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Warden plant dusts L’Anse, residents say

L’ANSE – The United States Environmental Protection Agency and Michigan Department of Environmental Quality heard from concerned area residents Monday regarding the L’Anse Warden Electric Company, which is not in compliance with air quality standards.

While the agencies are following protocols aimed at bringing the biomass electric-generating plant into compliance, the overwhelming public concerns were health centered, especially with senior living center Green Hill Manor, the Baraga-Houghton-Keweenaw Child Development Center and Sacred Heart School located so close to the facility.

The EPA staff present at the meeting were Section Chief of Air Enforcement Sarah Marshall, Environmental Scientist in Air Enforcement Molly Smith, Sarah Rolfes from Air Permitting, Tribal Environmental Liaison Jennifer Manville, Nicole Cantello from the Office of Regional Counsel and Francisco Arcaute from the Public Affairs Office. Representing the MDEQ were Environmental Quality Analyst Ed Lancaster, District Supervisor Chris Hare and District Coordinator Steve Casey.

L’Anse resident Jim Seavoy brought dust from his house, which is located closest to the plant.

“The way this has affected myself and neighbors is we can’t generally keep our windows open, outdoor cooking is a no-no (and) the smell is so bad sometimes I have to leave town and stay at my folks’ place,” Seavoy said. “We never had this problem prior to the conversion to biomass. This dust is drifting all over town, into the Falls River, into Lake Superior, and nobody is taking decisive action to remedy the situation. (In the) spring of 2014 I swept up approximately two 5-gallon pails of this fugitive dust from my deck and porch. When the wind is (blowing) in the right direction we can sweep up approximately a cup-full of dust off of the windshield and hood of our vehicles. It’s very invasive, I tried putting a furnace filter in my window, but the ultra-fine particles made it through. When I brought my concerns to management at the plant, I was told I should move.”

The Gazette will report more specifics about the history of the plant, regulatory procedures and residents’ comments in Wednesday’s paper.

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