[Durham INC] Graham/Haw River Stericycle Chapter Meeting Thursday 6/24 6pm Graham Library

[Melissa Rooney]

FYI. Sounds scary. See below.
Melissa (Rooney)



----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Beverly Kerr <beverlykerr at triad.rr.com>
To: mmr121570 at yahoo.com
Sent: Tue, June 22, 2010 8:20:18 PM
Subject: Stericycle Chapter Meeting Thursday 6/24 6pm Graham Library


  
Stericycle  Chapter Meeting        


Stericycle medical waste
incinerator
NEXT STEPS
Thursday, June 24 - 6:30 p.m.
Graham Public Library, 211 South
Main, Graham, NC

Dear Friends
and Neighbors:

We are
planning our next meeting on Thursday, June 24 at 6:30 p.m. concerning our next
action steps for reducing levels of toxic air pollutants from the Stericycle
medical waste incinerator, located in Graham/Haw River, and getting rid of
incineration of medical waste altogether in Alamance County.   At our
last meeting we voted to form a chapter group under BREDL (Blue Ridge
Environmental Defense League - www.BREDL.org)  to add strength to
our actions.  All are welcome to attend the meeting and help whether you
decide to formally join the group or not.  Only a payment of $20 annual
dues is needed to formally become a member of the group.
We have
reserved a room for the meeting at the Graham Public Library located at 211
South Main Street, Graham, located next to the historic Alamance Arts Council
building. Telephone: (336) 570-6730. Please come! 
Heather
Bjork will lead our next steps discussion.  They include, but are not
limited to: 
Reaching
out to others to send comments to the state regarding the proposed permit
renewal for the incinerator. There were many powerful statements were
given by each of you at the hearing, and it was clear that the overwhelming
majority of those who attended were in favor of clean air and no incineration.
Because of our requests, the Division of Air Quality has decided to extend the
written comment period on the Stericycle permit until June 30, 2010. To see the
state's press release and where to send your comments: http://www.ncair.org/news/pr/2010/stericycle_05282010.shtml
Telling
the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) how we feel about giving incinerators
4 years to come into compliance with the new and more protective rules. 
Attending
meetings with the Alamance County Commissioners - as well as the city and town
councils of Mebane, Haw River, Green Level and Hillsborough - to ask for their
help in adopting the resolution calling for medical waste incinerators to come
into early compliance with the new EPA rules to provide further protections for
children. 
Meeting
with hospitals to ask for their help in making the switch to cleaner, more
environmentally-friendly methods of dealing with medical waste. 
Scheduling
a meeting with a state expert who has offered to meet with us to talk about
what can and can't be incinerated - and discuss state-approved greener
alternatives that exist for disposal of medical waste.


Please come
with your ideas to share!

Sincerely,

Debbie Cook and Healther Wallace,
co-chairs  

                 
Questions:  dblondiedancer at aol.com 



UPDATE:

Just back from a very long day yesterday, a press conference
(concerning sludge spreading in critical watersheds in NC counties, one of
which is Alamance County) at state
legislature followed by the Alamance County Commissioners' meeting - which
turned out to be a big disappointment, but not a surprise given the
commissioners' "pro-industry" agenda. 
 
Those who spoke during the public comment period Monday included
Beverly Kerr, and Heather Bjork and her husband, Dave. Carolyn Rhode and her
young daughter came to the meeting but did not speak That's it. If we are to
work successfully and as a chapter of BREDL we will need your help. 
 
When I passed out the revised resolution to each of them
Commissioner Ann Vaughan said under
her breathe to me, "Call me." I knew then that their minds had been made up.
And that it was not good. 
 
What is particularly disturbing is that there was not one question
from the commissioners about the impacts of emissions from Stericycle on
children's health and the environment - it was, as usual, all about MONEY.
Commissioners Linda Massey and Bill Lashley were the two most outspoken about
being fair to Stericycle. Commissioner Massey even made a statement that she
did not know whether what I (we) were telling her about Stericycle was true.
Lashley made a statement that industry always gets beat on by the public - or
something to that extent. After I was dismissed from the pedestal Commissioner
Boswell said, "Don't give up." 
 
Before they heard our request there was a "Public Hearing" whereby
they approved an expansion request by Lab Corp in Burlington, calling them a "good corporate
citizen." One of the guys from Lab Corp sat in back of us and said to us "we
aren't an incinerator like Stericycle." I asked him if he knew where their
pharmaceutical and medical waste went. He said he didn't know. I told him that
at least part of it is being used as fertilizer for farmlands in Alamance County. I handed him one of my cards and
he looked at it like it had cooties. In addition to hospitals, we should
discuss what/where Lab Corp's medical waste gets incinerated and come up with a
plan to educate them about the need for more environmentally-friendly
alternatives for medical waste. 
 
We will be having a Stericycle chapter meeting this Thurs at 6 p.m.
at the Graham Public Library. We have a working agenda, but we welcome new
people to come with their ideas and thoughts. Please join us. 
 
Sue (336) 525-2003
 
 
Sue Dayton
Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League
North CarolinaHealthy Communities Program
POBOX 44
Saxapahaw, NC 27340
(336) 525-2003
sdayton at swcp.com
       
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