OHIO EPA PLACES REDACTED SOBE EMISSIONS PERMIT ONLINE CREATING ENVIRONMENTAL, CIVIL RIGHTS AND PUBLIC RIGHT-TO-KNOW VIOLATIONS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: SOBE Concerned Citizens 330-333-8410
Lynn Anderson, SOBE Concerned Citizens 330-792-0428
Susie Beiersdorfer, Ohio Community Rights Network 330-881-1050
December 13, 2024
YOUNGSTOWN – Rather than addressing the concerns expressed by residents in Youngstown, the Ohio EPA instead listened to SOBE Thermal, LLC’s CEO and removed the public record of the Permit to Operate from the PUBLIC PORTAL that citizens use to obtain information about polluting businesses.
This is UNACCEPTABLE.
This redaction of information in a public record raises Environmental and civil rights concerns. Crucial information about the proposed emissions permit for SOBE Thermal Energy Solutions to install and operate a tire-derived chip thermolyzer in Youngstown are no longer available to researchers. The thermolyzer technology has never been used in the United States and is untested. The Ohio EPA draft air pollution permit that we obtained from the public records in March of 2023 classifies SOBE’s operation as pyrolysis, which can emit harmful dioxins and other cancer-causing toxic chemicals into the air. It is unacceptable that the Ohio EPA eliminated this information.
Ohio EPA granted an air pollution permit to SOBE on February 14, 2024 despite the lack of accurate data submitted by the company in their application. See the analysis from an air emissions scientist of SOBE’s application on our website:
Justifiably, the US EPA reviewed Ohio EPA’s draft permit and responded with concerns and emphasized that granting this air emission permit would cause environmental justice issues. The surrounding community already faces high pollution levels and has a significant population of people of color, low-income households, and other vulnerable groups in close proximity to the proposed location. Additionally, the US EPA suggested that civil rights concerns may be relevant in this case due to the community's existing environmental challenges, and encouraged the Ohio EPA to complete a more extensive environmental justice review as well as a review of its civil rights obligations prior to issuing this emissions permit.
On December 12, 2024 a WFMJ reporter was researching SOBE Thermal, LLC’s pyrolysis process on the public records portal of the Ohio EPA and found a letter from David Ferro to the agency stating that all his information was proprietary. The Ohio EPA removed the previously public information and put a totally REDACTED document in its place.
Youngstown City Council unanimously passed a Moratorium Ordinance on November 20, 2024 to be signed into law by Mayor Tito Brown to extend the prohibition of pyrolysis in our city until December 26, 2025.
In light of this obstruction of justice, the hiding of records from future researchers, SOBE Concerned Citizens calls for the Ohio EPA to replace the REDACTED air emissions report with the original one so that the public’s right-to-know and the right to a healthy environment are not compromised for the sake of a potentially harmful economic opportunity that benefits neither our city nor the health of our residents.
Isn’t that the purpose of the Ohio EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) whose mission is to protect the environment and public health by ensuring compliance with environmental laws?
SOBE Concerned Citizens continues to push for no permit to be granted to this pyrolysis plant. SOBE Thermal was granted a permit by PUCO to be a utility that provides steam heating and cooling only. We contend that David Ferro withheld information from them from the very beginning to be able to insert his pyrolysis business into the existing steam heating operation.
View the redacted document here and use the scroll bar on the right to see the blacked-out pages:
Click image to view document. "A seven-page document for the company's schema control loop, the air permit piping and instrumentation piping component description including purpose, preamble, and control mechanism; air permit support information and control principles for plant safety and emission control were completely redacted, citing the information as a trade secret." via @WFMJ https://www.wfmj.com/story/51980276/ohio-epa-agrees-to-keep-youngstown-pyrolysis-plant-process-safety-and-emission-control-a-secret
"This is PROPRIETARY Information of: Kunststoff- und Umweittechnik GmbHI. Waldstraße 14, D-03149 Forst/I ausitz -This information can only be used for permitting activities for Project SOBE Youngstown (Project 1768) Page 5 of 5"
https://kug-forst.de/?page_id=26 Kunststoff- und Umwelttechnik GmbH (KUG), Waldstraße 14 03149 Forst/Lausitz, Germany translated: Kunststoff- und Umwelttechnik GmbH
Media coverage:
EPA permits SOBE to keep its process hidden from public @Vindicator David Skolnick, Dec 13, 2024 https://www.vindy.com/news/local-news/2024/12/epa-permits-sobe-to-keep-its-process-hidden-from-public/
Ohio EPA agrees to keep Youngstown pyrolysis plant process, safety and emission control a secret @WFMJ Thursday, December 12th 2024,
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