Residents testify about REC expansion

MOSES LAKE — Six Grant County residents testified about REC Silicon’s addition of a new silane gas plant near Moses Lake.

Four speakers are former or current neighbors to the plant and expressed concerns about plant emissions or safety issues.

One man asked for more safety information and the executive director of the Grant County Economic Development Council (EDC) spoke of his confidence in the state Department of Ecology’s (DOE) tough permitting standards on Thursday.

Former plant neighbor Larry Campbell said he moved to Okanogan, Wash., after two plant explosions in 1998. He and his wife used to live near the plant.

He claimed his wife’s skin began burning after the second explosion and paint peeled from their car.

At that time, the plant was owned by Komatsu and called Advanced Silicon Materials.

Campbell said he donated his property as a buffer zone and sold it for $2,000 per acre, as opposed to a neighbor who got $43,000 per acre for a land sale.

Campbell asked that the buffer zone be expanded to help neighbors and added the plant could have earmarked money to care for the neighbors.

Terry Brewer, executive ?director of the Grant County EDC, said the DOE is very proficient and does its job for citizens’ protection.

“I know you do your homework. I think you do it right,” Brewer commented.

He trusts area companies performed to the agency’s permit standards or the businesses would have been shut down.

He’s been told by businesses that the DOE is the toughest agency they’ve ever dealt with.

Resident Megan Fielding said she used to live on Road 4 near the plant but decided not to stay there at night.

She said the plant’s neighbors tried to voice concerns at Moses Lake City Council meetings.

Fielding claimed REC had releases that have left the property.

She alleges a release of possibly nitric acid or hydroclorine acid caused caustic burns on her horse two summers ago.

Fielding also claimed she heard of two neighbors speak of burning skin and of other horses with blistered backs.

She alleged 53 of her chickens died and her cattle have problems with ulcerated eyes.

Greg McElroy said he represented Vic Jansen, Vance Jansen and the industrial park development adjacent to the south fenceline of the property.

McElroy said they are having a technical review done of the permit in part because they’re concerned about too many emission points and too many fenceline toxic issues.

“We want REC to succeed in this community, but the impacts are disproportionate on people who live in the shadow of the facility,” McElroy said.

Tim Bodine is president of a business that is the closest physical structure south of REC.

Bodine said he’s concerned about his workers’ safety as well as  other workers, businesses and residents in the general area.

He also cited concerns about alarm, notification and monitoring systems that are in place.

Bodine asked about what would be presented for an evacuation plan, release zone, blast zone and if there would be any safety training.

He also asked if monitoring beyond chest level monitors would be provided for employees patrolling the property’s perimeter.

Yusuke Nakgu said REC is a good company and he would like more information regarding safety and gas issues.

After the hearing, REC environmental engineer Brandon Green said the company plans to submit revised comments to the DOE based on the hearing’s comments.

He answered questions during REC’s workshop before the hearing, which included inqueries regarding regular monitoring from different emission sources and long-standing issues related to water discharges.

The largest questions that came up had to do with emergency response planning, he said

Green spoke of ongoing work to mitigate neighbors’ questions and concerns.

Neighbors can call Sharon Palmerton, of REC, at 509-760-6314, to be added to an emergency telephone notification system.

The system alerts neighbors by phone if a plant alarm is activated.

Karen Wood, of DOE’s Eastern Washington Air Quality Office, said residents asked her quite a few questions about a risk management plan and what would happen in an emergency.

People also asked how DOE could assure there was responsiveness to emergencies. She said that portion is the responsibility of the Environmental Protection Agency.

REC is required by the permit to report excess emissions, she said.

The deadline for written comments is 5 p.m., Wednesday. They can be mailed to Robert Koster at DOE, 4601 N. Monroe, Spokane, 99205, faxed to 509-329-3529 or e-mailed to rkos461@ecy.wa.gov.