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IV Press: A Reader Writes |
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Written by truth
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Tuesday, 12 December 2006 |
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Many myths surrounding sludge plant By Ray Naud Monday, December 11, 2006 11:50 AM PST  |
The saga of the sewer waste goes on. It is my personal opinion that the environmental concerns will be addressed by the county and the EPA. With all of the safeguards that would be built into the plant it will most likely be approved. If I lived in the Niland area I would still be concerned about the health of my family and friends. If I were a farmer and growing table crops in this area I would also be concerned. We don’t need another E. coli outbreak.
I am not about to weigh risks against the benefits.
If the risks are valid then we don’t want them.
The myth that this plant is being built for the production of energy has already been addressed. A September edition of the Los Angeles Times said “Industry and academic experts cannot cite any sludge/manure to electricity plant in the country that is producing more than 2 megawatts of electricity.” This plant will not “reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.”
This plant is not about electricity; it is all about money. Everyone everywhere wants to dispose of their poop in someone else’s back yard. Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego are willing to pay Liberty Energy a lot of money to help them dispose of their poop. Liberty Energy is willing to pay the county of Imperial a few dollars for every ton of poop they bring into our Valley.
The employment of those who will build the plant will be short-lived. Once the plant is built the workers will have to move on. The plant itself will only employ 13 people; basically the custodial and plant maintenance people. Not high-paying jobs, I might add.
The plant will be almost fully automated. There will be about 100 truck drivers to whom Liberty Energy will contract the hauling of the materials. Liberty Energy does not want to be in the transportation business.
I have pointed out that the hauling in of the truckloads of poop and the wood products that help it burn will bring a semi-truck to Niland every nine minutes and then for every four truckloads hauled in, there will have to be another truck to haul the ash out. This will go on 24 hours per day, seven days per week. The plant will run all year round. Does Niland want to put up with this kind of big truck traffic around the clock? This would amount to a truck coming in and a truck leaving Niland every 4.5 minutes all day and all night.
Then, in case you’re not aware of it, this plant will consume 600,000 gallons of water per day, every day of the year. Didn’t I read in the Imperial Valley Press recently an article about water rationing, and what about San Diego and Los Angeles wanting our water, too?
Forget about all of this that I have written and consider one word, responsibility. I firmly believe each area should be responsible for the disposal of its own poop in its own neighborhood. New York City is shipping its poop all the way to Texas.
Unbelievable!
Almost everything I have said I got by talking to Wilson Nolan the chief executive officer for Liberty Energy. He can be reached by calling his office in Bakersfield 661-391-5840. He will level with you.
I can see Niland’s new motto — NILAND the poop capital of California!
>> Ray Naud lives in El Centro.
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