Lisa Frye: SunCoke plan was no ‘emergency’ 2 years ago

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4:04 PM Friday, January 29, 2010

It was two years ago (February 2008) when the story about the proposed SunCoke facility hit the Middletown Journal, along with the plan for the city of Middletown to rezone the Bake and Martin farmland to accommodate SunCoke and its partner, AK Steel.

In the months and now years following this announcement, the monotonous rhetoric we’ve continued to hear is that this plant would be “environmentally friendly” and “state of the art” — with SunCoke boasting about its honorable record at its plant in Haverhill, which has been used as the model for the proposed plant in Middletown.

We heard the need for “emergency” legislation since the facility had to be up and running no later than December 2009 because AK Steel would need the coke. AK Steel communicated to the community that this was its only option to meet that need.

Boy, how time has revealed the truth – not the fictitious story telling we’ve heard.

Let’s just set the record straight.

First, the fact that it’s now January 2010 and SunCoke has yet to begin construction on its facility (and does hold a permit in hand to do so) brings to question what its purpose for “emergency” actually was. Typically, emergency indicates immediacy, timeliness or necessity. Not in this case.

Many contend the emergency-legislation maneuver was to block any referendum vote that could have been initiated by the people at that time. One must ask the question: If the legislation had to be “emergency” and SunCoke has had the first “netting” permit-to-install since November 2009, with no legal entity telling it that it can’t construct, why is it not constructing? Yes, the “netting” permit is being legally challenged in Environmental Review Appeals Commission proceedings, but SunCoke has not been told it cannot construct in a court of law. Could it be that SunCoke knows it may have a legal problem and isn’t willing to roll such expensive dice?

Regarding SunCoke’s environmental record, its negligent “report card” in Haverhill, spanning years, speaks for itself (go to suncokewatch.com to review the notices of violations).

SunCoke continues to have notices of violations unresolved at its Haverhill facility and has been deemed a “high priority violator” by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. SunCoke was issued another notice of violation at its Haverhill facility on Dec. 11, 2009. SunCoke’s and the Ohio EPA’s contention is that SunCoke could submit a letter stating it was in compliance at its Ohio facilities and, as long as it was in compliance on the one day it sent the letter, it would meet the legal requirement for its New Source Review permit. This, we believe, is just one more example of SunCoke’s attempt to manipulate rule and law. SunCoke brings an entirely new dimension to the phrase “rules are made to be broken.”

As to the coke supply need/cry we heard for months and months, amazingly AK Steel secured 550,000 tons of coke annually from SunCoke’s Haverhill facility when it realized it needed to come up with another plan in the fall of 2009. That was the very resource we challenged AK with when it was leading the community to believe it had no other options. What we believed to be true was, indeed, true.

Most recently, we became aware of the fact that Indian artifacts were found and extensive archaeological digs were conducted on the Martin farmland. Of course, this information was not presented to the community or to The Journal by SunCoke. As with so many issues surrounding this proposed facility, it’s been up to the citizens to investigate the facts and then inform the community and the media. SunCoke has been anything but forthright in its communication with the people. It was reported in The Journal that “the company did not want to release information until after its New Source Review air permit from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency is issued. ... SunCoke has not returned requests for comment.”

So, it goes without saying — SunCoke, your actions speak so loudly we can’t hear what you are saying.

Over the last two years, the picture has become quite clear: A proposed coke plant in the middle of an elementary school, nursing home and highly residential area, to be built by SunCoke/Sunoco, which has an extensive history of violating emission and monitoring laws; the destruction of pristine farmland, which has now been confirmed to be eligible for the National Register, due to American Indian archaeological finds dating back to 8,000 B.C.; and emissions from the plant which would threaten the health of children, the elderly and families.

Each of us will accept either the truth or deception. It depends on which price one is willing to pay.

Lisa Frye is president of SunCoke Watch Inc., which has opposed construction of the SunCoke plant in Middletown.

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I don't blame anyone for not wanting suncoke any where close to them. I am occasionally around the Haverhill plant location, and the area is nasty. The
film of black dirt covers everything. I can imagine it's not healthy to live around. I would never leave my windows down while driving. And it's not the kind of area where you would go for a walk. The air quality is very poor.

observer
2:56 AM, 3/4/2010

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I drive by the Haverhill plant and some old coke plants often. It really is amazing how clean the air is around the haverhill plant, especially with the large volume of coke they run there.

amazed observer
10:17 PM, 3/1/2010

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Can't really blame Lisa for being so passionate about not wanting it in her back yard, but what about Snoop? (SP?)...Where has he been? Why is he so quiet on the situation? Hmmmmm....now that he has been booted as trustee, wonder what his employment plans are?....hmmm

Hornet07
9:43 PM, 2/4/2010

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Someone please stop this woman. She wonders why there is no emergency, because she has caused so many false legal issues, caused our city to expend funds we do not have, etc. This woman needs to seriously evaluate her own self before continuing to write "her version" of stories. STOP HER

concerned citizen
8:25 PM, 2/2/2010

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Heard from a pretty good source that some opposition has been dropped. Wonder why or for how much? Lisa better get in on it or all her hard work and effort will go down the drain....

Who had some opposition that would stand to benefit from a deal with SunCoke? Who would be willing to sell their soul to the devil? Who has sold it in the past?....hmmm

boro kid
12:45 AM, 2/1/2010

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