Sludge Watch ==> Hinkley - Nursery Products - Did supervisors delay adopting air protections?

[Maureen Reilly]

Wednesday, November 1, 2006

Letters to the Editor
Did supervisors delay adopting air protections for composting company?

On June 27, 2005, at or around the time Nursery Products LLC filed its 
application to run a composting operation upwind from the Hinkley-Barstow 
area, the Mojave Air Quality Management District and Bill Postmus voted to 
delay adopting the community protections adopted by the California Air 
Resources Board and the South Coast Air Quality Management District for 
composting operations.

Those requirements, which were adopted by the South Coast Air Quality 
Management District where the sludge will be coming from, prohibits any 
composting operation without its being covered, using an aeration system 
that operates under negative pressure (to keep the gases inside) and 
processing the rest of the gases through a biofilter.

The Hinkley-Barstow area is already and area of nonattainment air quality 
wise. It is amazing that our County Supervisor (Postmus) would vote to pass 
a regulation to further impact the Hinkley-Barstow area!

This seems to be more quid pro quo politics and the way you raise two 
million dollars to get a job that pays $100,000 per year-MDAQMD passes an 
exemption for a polluter and Mr. Postmus and his colleagues receive 
contributions shortly thereafter. The grand jury maybe should be involved?

Robert D. Conaway, Hinkley

http://www.desertdispatch.com/2006/116239102543792.html