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DeWitt Co. won't get public hearing on Hopedale toxic waste issue
By Kevin Barlow
kbarlow@pantagraph.com
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CLINTON -- The Illinois Pollution Control Board has ruled there will be no public hearing in DeWitt County on Peoria Disposal Co.’s plan to treat a toxic waste material and store the residue at its Hopedale facility.

It did extend the public comment period to Sept. 25, however.

State Rep. Bill Mitchell, R-Forsyth, and Matt Varble, the leader of a community group opposing hazardous waste at Clinton Landfill, had asked for the hearing. They said the board’s Aug. 18 hearing in Peoria wasn’t enough because Peoria Disposal’s application lists all of its sites, including the one south of Clinton.

“We’re very pleased with the decision and this enables us to move forward,” said Peoria Disposal Vice President Chris Coulter. “We have no intention to store any hazardous material in Clinton and saw no need for a public hearing there. We are satisfied the board did the right thing.”

Coulter said Peoria Disposal will sign an agreement later this month to give the DeWitt County Board veto power of the storage of any such chemicals at the Clinton facility.

Varble, head of Clinton-based WATCH (We’re Against Toxic Chemicals), said he was disappointed the board didn’t call for a public hearing in DeWitt County to follow up the Aug. 18 hearing in Peoria.

He was pleased, however, that the board extended a public comment period for an additional two weeks.

“It’s obvious they feel there is a considerable amount of public interest in this situation and so we will encourage members of the public to contact the Illinois Pollution Control Board to share their feelings,” Varble said. “In our opinion, this is somewhat of a favorable result because our goal is to make sure the board hears the objections to the storage of any hazardous wastes anywhere.”

Comments can be sent to: Illinois Pollution Control Board, Re: Case AS 2008-010, James Thompson Center, 100 W. Randolph St., Suite 11-500, Chicago, IL 60601.

On April 25, Peoria Disposal, the parent company of Area Disposal, which owns and operates Clinton Landfill, filed an application for permission to treat K061 electric arc furnace dust at its Peoria facility. The treated material then would be stored at a landfill at Hopedale.

The waste from steel mills contains several highly toxic components, including dioxin, lead, zinc, cadmium, arsenic, mercury, and hexavelent chromium.

To win the permit, Peoria Disposal must prove the material can be treated so it no longer constitutes hazardous waste.

Peoria Disposal has not publicly revealed how it would treat the waste, but it says the treatment process has worked successfully for 15 years and has the approval of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

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