On Jan. 11, a crowd filled all seats in the Elbert County commissioners’ meeting room in Elberton. Some people stood. Some sat on the floor. But perhaps as many, if not more people, didn’t even get inside the room.
The overflow crow stood outside in the hall in government complex in Elberton, many of them wearing yellow and black “No incinerator! No Landfill!” stickers on their shirts.
Inside the packed meeting room, Elbert County commissioners heard from numerous citizens concerned about two separate solid waste proposals in Elbert County: Plant Granite, a potential trash incinerator and landfill off Hwy. 72 at Dove’s Creek Church Road, about three miles inside Elbert County; and Sweet City Landfill, a solid waste landfill proposed at Stinchcomb Road and Sweet City Road about two miles north of the Plant Granite site.
Fourteen people spoke against the proposals, while one spoke in favor. No commissioners spoke about the proposals, though chairman Tommy Lyon offered comments on procedural matters.
Madison County residents who have attended recent Elbert County meetings have been particularly outspoken about the proposed incinerator project, where an estimated 1,500 to 1,800 tons of trash will be burned daily if the project is approved.
Carlton City Councilman Mike Jones stood before Elbert County commissioners Monday, saying that a landfill is “an Elbert County issue,” but an incinerator “is very much a regional issue.” He said Elbert County’s trash will only provide about two weeks worth of waste a year for the incinerator, adding that the overwhelming bulk of trash will come from elsewhere, with hundreds of trucks traveling through Carlton and Madison County each week.
Jones noted that many Carlton residents shop in Elberton.
“The city of Carlton and Elbert County have been good partners and neighbors and we want to keep it that way,” said Jones. “… What we feel y’all are doing is burning down the house to kill the roaches.”
Kevin Lewis, spokesman for Citizens for Public Awareness, urged Elbert County commissioners to delay any vote on a landfill or an incinerator for at least six months so the proposals could be studied and the public could be more informed about what might happen.
“The overwhelming majority of people we’ve talked to are uninformed or misinformed regarding either project,” said Lewis.
Lewis said the proposals will have a negative impact on Elbert County and surrounding areas.
“Our opposition hinges on the severe risk to human health, the environmental degradation, larger taxpayer burden and diminished property values,” said Lewis, who added that the citizens’ group will meet again Jan. 23 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Elbert Civic Center.
University of Georgia swimming coach Jack Baurle, an Elbert County resident, spoke against the proposals, adding that he wants citizens to have more of an opportunity to learn about the proposals and offer input.
“This has been a surprise how far it’s gotten without input,” he said.
One woman, who did not identify herself, spoke in favor of the incinerator. She said the U.S. is already suffering from pollution from China, with nothing America can do about it. She added that pollution concerns shouldn’t outweigh the need to create more jobs and to bring growth to Elbert County.
“People all make garbage,” she said. “We make more every day and we’ve got to have a logical, good way to dispose of trash. We are a trashy people.”
Others countered that an incinerator would hurt growth, by deterring people from moving to the county. They said property values would drop, leading to a decrease in the county digest and a decline in county tax revenues. They wanted answers on what commissioners might promise to GreenFirst LLC, the company handling permitting for the project, in the way of tax breaks. GreenFirst will not operate the facility. Rather, a larger company, Covanta Energy, is expected to run the incinerator.
According to the Northeast Georgia Regional Commission’s Development of Regional Impact (DRI) report on the Plant Granite project, the proposed incinerator and electricity-generating facility would lead to approximately $350,000 in tax revenue a year for Elbert County.
While traffic and economic factors have been voiced as concerns, possible health effects from toxins released from a trash-burning facility have been the primary sticking point for opponents. Madison County High School science teacher and Elberton resident Andy Felt is one of the leaders of the group opposing the incinerator. Felt spoke at a recent meeting on the proposal, noting that base elements such as mercury and lead cannot be eliminated from the burning trash and pointing out that the incinerator would break down the toxins into smaller, and more-dangerous, particles. He spoke again Monday, urging Elbert commissioners to delay any vote on the facility.
Elbert County commission chairman Tommy Lyon said the BOC is not close to issuing a vote on the waste proposals. He didn’t offer any specific timeframe for a vote.
“There’s a lot of steps and public hearings we have to go through,” he said. “We’ve got plenty of time.”
At the end of Monday’s meeting, several citizens asked if they could give up their seats so some of the people who had been locked out of the meeting room could come in and ask questions. Lyon said the meeting was over.
The chairman said the meeting was held in the smaller BOC meeting room instead of the bigger courtroom because the Elbert County sheriff wouldn’t allow cameras in the courtroom and he wanted the press to be able to film or photograph the meeting.
“We apologize for not having everyone in here,” he said, adding that he was pleased with the cordial nature of Monday’s meeting.
So what’s proposed?
Information taken from the Northeast Georgia Regional Commission Development or Regional Impact (DRI) report available online at www.negplanning.org/dri/search
•Name: Plant Granite, LLC
•Proposed by: GreenFirst LLC (will serve as the permitting company; another firm will operate the plant)
•Locale: off Hwy. 72 about 1.25 miles east of Madison County (access to the project is proposed at the existing Dove’s Creek Church Drive).
•Completion date: estimated late 2013
•Number of employees: 70
•A description: The renewable energy facility will accept approximately 1,500 to 1,800 tons per day of combined municipal solid waste, construction and demolition (C&D) debris, wood biomass, wastewater treatment sludge and other permitted fuel stock. The fuel stocks will then be mixed and incinerated in a combustion chamber. The heat from the combustion process will convert water to steam, which is sent to a turbine generator(s) where it will produce and estimated 35-50 megawatts of electricity. The residue (ash) is then wetted to prevent dust and will then be hauled via trucks to an on-site waste landfill, which will be designed in accordance with Subtitle D-MSW landfill standards.
•Size: The project consists of the construction of a 39-acre solid waste landfill, a 40,000 square-foot renewable energy facility and associated support facilities on approximately 260 acres.
•Project cost: $335 million
•Annual estimated tax revenue for Elbert Co.: $350,000
•Traffic estimate: 220 vehicles in and out daily, an estimated 150 trucks
•Water use: estimated 400,000 gallons/day
•Elbert BOC voting date: unknown
