Group opposes Colfax firm's plan to hike toxic burning
A permit application by a Colfax-area company to burn more than 2 million pounds of hazardous waste a year is drawing opposition because of health concerns.
Louisiana Progress Action is urging citizens to oppose a permit application to the state Department of Environmental Quality by Clean Harbors Colfax LLC, saying it would lead to an increase in open burning of toxic materials and an accompanying adverse health impact.
"The open burn is exposing residents of Colfax and the surrounding areas to dangerous chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects, and other serious health problems. The cities of Natchitoches, Winnfield, Pineville and Alexandria are all within 30 miles of the open burn site," Frances Kelley of Louisiana Progress Action said.
The deadline for the public to comment to DEQ on the application is Jan. 5.
Clean Harbors Colfax, located on more than 700 acres off La. Highway 471 about five miles northwest of Colfax, has applied to the DEQ for a permit to greatly expand its operations of burning wastes.
Clean Harbors Colfax wants to increase its permitted burning from about 500,000 pounds a year of net explosive weight to more than 2 million pounds. It would increase the hourly treatment rate from 410 pounds per hour to 1,500 pounds per hour.
Attempts to get comments from Clean Harbors were unsuccessful, but the company has made various statements to support its permit request in documents on file with DEQ.
"All reasonable measures to protect the environment are taken," says a "Fact Sheet" that is part of the draft Hazardous Waste Operating Permit for Clean Harbors Colfax on DEQ's website.
The Colfax facility's parent company is Clean Harbors Inc., headquartered in Norwell, Massachusetts. Its website said the Colfax facility is "uniquely permitted to treat over 300 kinds of explosives and reactive waste."
It says its typical waste stream includes high explosives, warheads, air bags, fireworks, rocket motors, munitions, propellants, shaped charges, detonating cord, nitro-related compounds and undeployed airbags.
DEQ refers to Clean Harbors Colfax as an "Open Burning/Open Detonation (OB/OD) Facility, which stores and thermally treats reactive and explosive waste via open burning/open detonation."
Open burning called 'worst way' to rid toxic waste
A summary with the company's permit application says Clean Harbors Colfax currently is allowed to burn a total of 561,700 pounds of net explosive weight (NEW) material per year, but another document references a 480,000-pound limit.
The company is seeking to increase the limit to 2,055,000 pounds, and opponents such as Louisiana Progress say that would increase toxic air pollutants that could harm area residents.
An EPA "Detailed Facility Report" says 2,987 people live within five miles of the facility, including 448 people within three miles and 47 people within one mile.
Colfax Mayor Ossie Clark said he is familiar with the company's permit application and is in the process of doing more research to determine if the city should consider taking an official stance on it.
"It is a very big concern," Clark said Friday.
The Clean Harbors Colfax permit number is LAD981055791-OP-RN-MO-1, and the Agency Interest (A.I.) number is 32096, for those wanting to comment to DEQ.
The permit application can be found on DEQ's website, www.deq.louisiana.gov, by clicking on the EDMS (electronic documents) button and filling in the A.I. number to search. It is also available for viewing at the Grant Parish Library on Main Street in Colfax.
Louisiana Progress Action has sent out emails urging residents to send an email to DEQ.PUBLICNOTICES@ LA.GOV to express opposition, and it suggests that residents include this sentence: "The chemicals in these waste explosives cause cancer, birth defects, and other health problems."
Kelley lauded Concerned Citizens of the Camp Minden Open Burn for its efforts to stop open burning of about 16 million pounds of volatile M6 explosive material at Camp Minden. The group's efforts helped lead to the planned disposal of the M6 through a contained burn on-site at Camp Minden, a move praised by an Environmental Protection Agency official.
Citizen involvement leads to massive undertaking at Camp Minden
DEQ said in an emailed statement received by The Town Talk that some material from Camp Minden — but not M6 — had been sent to Clean Harbors Colfax to be disposed of through burning.
"In 2014, EPA ordered the removal of approximately 3 million pounds of various explosive materials that were abandoned at Camp Minden, but not associated with the 16 million pounds of M6 material that is currently scheduled to be disposed of through contained burn on-site at Camp Minden," DEQ said in its statement.
"The 3 million pounds of various explosive materials that EPA ordered offsite in 2014 were sent to various disposal/recycling facilities across the country, including 373,500 pounds of tritonal mixed waste that was handled by Clean Harbors in Colfax. In August 2014, DEQ authorized increased capacity for timely disposal of the waste at Clean Harbors. Clean Harbors completed the disposal of this material in August of 2015 and does not anticipate receiving additional material from Camp Minden.
"After completing its work, Clean Harbors requested a permit modification to memorialize increased throughput capabilities in its permit. The permit modification is currently open for public comment," the DEQ statement concluded.
Clean Harbors Inc., the parent company, has about 400 service locations throughout North America, but not all of them involve hazardous waste.
Clean Harbors' website said the Colfax facility "provides risk-free management of explosive and reactive wastes using EPA-approved thermal treatment facilities"; that it exceeds government requirements; and that it is "a proven resource for environmentally compliant destruction and thermal treatment of these materials."
The Colfax facility, which has eight full-time employees, has been in operation since 1985 and has operated under a hazardous waste permit since 1993, documents show.
An EPA document shows the Colfax facility's "3-year Compliance Status" as having no violations.
The facility has an on-site storage capacity of 50,000 pounds of net explosive weight in 10 permitted storage magazines.
"Thermal treatment in 20 permitted burn units treats the waste. Residue is collected from the treatment process and shipped off-site for disposal at an approved facility. Metal by-products are shipped off-site for recycling," the company's website says.
"… The open burning is accomplished through use of a number of burn pans located at the Colfax facility which is placed amidst forested lands away from nearby residences or other areas of activity," the summary says.
Procedures are in place, it says, "to ensure safe and proper disposal of all treated material."
Twenty square "burn pans" are used in the open-burning operations, and energetic materials are "ignited remotely."
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View the Permit Application
Here is a link to Clean Harbors Colfax LLC's permit application:
http://edms.deq.louisiana.gov/app/doc/view.aspx?doc=9355096&ob=yes&child=yes
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Deadline to comment to DEQ is Jan. 5, 2016
Citizens who want to submit comments about Clean Harbors Colfax LLC's permit application to expand operations have until 4:30 p.m. Jan. 5, 2016, to get them to the state Department of Environmental Quality, Office of Environmental Services.
The Clean Harbors Colfax permit number is LAD981055791-OP-RN-MO-1, and the Agency Interest (A.I.) number is 32096, for those wanting to comment to DEQ.
DEQ said delivery of comments may be made to the drop-box at 602 N. 5th St., Baton Rouge, LA 70802.
U.S. mail may be sent to LDEQ, Public Participation Group, P.O. Box 4313, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-4313.
Emails may be submitted to DEQ.PUBLICNOTICES@ LA.GOV.
Faxes may be sent to 225-219-3309.
Additional instructions for comment submission, hand delivery and information regarding electronic submission can be found at at http://www.deq. louisiana.gov/portal/ Default.aspx?tabid=2256. Or residents may call 225-219-3276.
DEQ said that if there is a "significant degree of public interest, a public hearing will be held."