LETTER TO THE EDITOR from Carol Patnode of Mason City
Public Meeting On Gasification Facility The City has set a date for Creative Energy Systems (CES) to respond to questions and inform the community about their proposed gasification facility. We have a significant concern about the public meeting at the library at 7PM on November 16, 2011.
When CES (lawyers, CEO, engineers) answers questions about the incineration process, including toxins produced, their presentation will have a biased slant based on their perspective and goals. In order to be fair to the community, a balanced presentation is required. We are not questioning anyone’s integrity, rather we are advocating for a process that is impartial and objective so that people are able to make an informed, unbiased, intelligent decision based on facts from multiple sources.
For example, most people would never purchase a used car without having it checked out by their mechanic (not the owners) and taking it for a test drive. And the stakes are much greater with the CES facility than with buying a used car.
At their last meeting, the Zoning Board of Adjustment said it would be helpful to hear from the DNR and we agree. But the DNR is neither an expert on how incineration facilities function nor an expert on what toxins they produce. The DNR carries out state and federal laws that protect air, land, and water through technical assistance, permitting and compliance programs.
In order for this to be a fair process, we would like to see independent expert(s) provide information on the incineration process at a public forum, scheduled on a separate date from the CES presentation. We have submitted a request to the City for this public forum, and will recommend an expert(s). In an effort to ensure public health and safety, we are hopeful that the City would pay all or part of the fee required for this process.
Without this type of approach, what the public hears from CES will be nothing more than a sales pitch for their facility, and that type of information will not provide the Zoning Board of Adjustment or the public with the information needed to make an informed decision.
Maxine Brinkman, Cindy Connor, Joann Hardy, Mike Hoffman, Stacie Lancaster, Carol Patnode, Mary R. Schultz, Katy Voet, Julie Atkinson.
