Minutes 08/14/2007 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

AUQust 14. 2007 WHEREAS, the proposed ethanol refinery would be the largest ethanol refinery in the world (estimated production capacity of 235 million gallons per year), approximately four to five times the size of normal ethanol refineries (production capacity of 40 - 50 million gallons per year), with the potential to have air emissions and noise greatly in excess of normal ethanol refineries; and WHEREAS, air quality in Hampton Roads is already tenuous. The region was until very recently a "non-attainment area" by applicable federal standards. It is now only barely within those standards, and air emissions from the proposed ethanol refinery would degrade air quality, possibly making the region a non-attainment area again, and thus creating a potential for significantly reduced economic development opportunities for the entire region; and WHEREAS, the proposed ethanol refinery proposes to use a combination of "advanced technology" that would eliminate virtually all odor and carcinogens, thus supposedly making the proposed refinery non-objectionable to any residents; and WHEREAS, some elements of this "advanced technology" are already in use in other ethanol refineries and have not eliminated the problems in question, other elements have never been used before and thus have no established record of performance or supporting data, the company designing the refinery has in the past designed several refineries that have caused and that continue to cause significant and objectionable air emission problems, and the ethanol industry is in such an early stage of evolution that ethanol refineries often have significant operational problems such as fires, explosions, and failure of air emission controls; and WHEREAS, because of said reasons it must be fairly concluded that the claimed "advanced technology" of the proposed ethanol refinery is nothing more than a highly touted but totally untried technological combination that has not been documented or proved in any legitimate scientific, objective, and empirical way to eliminate or adequately control the various air emissions that put community quality and public health at risk; and WHEREAS, the developer and owner of the proposed refinery has no prior experience whatsoever with the construction or operation of ethanol refineries; and WHEREAS, in addition to the aforementioned matters, there are also significant road traffic, rail traffic, emergency response, water, wastewater, and stormwater issues associated with the proposed refinery that have not yet been satisfactorily addressed; and WHEREAS, for all of the above reasons, development of the proposed refinery can reasonably be anticipated to negatively affect property values in numerous Portsmouth and Chesapeake neighborhoods; and WHEREAS, the City of Portsmouth has resisted reacting in a premature and emotional way to the proposal and has instead engaged in thorough due diligence through review of a great amount of scientific, technical, and historical, data and information, retaining widely respected consultants in the fields of odor and air quality associated with ethanol refineries, participating in extensive exchanges of information with Chesapeake professional staff, participating in a joint meeting with Chesapeake City Council, conducting multiple public meetings and briefings for citizens of Portsmouth and Chesapeake, discussions with other stakeholders such as IT AC, Delta- T, the Elizabeth River Project, the Chamber of Commerce, and ethanol industry representatives, as well as multiple site visits to ethanol refineries; and Portsmouth now arrives at an official position reluctantly, and only after engaging in said extensive due diligence followed by thoughtful and careful analysis; and WHEREAS, it is the highest duty of government to protect the health, safety, and welfare of citizens: