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The Alliance For A Clean Environment
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Pottstown Mayor Nancy Jones
Press Conference Statement


“Citizens Have A ‘Right –To- Know’ and ‘Need-to-Know’ what is in the air they are forced to breathe”



Greater Pottstown Area residents need the “Bucket Brigade” to test our own air. Polluters are self-testing, self-monitoring, and self-reporting. The buckets will provide us with a powerful Right-to-Know technique to watchdog major world-wide polluters who threaten our future.
    1. Buckets will be available for citizens to take a “grab sample” of pollution levels at any time, day or right, weekday or weekend.

    2. The “Bucket Brigade” should inspire polluting industries to be more responsible concerning their hazardous air emissions.

    3. We can gain a deeper understanding of the environmental issues we face and track problems to their sources.
“DEP’s irresponsible permitting and tactics
is protecting the polluters at our expense.
We have NO CONFIDENCE in DEP’s ability
to protect our air or our health!”




Most of our citizens believe DEP has little, if any, interest in the truth. DEP is more likely to take their own measurements and respond to community concerns if they know we’re taking samples.
    1. We repeatedly asked DEP for comprehensive continuous perimeter air monitoring around Occidental Chemical and the Pottstown Landfill.

    2. We have documented seriously elevated illnesses.

    3. DEP did not scientifically prove these facilities have not caused an increase in these illnesses.

    4. Only with continuous perimeter monitoring for ALL hazardous substances from Pottstown Landfill gas and Occidental Chemical emissions could DEP establish health risks to people in our community from these major polluters.


Would You Believe?

    Instead of doing continuous perimeter monitoring BEFORE issuing 5-year air pollution permits, DEP issued the permits and is setting up only ONE monitoring station, which will not monitor for all hazardous substances of concern.


Problems with DEP’s monitoring station;
    1. DEP’s monitoring station will only monitor for only a FRACTION of what is in Pottstown Landfill gas.

    2. The station will be upwind of Occidental Chemical’s vinyl chloride emissions.


Why not wait for results?
    1. Why issue 5-year air permits before you get a monitoring station in place?

    2. Did DEP determine results of the monitoring station before it was built?

    3. If DEP is spending tax dollars for a monitoring station, why not wait at least one year for results before issuing 5-year air permits in a severe non-attainment area where people are already too sick?











    ACE
    P.O. Box 3063
    Stowe, PA 19464
    ace@acereport.org





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