April 25, 2008

Incinerator plan up in smoke [USA, April 23, 2008]



Posted: Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008 5:31 AM HST

Waste-to-energy incinerator plan goes up in smoke

By Associated Press

HILO, Hawaii (AP) _ A proposal to build the Big Island's first waste-to-energy incinerator appears dead.

The end comes after Hawaii County spent 1 million dollars and a decade selecting the company.

The council's Finance Committee is composed of all nine council members.

It voted 6-3 against hiring Texas-based Wheelabrator Technologies Incorporated.

Council members expressed concerns with the estimated 125 million dollar price tag and fears the technology was outdated.

For the measure to survive, two of the council members who voted against the proposal must reverse their decisions when it goes before the nine-member council May seventh.

Mayor Harry Kim and the Hawaii Island Chamber of Commerce provided testimony in favor of the incinerator.


(Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

MLA welcomes rubbishing of incinerator

SOUTH Down DUP MLA Jim Wells has welcomed a decision by Environment Minister Arlene Foster to refuse a planning application to build an animal incineration plant in Crossgar.

...

Mr Wells said the incineration plant was widely opposed by residents, who were delighted with Ms Foster's decision.

...

"This application was first lodged in 1996 and provoked a large number of objections from residents of this area," he said.

"This was a complex proposal which raised many difficult issues especially its impact on public health and the additional traffic generated by heavy lorries bringing animal carcasses to the proposed incinerator.

"Many residents argued that Crossgar, which is mainly a residential area, was a totally unsuitable site for this facility and they will be very relieved to learn that the minister has agreed with their concerns."

Mr Wells said he was pleased the battle against the animal incinerator plant was over.

"This application has hung over Crossgar for 12 years and the entire community will strongly welcome the fact that the minister has made a final decision on this controversial proposal."

The Environment Minister is expected to make a formal announcement informing the Assembly of her decision to refuse permission for the plant later this week.



The full article contains 274 words and appears in News Letter newspaper.
Page 1 of 1

* Last Updated: 28 April 2008 3:24 PM
* Source: News Letter
* Location: Belfast

The Galway Tent said...

http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080508/NEWS0201/5246553

The county's tentative deal with Wheelabrator had an estimated cost to taxpayers of $11.5 million annually over the life of a 25-year contract.

The New Hampshire-based subsidiary of Waste Management Inc. was to have designed, built, run and maintained an incinerator to handle the more than 230 tons of trash now going daily to the county's Hilo landfill.

...
Bob Jacobson, of Ka'u, has long advocated a zero waste goal for the island.

"It's local jobs versus sending our money to New Hampshire. It's fixed technology versus flexibility," he said. "We should shoot for an 85 percent diversion. We may have to landfill some. I don't think we are done with landfills."