Sludge Watch ==> Hamilton - Liberty Energy - Public Comments

[Maureen Reilly]

Liberty Energy tries to win over city
Waste to energy will superheat materials to make steam
Kevin Werner, Mountain

(Aug 31, 2007)
Liberty Energy officials are trying to win the hearts and minds of Hamilton 
residents one person at a time.

The community's initial response about three years ago to the company's 
proposal to construct a $120 million gasification plant on Strathearne 
Avenue was a "large outcry," said Wilson Nolan, chief executive officer for 
Liberty Energy Inc. of Bakersfield, California.

"Three years later we've won the respect of the community, and the support 
of some of the community," he said last week during a public open house.

Liberty's plan involves burning waste material, including from Hamilton's 
sewage treatment plant, and converting it into enough electricity to service 
about 8,000 homes.

Company officials have stated the facility will superheat sand turning 
materials such as grass, sludge, vines, woodchips into gas, which burns to 
make steam that eventually moves turbines creating electricity.

It is expected to produce less than 100 megawatts of power, but will use 
about 100 tonnes per day of biosolids.

Company officials have stated the facility will release one gram of dioxin 
over a 38- year period. Dust, particulate, mercury, and sulphur dioxide will 
also be controlled.

Over 20 people turned up last week at the Hamilton Museum of Steam and 
Technology Aug. 22, to view Liberty Energy's proposed plan to construct the 
24,000- square-meter facility, and talk one-on-one with representatives.

Former Hamilton Mayor Larry Di Ianni dropped in, saying if the proposal 
meets the provincial Environment Ministry's guidelines, it should be allowed 
to operate.

Hamilton council in July, 2005, approved in a close 6-5 vote to grant a 
re-zoning application to allow the energy-from-waste facility to operate in 
Hamilton's industrial area. Liberty Energy had applied to the province to be 
an electricity generator.

Last month Liberty Energy had to re-apply to conduct an environmental 
assessment under new Environmental Ministry guidelines.

Joe Beattie, business manager for the Hamilton Brant Ontario Building Trades 
Council, was behind the project as well.

"If it's environmentally sound, we support it 100 per cent," said Mr. 
Beattie.

He said the project will mean "1,000 man hours" of work for his men.

But not all the people who viewed the panel displays came to praise the 
project.

Hamilton east resident Zen Matwiyiw, who has been involved in fighting a 
number of controversial projects in the area, remained skeptical of the idea 
of what he called an "incineration" plant in a residential area.

"Unfortunately, history has shown we have had problems," he said. "This area 
has been dumped on."

Mr. Matwiyiw, who was citizen co-chair of the Rennie Community Liaison 
Committee, pointed out the community recently battled the city over its dump 
on Rennie Street; the city shut down its own Solid Waste Reduction Unit 
(SWARU) in 2003 after years after complaints over high levels of dioxin 
emissions; and after a public outcry a sludge plant in the area was closed 
in 1996.

"You couldn't breathe," remembers Mr. Matwiyiw about the sludge plant. He 
said once the new facility opens, what happens if there are problems with 
the plant?

"What recourse do we have?" he asked.

Hamilton councillors, such as Sam Merulla, who represents the area the 
facility is planning to be constructed, Chad Collins, and Bernie Morelli, 
have already stated they are opposed to the plant.

Mr. Nolan said officials have been talking to community representatives 
about the project and making adjustments to their plans.

He said they decided to enclose a bio-mass facility to keep odours from 
escaping.

The decision added about $12 million to the original $90 million price tag. 
Other costs include higher prices for materials which pushed the total cost 
for the facility to $120 million.

Mr. Nolan said the most frequent concerns residents have expressed to him 
about the facility are what are the emissions and if there will be odour 
problems.

Mr. Nolan is hopeful the company can work through the EA process within a 
year.

The company does have to prepare a draft Environmental Screening report, and 
hold additional public open houses on the report, he said. The public can 
request the MOE to have the project subjected to an individual environmental 
assessment once the environment screen report is completed.

.....................................

The Hamilton Spectator has a Blog
Here's what folks have to say:

http://hallmarks.thespec.com/2007/08/a-stinky-whiffe.html

Hall Marks« Help me convert my husband | Main | I need to be a packrat »

August 13, 2007
A stinky-whiffer
Wouldn't it be great if we could convert human waste into gold? That might 
be the only solution to waste disposal that would have everyone cheering. 
Council voted last week to proceed with a plan to build a $60-million 
sewage-sludge incinerator. Currently the city spreads sludge on local 
fields, a more expensive practice that's threatened by a lack of available 
land and concerns about toxins in the mix. The only vote against the 
incinerator was Councillor Chad Collins, who is worried about the city's 
image in light of the SWARU debacle. In today's Citylog, Spec reporter Rob 
Faulkner, noted that the plan already has people criticizing Hamilton on the 
Globe and Mail website. "This should improve the smell of Hamilton," wrote 
one poster. "Smell the burning sewage."
Should council go ahead with an incinerator? Before you dismiss the idea 
outright, remember 'it' has to go somewhere.


