Sludge Watch ==> Synagro Kern sludge compost plant - cash handouts handed back

[Maureen Reilly]

Synagro just opened a new sludge composting site in Kern County.
They agreed to some difficult conditions.  After Synagro got the permit they 
wanted the conditions changed to allow for extended storage time for sludge 
at the site.

The sludge started coming into the facility in December 2006.  It is only 
allowed to stay on site 7 days after composting.  Every load of greenwaste 
is supposed to come with documentation and testing that it is pest free.  
Who is enforcing these provisions?

"Synagro has dismayed the residents of Kern County by forging ahead with
their plans to build a huge sludge compost facility despite the 'Keep Kern 
Clean'
campaign.  They got a permit that said maximum storage time would be 7 days 
and then asked for
90 days storage.

Lets say the mood of the people and the regulators was not receptive......
According to today's story, Synagro has backed off their request.  So where
will sludge be stored?  What unlucky community will get the stockpiled 
sludge ?

Suddenly Synagro has been handing out cash to groups and governments in Kern 
like candy...and members of the public can't get answers to regulatory 
questions from Kern County Planning staff.

Whassup with that?
................................................

http://www.taftmidwaydriller.com/articles/2007/06/08/news/news03.txt

Synagro donation returned
By Doug Keeler
Published: Friday, June 8, 2007 3:34 PM CDT
E-mail this story | Print this page


Midway Driller Editor

When Mayor Paul Linder accepted a $25,000 donation to the city from Synagro 
in May, it seemed like an innocent gesture.

Instead, it became the first part of a controversy that led to a 4-0 vote by 
the Taft City Council Tuesday night to turn the donation down.


It also prompted the council to direct staff to draft an ordinance requiring 
that all checks be made to the council at council meetings.

The donation to the city, which was first announced by Synagro several years 
ago, was strongly objected to at Tuesday's City Council by two city 
councilmen who have opposed the Synagro facility from the start. Two other 
councilmen at the meeting also voted against accepting the donation on 
procedural grounds.

City Councilman Cliff Thompson has been a vocal critic of Synagro since the 
firm first announced plans several years ago to open a facility that 
processes biosolids into compost for gardens and lawns.



He was the strongest critic of Linder's decision to accept the check on the 
city's behalf.

Linder was out of state and did not attend the meeting. He was not available 
for comment.

Linder accepted the money at a luncheon on May 16 when Synagro, also donated 
$25,000 to the Taft College Foundation and the same amount to selected 
nonprofit agencies in the community.



He notified other councilmen by email of the donation, and then dropped the 
check off at the city's finance department. It was cashed the next day and 
the money was put into the city's general fund.

But the donation was controversial almost from the beginning. Councilman 
Cliff Thompson and Linder exchanged emails about the issue.

After Linder notified others on the council about the donation, Thompson 
emailed Linder back and told him not to cash the check.



"I think you are overstepping your Mayor powers and I personally don't want 
their money," Thompson told Linder in the email. "I strongly urge you not to 
cash this check."

Linder responded that he attended at Synagro's invitation in his capacity as 
mayor and notified both City Manager Bob Gorson and Assistant City 
Manager/Public Works Director Gary Dabbs. Linder told Thompson it would have 
been awkward to turn Synagro down.

"I would not have refused the check in front of so many people that we are 
trying to build a relationship with including Bakersfield and county 
(representatives). You're personal feelings are overshadowing the fact that 
Synagro is here to stay."



Linder questioned City attorney Kathy Gibson about the donation and the way 
it took place.

In response to one of Thompson's questions, Gibson said the donation would 
technically have belonged to Linder after 20 days if the council took no 
formal action.

Councilman Randy Miller defended Linder.



"We knew it had been coming. I think Mayor Linder innocently got caught up 
in this. I don't think we ever had this precedent before. To think that Mr. 
Linder did this nefariously is false."

He said he was voting against accepting the donation because of the 
technicality.

Councilman Dave Noerr joined Thompson in strongly opposing the donation.



"I don't like the product, I don't like the industry and I personally don't 
think it's in the best interest of the city."

Craig Noble, too, opposed taking the money. He said he was afraid that 
accepting money could influence future votes on issues involving Synagro.



