and don’t leave vehicle engines idling.

-Postpone activities that use small gasoline and diesel engines.

-Avoid burning leaves, brush, grass or wood. Composting is preferred, but if you must burn and your community allows it, do not burn on an air quality health advisory day.

-Never burn household garbage, plastic, rubber, painted wood or other materials that must be recycled or landfilled and cannot be legally burned.

-Practice electrical energy conservation.

For more information:

-Federal interagency air quality web site, for information on the Air Quality Index and nationwide air quality forecasts and air quality conditions, http://airnow.gov
-DNR’s statewide air quality monitoring web page, http://maps.dnr.state.wi.us/wisards
-For local DNR air management program contacts, http://dnr.wi.gov/org/aw/air/staff/regions.htm

DNR Air Quality Health Advisory

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is issuing an air quality health advisory for Milwaukee, Waukesha, Manitowoc and Brown Counties in eastern Wisconsin effective from 11:00 a.m., today Wednesday, March 29, 2006 until 9:00 a.m., Thursday, March 30, 2006. The advisory is being issued because of persistent elevated levels of fine particles in the air. These fine particles come primarily from combustion sources, such as power plants, factories and other industrial sources, vehicle exhaust, and outdoor fires. Current weather conditions leading to this advisory are the presence of low level clouds and light winds trapping pollutants near the ground. Air quality is expected to gradually improve for the affected area beginning Thursday morning.

The Air Quality Index is currently in the orange level, which is considered unhealthy for people in sensitive groups and others, including people who are not in sensitive groups but who are engaged in strenuous activities or exposed for prolonged periods of time. People in those sensitive groups include those with heart or lung disease, asthma, older adults and children. When an air quality health advisory is issued, people in those groups are advised to reschedule or cut back on strenuous activities.

People with lung diseases such as asthma and bronchitis and heart disease should pay attention to cardiac symptoms like chest pain and shortness of breath or respiratory symptoms like coughing, wheezing and discomfort when taking a breath, and consult with their physician if they have concerns or are experiencing symptoms. To receive air quality health advisories by e-mail, visit http://dnr.wi.gov/org/aw/air/health/listserv.html.

There are several actions the public can take to reduce their contributions to this regional air quality problem.

-Reduce driving when possible and don’t leave vehicle engines idling.

-Postpone activities that use small gasoline and diesel engines.

-Avoid burning leaves, brush, grass or wood. Composting is preferred, but if you must burn and your community allows it, do not burn on an air quality health advisory day.

-Never burn household garbage, plastic, rubber, painted wood or other materials that must be recycled or landfilled and cannot be legally burned.

-Practice electrical energy conservation.

For more information:

-Federal interagency air quality web site, for information on the Air
Quality Index and nationwide air quality forecasts and air quality conditions, http://airnow.gov
-DNR’s statewide air quality monitoring web page, http://maps.dnr.state.wi.us/wisards
-For local DNR air management program contacts, http://dnr.wi.gov/org/aw/air/staff/regions.htm

2005 lcv scorecard

Last week, the League of Conservation Voters released their 2005 National Environmental Scorecard. Events were held in key states across the U.S. with LCV supporters and the media on hand.

Here is how our illustrious Congressmen scored.

Senator Feingold: 90% (Thanks, Russ!)
Senator Kohl: 75% (Hey Herb, that is a D in my gradebook!)
Representative Mark not-Green: 22% (This is a big fat F in anyone's gradebook!!!)

If you click the above names, you can see what votes they were "graded" on and email them a message about how you feel about their scores.

signs of a greener green bay

With all of the recent efforts to re-develop the city of Green Bay and to get people to live downtown, there has not been much public talk about "green cities" or environmentally correct and energy efficient development. In yesterday's Press-Gazette, there was some very hopeful reporting in the article "Mayor forecasts 'brighter future for Green Bay".

At the neighborhood level, new efforts will include a Greener Green Bay Initiative that will consider environmental factors from more efficient lighting to a policy for how long city vehicles should idle. Schmitt said he was intrigued by a similar initiative in Chicago and even discussed the possibility of a rooftop garden atop City Hall.

If they are serious about this it is very exciting news. As we move away from a fossil fuel economy, it is incredibly important that we revitalize our cities in a way that gets people to live near where they work. Chicago has made great strides in this area.

Right now, the Sierra Club has a very interesting COOL CITIES campaign that helps urban areas deal with these issues. One of their newsletters had a recent article, Cities Get Cool, about this effort. Green Bay should sign on!

eddy out,
rich