Under fire from resident and environmental groups, last week Sappi defended its plan to burn contstruction and demolition debris in its boiler.
The company held a meeting last week to discuss the plan with residents. About 40 people attended the meeting, held on Dec. 15 at a meeting room in the Sappi mill.
Glenn Schaefer, Sappi senior manager for corporate communications, said the company held the meeting in an attempt to address residents concerns that burning the material would release toxins into the air.
“I think in general we were happy we were able to answer people’s questions and address their concerns,” said Schaefer.
Sappi has filed an application with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection for a permit to burn the debris. The material, which would consist of old lumber and construction debris that has been processed and chipped into small fuel chips, would be used to fuel one of the mill’s boilers.
As part of the application process, the company held a test burn of some of the material in March. Both the company, and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, which monitored the test, said the results showed no danger from the material.
The Department of Environmental Protection plans to hold a public hearing on the Sappi application sometime this winter. While a date for the meeting hasn’t been set, the meeting will be held in Westbrook. Schaefer said he believes the meeting, which was to be scheduled for sometime in January, will now be delayed until mid-February.
The Maine Department of Environmental Protection did not return calls seeking comment for this story.
The plan has met with resistance from Westbrook for Clean Air, a residents group formed in response to Sappi’s application. Earlier this month, the group nominated Sappi for a “Dirty Dozen Award,” which is presented annually by the Toxics Action Center, an environmental group that speaks out throughout New England on pollution issues.
Robert Foley, a member of Westbrook for Clean Air, attended the meeting at the mill last week, and he said he still felt burning the material presented a danger to Westbrook and surrounding communities.
Foley said he doesn’t think the mill’s South African ownership has Maine’s best interests in mind. “South Africa doesn’t really care about Westbrook,” he said. “South Africa is all about profit. This is not about profit; it’s not about business. It’s about public health.”
Schaefer said Sappi is still planning to proceed with the application and the company hopes to get an answer sometime in the near future. “We’re at the mercy of the Department of Environmental Protection,” he said. “Our application is the starting point, what happens now is up to the state.”
Westbrook for Clean Air plans to fight the plan through every step. Foley said the group would do whatever it can to prevent Sappi from being permitted to burn construction debris. “I don’t want to live in this city with that skull and crossbones hanging over the city,” he said.
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