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Tire incineration is not “renewable energy”
Posted Apr 7, 2010 by Brian Schwartz Cindy Parker
[Excerpt] How do you solve a problem like David Miller?
According to the Chicago Tribune, he is the Illinois representative who last month, with little fanfare and notice at the time, attempted to modify legislation to include tire burning in the state’s definition of renewable energy.
The bill failed to pass initially but it isn’t dead yet – supporters may attempt to add it to another bill before the General Assembly adjourns.
The amendment was mainly done to allow a company called Geneva Energy to obtain green energy credits for its incinerator in Ford Heights, a village in Cook County approximately 25 miles south of downtown Chicago.
In 2000, the village was 96 percent African-American and had a per capita income less than $9,000, making it one of the poorest suburbs in the United States.
The incinerator has had difficulty complying with environmental regulations regarding its pollution and toxic releases at the site, the Tribune reports.
After Rep. Miller changed the language in the bill, and concern from environmental groups increased, he removed his name from the bill and recently absolved himself of all responsibility by declaring it “no longer his bill.”
Through our public health lens, one with which we try to maximize the health and well-being of populations of people, there are several aspects of this that are very wrong.
To start with, we must get serious about real renewable energy...
Brian Schwartz and Cindy Parker are both physicians and faculty in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland. They are also both Fellows of the Post Carbon Institute.
Photo credit: http://www.freefoto.com
Originally pubished at Reuters Environment Forum
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Reader Comments
2 comments
Tires Not Renewable in PA
From: Dennis Stratton, Apr 19, 2010 09:15 PM
A group is trying to build the worlds largest tire incinerator in Erie Pa, next to lake Erie. Several State Reps. tried to add it to a Energy bill. John Evans was one. Both Reps pulled their amendments. The plant was to burn up to 2 million pounds of tires a day. The group just announced plans to build south of Meadville, PA just off of I-79. The same group is trying to start a plant in Youngstown, Ohio, In RI, Mass., and China. The plant is up to 375 million dollars and will only generate 90 megawatts of power.
PA DEP does not monitor, or regulate greenhouse gas. It also doesn't look at PAHs which studies have shown that burning tires vs coal results in 2 to 3 times the amount of PAHs created. Look up ERE, Erie Renewable Energy. KEEP Keep Erie's Environment Protected. web site www.stopburningtires.com
Dennis Stratton
Use for Old tires
From: Dr. J. Singmaster, Apr 10, 2010 11:04 PM
Four or more years ago, supposedly a program to make old tires into road patching mix was getting considerable media coverage. Claims were being made that all the tire dump sites would be quickly disappearing, but this appears not to have happened. Does anyone know why this has has not happened? It sounded like an awfully good idea to me.