******************************************************************************************************************************



January, 2007

http://www.bakersfield.com/102/story/93074.html

Sludge company won't seek more storage capacity at site near Taft

What: Sludge company Synagro dropped plans to seek more storage capacity at 
its new facility east of Taft after a closed-door meeting with several city 
officials Wednesday. Synagro was slated to ask for a permit tweak this week 
to allow storage of 90 days' worth of composted sewage sludge. The permit 
now allows stockpiling of seven days' worth of material.

Company representatives said they wanted Taft leaders to support the 
project.

****************************************************************************



"

Synagro agrees to keep permit as is -- for now
BY GRETCHEN WENNER, Californian staff writer
e-mail: gwenner at bakersfield.com | Thursday, Jan 4 2007


For now, the new sludge composting facility outside Taft will operate under 
existing rules.

A potentially ugly showdown over proposed permit changes was avoided, at 
least temporarily, by a closed-door meeting late Wednesday afternoon between 
a few Taft city leaders and representatives of Synagro.
Despite some tension before doors shut, attendees emerged smiling about 6:15 
p.m. and told a group of reporters they'd had a good session.

Details of the hour-and-a-half discussion at the Taft Chamber of Commerce 
weren't given, but Synagro representatives said they would shelve a 
controversial request to extend sludge stockpiling times.

The company wanted Taft officials to feel comfortable with the operation, 
said Liz Ostoich, project developer for Synagro. The delay will give them 
time to learn details about the plant's processes.

Synagro was expected to go before county planning commissioners on Jan. 11 
to ask for permission to stockpile composted sewage sludge on site for 90 
days. The existing permit allows storage of seven days' worth of material. "

***************************************************************************************************************

[TAFT seeks more land for sewage sludge "biosolids" recycling . .] . .





http://www.bakersfield.com/102/story/96003.html

"Taft wants to extend its reach to Interstate 5

BY SHELLIE BRANCO, Californian staff writer
e-mail: sbranco at bakersfield.com |
Last Updated: Tuesday, Jan 23 2007 9:29 PM

Taft wants a piece of Interstate 5, its travelers and the tax revenue 
they'll generate.

And as Bakersfield closes in on the area, Taft wants a say in what happens 
east of its border."



"As Taft is about 15 square miles in area, the plan, if approved, could more 
than double the city's size. That's because Interstate 5 is roughly 15 miles 
away from the city's eastern border."

In the plan, between eastern Taft and Interstate 5, is a proposed 744-acre 
recycling market development zone.

The city hopes to attract green waste and biosolids recycling companies to 
the area, Gorson said.



***************************************************************************************

Synagro to treat Taft's wastewater for free ?

California Pollution Financing Control Authority - TAX FREE bonds for 
Synagro's sludge composting facilities ?





http://www.bakersfield.com/local/story/5324128p-5351214c.html

Supervisors to vote on sludge plant project

By GRETCHEN WENNER,
Californian staff writer
e-mail: gwenner at bakersfield.com

Posted: Monday February 28th, 2005, 11:30 PM






"Ostoich said the company has become more responsive to local needs in the
wake of its problems in Riverside County and elsewhere.

"It's really driven home the need to be sensitive to the surrounding
community," she said. "We've become more sensitive and concerned about
people's perceptions and what impacts them."

Since Friday, she's been making good with city officials in Taft, who didn't
learn about the plant until reading The Californian that morning. The
company has offered to treat Taft's wastewater for free, and it wants to
step in as a good corporate neighbor, she said."



"Supervisors unanimously approved the plant's permit more than two years 
ago.
At that time, no one spoke against it.

This afternoon's vote seemed far more routine. It concerns a typically dry,
public hearing on a $35 million low-interest, tax-exempt bond for the
project. "


"Even if supervisors vote down the $35 million bond scheme, which requires
county and state approval but would be financed by private banks, the
project will go forward with a different loan, Ostoich said.  [Liz Ostoich = 
Synagro ]

Synagro already received a similar tax-exempt bond from the California
Pollution Financing Control Authority in 2002. The authority authorized more
than $20 million for a biosolids plant in Sacramento."