Email this

Posted at 02:15 PM | Permalink
Comments
This is a real issue. I read a book recently " Toxic Sludge is Good For 
You". This book gave a analysis of the problem related to sludge. The most 
signifcant issue was the fact of how the sewer systems are set up. Most of 
very old and all waste goes to one place, instead of separating human waste 
from industrial waste. Spreading sludge on farm land can be deadly if it is 
laden with heavy metals and other industrial wastes. Our air quality is 
already bad, so I do not really know how this is going to better the 
problem??? Catch had a good link, there are grassroots groups in the US that 
are very against this. I think that this should of been put before the 
citizens of Hamilton through a referendum. Big business does not always the 
the people best interests at heart.

Posted by: Michelle Hruschka | August 13, 2007 at 10:35 PM

I don't think I would worry about the image thing too much. That might be 
newsworthy, or tabloid worthy for a day or two, and then it will pass.

I don't oppose the idea, provided it is cost effective over the longer term, 
and efficient.

However, I think we need to think about it in terms of the future. Will the 
set up be able to comply with potential future more stringent requirements 
on air quality and emissions? Or will an expensive retro fit be required if 
things go that way?

Is we think the solution is scaleable and able to respond to new more 
stringent requirements, that the future may bring, then it would seem like a 
good investment.

Cal DiFalco (caldifalco at cogeco.ca)


Posted by: Cal DiFalco | August 14, 2007 at 08:57 AM

Hi Nicole. I wouldn't put too much stock into what the Globe & Mail has to 
say. As far as I'm concerned the only good place for the Globe & Mail is at 
the bottom of my bird cage.

As well, I also wanted to add here that I work a lot in Toronto on film sets 
and I can tell you that most days out of the year the Pollution index in 
Toronto is much higher than it is here in the Hammer. Toronto is a bigger 
town with a lot of vehicles contributing to their pollution woes.

Last but not least the number one reason that Toronto stinks more than 
Hamilton is because they are home to the TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS hockey 
disorganization. :D

Cheers!

Posted by: RickCordeiro | August 15, 2007 at 02:36 AM

I can't for the life of me figure out why City Council has agreed to go 
ahead with this staff proposal to build another incinerator at the Sewage 
Treatment plant. Upon citizen investigation some years ago when we found out 
that the city was running the thing after years of mal-functions, they shut 
it down. There is a company called Liberty Energy that have spent years and 
millions of dollars on studies to get approval to build an incinerator that 
will burn sludge to produce electricity on a unsightly parcel of land on 
Strathearn North. Its in the midst of huge recycling metal yards. They will 
have to clean up the site, they have proven to us, in writing, that they 
will be good community neighbours. This will benefit the city and they city 
are against them. What gives here? They say no to them and then come up with 
a 60 million plant they want to build with our Taxpayers money. There is 
something very stinky going on, don't ya think? Mayor Freddy says it will 
take sludge trucks off the road, ha, noy likely, Hamilton only produces 9 
trucks a day, that won't be enough to keep that incinerator going. We have 
to put up with enough already from that plant, the city should stick with 
improvements with the plant. Windemere Basin is full of sludge from the 
plant, it needs to be dredged, what about that. Community Action Parkdale 
East has a petition started, we hope to be at least 2 thousand strong by 
Labour Day. Where is this Council taking us?

Posted by: Burke Austin | August 15, 2007 at 10:19 AM

I've been following the Liberty Energy Project, and City Councils handling 
of since they came to town looking for help to guide their project through 
the Local Council.

I applied to be their registered Lobbyist and had an interview with the 
owner, Mr Nolan respecting what needed to be done.

For reference I gave the name of another local consultant and ex-MPP as a 
reference.

Unbeknownst to me, the person I put forth as a reference applied for ther 
job and got hired.

Obviously I didn't.

Within a week or two Mr. Nolan had meetings with all the local luminaries, 
Federal, Provincial and Municipal. Fat lot of good that did considering 
Liberty energy got the shaft.

But I digress.

Being self employed allows me to pick and chose who I lobby for and for what 
cause.

After doing lots of research on Liberty Energy's proposal and directly 
questioning the owner Mr. Nolan I was convinced their process for turning 
waste into energy was not only viable it actually delivered as promised, a 
burn rate high enough to render toxins inert and the ash rendered benign and 
perfect for recycling into other products such as cement.

Something Hamilton is going to need a lot of once the Red Hill Expressway is 
finally completed over the next couple of years.

Liberty Energy's proposal would have saved us millions in cement costs and 
deliver at least 5 Megawatts of pure electric power that could be sold back 
to the grid, further saving Hamilton energy costs.

But what I really find under-handed is the way council and staff have 
treated Mr. Nolan and Liberty Energy.

First they tag them along while they spend millions to appease the tree 
huggers on Council then steal all their ideas and put their own horribly 
expensive tax-payer funded version of Liberty Energy's scientifically proven 
proposal before council for a decision, leaving Liberty energy holding the 
bag.

Why on earth would council want to spend $60 million dollars we don't have 
on a project that would be fully funded by private money allowing Hamilton 
to reap the benefits in tax revenue and community enhancements without 
having to spend a cent of the tax payers money?

If I was Mr. Nolan I would sue the City of Hamilton to recover all the up 
front costs for the proposal such as fees paid to produce a multitude of 
environmental reports demanded by City Council and the Municipal staff 
handling their file.

What can I say, that's HAMILTON: Get used to it.

maw at fido.blackberry.com

Posted by: Mark-Alan Whittle | August 15, 2007 at 02:59 PM