Alexandria, St. Albans residents sound off on proposed asphalt plants in EPA hearing
In a packed Thursday night hearing, residents from Alexandria, Granville and St. Albans Township voiced their opposition to two proposed asphalt plants in Alexandria — and they did not hold back.
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency held an information session on the proposed plants as well as a public hearing on an air permit specifically for one of the sites.
Scioto Materials, an affiliate of The Shelly Company, proposes a plant at 1434 Tharp Road, near Ohio 37 on the southeast side of the village, and Mar-Zane Materials of Zanesville proposes one for the northwest side at 2699 Johnstown Alexandria Road, which is the Martin Trucking property.
Max Moore, a public involvement coordinator for the Ohio EPA, said the agency regulates asphalt plants through the division surface water, which looks at the impact to streams, rivers, and wetlands, and the division of air pollution control, which regulates plants' air emissions.
Amy Klei, chief of the division of drinking and groundwaters for the Ohio EPA's central district office, said the agency does not expect to see impacts to the surface and ground waters from the plants
The EPA hearing was specifically about the potential Tharp Road plant's air permit, which determines if the proposed site will comply with air rules and standards, so the panel of EPA experts did not have answers to specific resident questions about traffic, impact to resident wells and other topics — much to the frustration of the standing-room-only crowd that often groaned in response.
Throughout the two and a half hour meeting inside the Church of Christ at Alexandria, residents raised numerous concerns about about potential air and water pollution from plants that would mix gravel with petroleum products.
With the plants proposed within 2 miles of each other, Alexandria resident Stephanie Taylor asked if the agency would consider the collective impact on the small village's air quality when deciding on the permits.
Ben Halton, with the central district office's division of air pollution control, said in this case the two separate permits can't be considered together. But he said these two plants and the 190 other asphalt plants in Ohio are all factors in whether the state can maintain national air quality standards.
As part of her comments during the public hearing, Granville Mayor Melissa Hartfield spoke strongly against approving the air permit. If it was approved, Hartfield said, the EPA would essentially bookend the entire village of Alexandria with air and water pollution.
"Imagine if someone suggested that we bookend the central business area in downtown of New Albany with two asphalt plants," she said as residents applauded. "No one would stand for that scenario."
She said people are not opposed to asphalt plants but to these specific locations because of their proximity to residents and and Raccoon Creek, which recharges the well field from which Granville draws drinking water for both Granville and Alexandria residents.
"Perhaps Intel could locate this plant on a portion of their development while build out is occurring," Hartfield said.
Residents of all communities have a right to clean air and water, she said. Hartfield added that when it's lost, it destroys lives, properties, communities, health and food for generations.
"Those losses can never be repaid. They can never be fully restored," she said. "You can only poison your water supply one time."
Granville, Alexandria and St. Albans Township have no interest in that happening in their community, she said.
"Finally, I want you to know that the Village of Granville intends to aggressively oppose this proposal at every step — through every process — to protect our air and water as well as our quality of life," she said. "Progress is no longer successful or beneficial when you sacrifice your people, your land and your air and your water."
Several residents stood and applauded Hartfield as she returned to her seat.
St. Albans Township resident Allison Riggs said she is the sixth generation of her family to live at her home on Johnstown Alexandria Road just outside of the village. She and her neighbors, she said, did not move to Alexandria for asphalt plants, but to escape them.
"We ask that you allow us to maintain our rural beauty by upholding the existing standards and regulations — regulations that do not allow heavy industry," she said. "You will be remembered for your impact on the future of our families. Please let us remember you as having the confidence and character for doing the right thing."
After the meeting, EPA Media Coordinator Anthony Chenault said the air permit is just one of several EPA permits the plants need to receive before it can operate. In general, an asphalt plant would need an air installation and operating permit for each emissions source, a construction stormwater permit, and, if the plant is built and operated, an industrial stormwater discharge permit.
Even if the plants receive all the necessary EPA permits, he said they still have to be approved by local zoning.
"Our permits do not supersede local ordinances," he said.
The Ohio EPA is accepting comments on the draft air permit until 5 p.m. on June 15. They can be emailed to benjamin.halton@epa.ohio.go, and the agency asks that P0133749 be included in all correspondence. All comments received will be considered by the agency when reviewing the permit application, according to information shared during the meeting.
Residents were directed to the following entities for questions about topics outside the EPA's jurisdiction:
Ohio Department of Natural Resources for wildlife questions.
Village of Alexandria and St. Albans Township about zoning, traffic and noise concerns.
Licking County Health Department for private well testing.
Licking County Planning Commission for floodplain questions.
mdevito@gannett.com
740-607-2175
Twitter: @MariaDeVito13
This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Area residents sound off on proposed asphalt plants in EPA hearing
