7 Of 10 Members Of "Citizens" Pollution Group Quit; "Just Being Used" By Pittsburgh Coke Company
Seven of 10 community members of the 2-year-old citizens advisory panel have signed a two-page resignation letter that states the company has made "unsatisfactory progress" in reducing the emissions and the panel has "served more as a tool to placate the public than to address the real and compelling regional health concerns."
They plan to deliver the letter to the front gate of DTE's coking facility this morning, said Karen Grzywinski, an Ohio Township resident who has been part of the working group since its inception and is resigning. The company Monday postponed a working group meeting scheduled for today until Jan. 7. "I'm happy the monitors say air is getting better in Avalon, but I'm still seeing a problem with no real significant improvement," said Ms. Grzywinski, a board member of the Group Against Smog and Pollution and a certified "smoke reader," trained to identify certain emissions problems. "At this point we're just being used by the company for [good] publicity."
She said relations between the company and most members of the working group have soured because the company-hired meeting moderator controls the agenda, selectively records meeting minutes to show the company in a positive light and refuses to hold any meetings outside the company gates where a wider public audience could attend.
Ms. Grzywinski said the last straw occurred earlier this year when it took the company 12 weeks to replace a valve. The delay caused emissions violations on more than four out of every 10 pushes -- the process of removing coke from the ovens -- from April through July.
EDIT
http://www.post-gazette.com/news/environment/2013/12/03/7-members-of-citizens-pollution-panel-quit-in-protest/stories/201312030060
= new reply since forum marked as read
