The following was presented at the rally on February 14, 2025 in Youngstown, Ohio: --- Welcome, welcome to everyone who has come out today to join with us in our Valentine’s Day anniversary rally.
We are drawing attention to what SOBE Concerned Citizens call either the worst Valentine’s Day ever, or the day that the Ohio EPA broke our hearts.
On February 14, 2024 the Ohio EPA issued a final air pollution permit to SOBE Energy Solutions for an untested, experimental, not-proven-safe “thermolyzer” that is a technology that has never been used successfully, to be located at SOBE’s property at 205 North Avenue, right down the street from here, next to downtown.
The Ohio EPA unwisely issued a final air pollution permit despite massive opposition voiced by Youngstown residents at the draft permit public hearing they convened on August 10, 2023. Ohio EPA ignored hundreds more postcards demanding no final air pollution permit be issued that were sent during the public comment period on the draft permit. The Ohio EPA even ignored Region 5 US EPA Director John Mooney’s correspondence stating they should correct some erroneous computer modeling data mis-stating how much pollution would be emitted by this pyrolysis plant. They ignored his advice that the Ohio EPA must not issue a final permit without considering environmental justice factors because Youngstown has been designated an Environmental Justice Community of Concern.
Despite all this, and despite the fact that SOBE is located in a mixed-use community zone that does not allow them to expand into industrial operations from the currently approved use: producing steam heating and cooling only; and despite the fact that Youngstown’s mayor and city council had placed a one year moratorium ordinance against pyrolysis and gasification in effect to protect Youngstown residents’ health- the Ohio EPA issued a potentially damaging and dangerous TEN YEAR air pollution permit to SOBE.
We want to thank all of you for coming out on this winter day to help us draw attention to this exceedingly poor decision and to join us in calling for the Ohio EPA to rescind this air pollution permit!
Earlier Press Release was sent out February 11, read here: https://www.stop-sobe.com/post/valentine-anniversary-permit-granted-by-oh-epa-to-pyrolysis-youngstown
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