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To the editor:
You want facts about the location of
the ethanol plant. The fact is there are no coal-burning plants in
operation as of yet to know any long-term effects the plant may have
concerning the pollution that will occur, the noise the plant will
make, the amount of black dust that will come out of the plant. Is
it worth the risk to our town to maybe wait and see how bad the
effects might be for us after it is built in this location?
I don't want to see if the new
technology is going to be safe. I think the risk from the propane
on-site, the gasoline on-site to mix with the ethanol, the anhydrous
ammonia on-site, the limestone on-site, and whatever else is needed
to make the ethanol, is a danger of explosion. Even with everything
contained inside, accidents do happen. These products WILL explode.
The Lena plant, which The Courier
ran on the front page as a "poster child" for ethanol, has been in
the news lately. The plant is being sued because the residents can
smell and can hear the plant. They were told the same thing we were
told: You will not hear us or smell us. The residents of Lena have
found out differently. They are now suing the plant. That is a fact.
We want to prevent this plant from being built too close to Lincoln
to harm the residents of Lincoln.
The new technology of combining a
coal-burning facility to make ethanol is brand-new. Three such
plants are being built in other places, but none are running yet to
know what the health risks are to the communities they are near. Do
we want to find out the hard way that a combination like this is
dangerous, with it sitting so close to town?
[to top of second column in this letter]
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Other letters have compared this
plant to LDC, Stetson's and Lehn & Fink. Hello, these places are all
closed. They were in operation and running before the EPA and other
state and federal requirements were ever an issue. Stetson's made
dishes; Lehn & Fink made products for your body and household use. I
don't think they had the combination of ingredients on their
property that the ethanol plant will be exposing us to.
It was stated on the Channel 5
interview that the coal would be coming in on trucks. We will be
spending the money generated by the plant to repair Old 66 and
Nicholson Road. Other roads may be neglected because the funds for
roads will stay on the north side of town to repair the damage of
close to 150 semis a day, 365 days a year. It was said by someone
that 100 trucks come to Eaton a day. Eaton was asked, and the person
who mans the booth at the parking entrance says 50-55 trucks come in
a day, counting UPS and FedEx trucks. There are some facts for you.
Now I would like to thank the board
members who have been attending our meetings. They are taking the
time to find out the facts by listening to both sides. I would like
to invite the rest of the board members to come and find out the
facts from our side as well. You would be doing a better job for the
people you represent if you took the time to find out all the facts
before you vote on the location of this plant.
Sharon Jones
Lincoln
(Posted April 26, 2005)
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