EPA to Hold Public Hearing on Air Permit for
Arecibo Solid Waste Incinerator on Monday, June 25
Contact: Elias Rodriguez (212) 637-3664;
rodriguez.elias@epa.gov
(New York, N.Y. -- June 22, 2012) Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is
repeating its announcement that it is accepting public comments on its proposed
action to approve an air permit to construct a garbage incinerator in Arecibo,
Puerto Rico. Energy Answers International, Inc. has proposed to construct a new
77 megawatt facility at the former site of the Global Fibers Paper Mill in
Barrio Cambalache, Arecibo, Puerto Rico.
The
EPA encourages public participation and input in this decision. The EPA will
hold a formal public hearing on June 25, 2012, from 6:00 pm until the last
speaker has been heard. The hearing will also be held in the Theater of the
University of Puerto Rico at the Arecibo campus, which is located in the
Business Administration building of the University. The address of the campus is
Carretera 653 Km. 0.8 Las Dunas Sector, Arecibo. Comments given at this hearing
will be part of the official public record and will be considered as comments on
the air permit. EPA encourages all interested parties to participate in the
public hearing and to submit comments on the proposed action either in writing
or by participating at the public hearing.
The EPA is
proposing an air permit for the facility after evaluating the potential impact
of the facility on air quality by comparing it to EPA air quality standards
which are established to protect public health. The EPA’s evaluation also
included assessing the impact of the facility on nearby low income communities.
Based on information available to date, EPA has concluded that operation of the
facility will not cause any health standards to be exceeded or any communities
to be disproportionately and adversely impacted.
To obtain an the
EPA permit, Energy Answers was also required to demonstrate that the pollution
controls on the plant are as strict or stricter than any other plant being built
in the United States today. The EPA has included these pollution controls, which
are considered the best pollution control technology available, as requirements
in the proposed permit.
The
proposed permit also requires Energy Answers to test the pollution it emits to
the atmosphere. Before the facility can begin full operation it must demonstrate
it meets the pollution limits the EPA is proposing to establish. The permit
requires pollution levels to be measured and reported to the EPA during
operation. Failure to meet any of these standards would subject the facility to
EPA enforcement actions.
The EPA is asking
for public comments on this preliminary decision to approve Energy Answers’
application. Written comments may be submitted at any time during the comment
period, which remains open until June 29. EPA's final permit
decision will be made only after full consideration of all public comments
received.
The administrative
record for the proposed decision, which includes all documents relevant to the
EPA’s proposed permit, is available Monday – Friday between 9:00am and 4:30 pm
in the EPA’s Caribbean Environmental Protection Division at City View Plaza
III-Suite 7000 in Guaynabo. The documents are also available online through the
Interamerican University-Arecibo Campus website at http://www.arecibo.inter.edu/reserva/epa/epa.htm#. In addition, the administrative record is also available for viewing in
EPA’s New York offices at 290 Broadway in New York City.
Public comments may
be mailed or emailed to:
U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency - Region 2
Division of Environmental Planning and Protection
Air Programs Branch
- Permitting Section
290 Broadway,
25th Floor
New York, New York
10007-1866
Attention: Mr.
Steven C. Riva
(212)
637-4074
OR:
U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency - Region 2
Caribbean
Environmental Protection Division
City View Plaza
III-Suite 7000
#48 Rd. 165 km
1.2
Guaynabo, PR
00968-8069
Attention: Mr. Jose
Font
(787)
977-5870
12-080
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