Great Falls Tribune
November 20, 2008
Radically wrong
Looks like the DEQ is at it again!
This office ignored warnings about pollution at Zortman-Lundusky mines, the vermiculite mine in Libby and others, and instead listened to company experts. The result? Millions of taxpayer dollars were spent on clean-up that may last forever and massive loss of life from exposure to pollutants.
Now doctors and scientists are telling us that particulates from the Highwood Generating Station stack and coal-fired generators cause major health problems.
The warning is clear and accurate!
DEQ's draft decision on Aug. 15 contained an honest review of technologies to control small particulates from HGS. After a meeting between SME, the governor's office and top DEQ officials (but not the staff that conducted the review), it was decided to disregard the previous information and decide that SME didn't need new technology to control these dangerous fine particulates.
The monitoring schedule only requires a monitoring once in five years. That doesn't' ensure compliance! What happens is SME decides to use other materials that would increase emissions? Monitoring for all hazardous pollutants should be scheduled for every few months and checked by an independent agency. Public health is too important to be lax in oversight.
When SME was questioned about using more advanced technology to reduce emissions by 32 tons, they responded by saying it was too expensive.
Too expensive? This is the health of our children we are talking about. There is something radically wrong with this kind of reasoning Ñ profit versus public health!
Ñ Vicki Freyholtz, Gildford