City Secretly Announces Plans

[John Thomas <jnthomas@infinet.com>]

   On Wednesday, October 27th, city officials secretly faxed an
   announcement regarding the Columbus waste-to-energy incinerator to
   reporters. On Thursday the details were revealed in a Columbus
   Dispatch article titled "Two plans for trash plant OK'd: Power group,
   graphite factory may share it."
   
   The power group chosen by the city is a partnership between Cogen
   Development Company and Destect Energy named "Columbus Power
   Partners." Destect is a subsidiary of Dow Chemical. The graphite
   processing company is Superior Graphite. Superior Graphite is based in
   Chicago.
   
   The city passed over an $80 million dollar bid from American Electric
   Power in favor of these two proposals which combined will not pay the
   city much more than a million dollars a year. But the city is trying
   to sell this to the community as being a benefit!
   
   It is also interesting to note that our city leaders are running with
   the pack in opposing the proposed U.S. EPA clean air standards. Could
   it be that the proposals to allow the power plant and the graphite
   processing at the trash plant could cause Columbus to be in violation
   of the new clean air standards. When the trash plant was built, the
   neighborhood chosen was already a non-attainment area for
   particulates.
   
   Neighbors Protecting Our Environment - 11/29/96