Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1180686
WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM OCTOBER 30- NOVEMBER 5, 2019 UCW 5 STATE REP. BILLY RICHARDSON, D-Cumberland. COMMENTS? editor@upandcomingweekly.com. 910-484-6200. I don't particularly like dumping North Carolina problems onto another states. Incinerating GenX chemical compounds appears to be a viable op- tion going forward, and Chemours is betting the farm on this alternative means of disposal. e Chemours leadership also hopes the new incinera- tor will be profitable for Chemours. When it goes online in December, it will be operating at less than half its capacity. It has far more capacity than Che- mours needs. is being the case, either Chemours intends to grow its production or invite other industries to use the facility to dispose of their toxic compounds. I immediately became curious as to what Chemours' true motives are. We want to trust Chemours. e company em- ploys over 700 workers and pays reasonably good salaries. It has made a capital investment into tech- nology that leadership believes will solve 99.9% of the GenX concerns. But, was this investment for our benefit — or was it to be a profit center for Che- mours stockholders or a convenient dumping point for other contaminants for other industries? After all, the new incinerator will only be operating at a 40% capacity, leaving availability for an additional 60% more compounds capable of being processed at the Fayetteville plant. is could mean more contaminants being shipped into North Carolina for disposal. And those imported contaminants will travel over our roads and through our communities and arrive at our ports as they work their way to their ultimate destination, the Fayetteville Works- Chemours plant. Many questions need to be addressed and an- swered. Will North Carolina and our community be the final destination for the nation's contaminants? Or, will Chemours' new incinerator prove to be a successful, viable solution, creating high-paying jobs and greater economic opportunity for our region? It is puzzling and somewhat concerning that Chemours' $199 million commitment to build something of this magnitude could move forward without benefit of public hearings, if only to share its intentions and provide citizens and commis- sioners an opportunity for public input. It begs the question: Has Chemours, under the pretext of solving the GenX problem, outwitted lo- cal and state officials and circumvented the checks and balances needed to safeguard the community? Chemours has now invited, or will be inviting, other chemical businesses to offload their chemi- cal products to the local plant to be processed using the natural resources of our state. Sure, if all goes well and the processes are executed properly, then everything may be fine. However, what if it doesn't? What if there are accidents or spills along the way to the plant? Or at the plant? What if the technology doesn't work as planned or becomes inoperable, breaks down and creates additional contamination of our air, rivers and soil? Well, it doesn't look like Chemours is going anywhere anytime soon. It is here to stay and in a major way. Is this because no other state wants them or because North Carolina has the fewest and most lax environmental laws in the country and too few inspectors to enforce laws or provide oversight of the permits we do have? Lastly, the most important question yet to be answered is: What is Chemours going to do for all the North Carolinians who already have contami- nated wells and soil in and around their homes, businesses and schools? Here is a modest proposal for Chemours that would go a long way in restor- ing their good faith and credibility to residents. Consider investing twice the sum it spent on the incinerator and its future by fixing wells and elimi- nating contamination, providing North Carolinians the confidence to drink and use their water without fear or risk to their health, the health of their chil- dren, livestock or the air they breathe. Cumberland County does not have countywide water and sewer. Chemours could assist the county in placing real infrastructure in our Grays Creek area. Simple filters under the sink will not make our people safe. We need real solutions. I hope that Chemours embraces these ideas, addresses the problems by restoring clean water sources to our communities and embracing the community they claim. It's the right thing to do. We want to trust Chemours. e company employs over 700 workers and pays reasonably good salaries. It has made a capital investment into technology that leadership believes will solve 99.9% of the GenX concerns.