Stopping a toxic incinerator

February 20, 2014

A GROUP of King of Prussia-based business people calling themselves "Route 13 Bristol Partners LP," wants to build an industrial waste incinerator on the Rohm and Haas plant site in Bristol Township, Pa., a mostly poor and working-class suburb of Philadelphia.

This incinerator will burn paints, solvents, pesticides, herbicides, pharmaceuticals and other industrial toxic waste material. It will not burn biological hospital waste. It is not a "trash-to-steam" plant.

At a recent township Zoning Hearing Board Meeting, the Route 13 Bristol Partners brought forward paid experts to tell residents that the proposed incinerator would be safe and create jobs, while generating much-needed tax revenues.

What they don't want you to know is that the smoke generated by the incinerator will never be 100 percent clean. The fumes from the smokestacks will include dioxins, and toxic dust that can cause cancers, lung ailments and birth defects, such as spina bifida. The cancers indicated include colorectal, lung, leukemia and pancreatic cancers.

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The ash from this incinerator will be so toxic that it has to be shipped to a special landfill in upstate New York. According to sources, this landfill is already close to capacity.

The Partnership assures us that there is virtually no chance of an accident at the proposed facility. However, the toxic waste will be transported here via I-95 and the Turnpike and will travel on Route 13 and PA 413. In the event of an accident that results in a spill of toxic waste, there is the possibility of run-off to our creeks and the Delaware River. A spill on our streets could result in exposure of residents to deadly chemicals.

Route 13 Bristol Partners is not an established company with a track record in waste disposal. It is a group of rich investors using a shadow corporation to hide behind. They are being secretive about who the "partners" are. No one seems to know for sure who they are. The exception is Pasquale "Pat" Deon, owner of a beer distributorship and many other local businesses. Deon is also a political heavyweight and GOP power broker, who gives tens of thousands of dollars in political contributions.

Pennsylvania state Rep. Frank Farry testified for the partners at the Zoning Board as a paid expert in his capacity as a public safety and fire official. In his testimony, Farry did not identify himself as a state representative. Later, he said that he didn't mention his public office in order to "not confuse" board members.

Residents were assured that the Environmental Protection Agency and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection would hold the toxic incinerator to high safety standards. The truth is that regulation and enforcement of chemical waste is minimal at best. People should consider what recently happened in in West Virginia, where solvents were spilled into local waterways making water supplies dangerous to the public.

Bristol residents can't trust in politicians to stop this toxic project. The best way to prevent construction is through mass protest and grassroots organizing. Opposition to the proposed incinerator is already building in Bristol and surrounding communities, including across the river in New Jersey.

The next meeting date for Bristol Township Zoning Hearing Board is February 24 at 7 p.m.
John Leslie, Bristol, Pa.

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