LWV DelCo Environmental Clearinghouse
Delaware County Environmental Clearinghouse
CRCQL action at DEP’s public meeting for Western Fumigation permit expansion
CRCQL action at DEP’s public meeting for Western Fumigation permit expansion
June 10 @ 5:45 pm - 7:00 pm EDT
On Tuesday, June 10 at 5:45pm, CRCQL will be hosting a protest outside of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)’s public meeting about the expansion of Western Fumigation’s operating permit at Penn Terminals in Eddystone. We will not be holding our usual action and communications meeting.
WHY: Rather than hosting a formal public hearing about the plan so the public can testify and provide comment, the DEP has decided that they will ONLY have an informal public meeting to explain the operations and expansion plan. This is unacceptable!!
Any proposal or permit modification in an Environmental Justice (EJ) community should AUTOMATICALLY trigger a public hearing. In addition, DEP has done a very poor job of publicizing this meeting ahead of time.
Join us in protesting this forum and demand that DEP follow the proper protocol for community engagement in EJ communities. We will NOT be attending the meeting.
In environmental justice communities, DEP is required to conduct increased public participation and engagement on any permits that they review that may impact the community. A modification to their permit means increased fumigation, which means increased pollution for nearby residents!!
Batch fumigation is a pest control method where a “batch” of items is treated with fumigant gas to eliminate pests that may have infested goods during manufacturing or packing.
The Western Fumigation’s expansion plan will include an installation of methyl bromide and sulfuryl fluoride. Methyl bromide is a toxic chemical used as a pesticide and is both a Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) and a hazardous air pollutant (HAP). VOCs are chemicals that can easily evaporate into air and impact human health and the environment. HAP are toxic air pollutants suspected to cause cancer and other serious health effects. Sulfuryl fluoride is an insecticide and rodenticide used to control infestations of pests in shipping containers and can act as a potent greenhouse gas. We do not want that in our communities. Help us keep it out!
We hope to see you there!