If you can smell it, it's in the air
Letter to editor from Elaine Fraser
Cape Breton Post
Saturday, Sept. 20, 2003
On Sunday, Aug. 31, there was a
very strong smell of fuel over parts
of Alder Point and Point Aconi. It
was coming from the direction of
the Point Aconi generating plant.
I called Dave Pickles at the plant
to find out what was going on. I was
informed there had been computer
problems and a shutdown.
When this plant has a shutdown
some kind of diesel fuel is used to
get the plant back up to temperature.
If this plant is such a state-of-
the-art generator and burns so
cleanly, why would the smell of fuel
be so strong coming out of the
stack?
On Sept. 11, in an article in the
Post (Ontario Grits Campaign Against Sydney Sludge),
Ontario Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty
makes it clear he is opposed to
accepting our toxic problem in his
province. Parker Donham is quoted
as saying it's as if there is a skull
and crossbones connected with anything from Sydney.
Anything that has as many toxic,
cancer-causing chemicals in it as
the tar ponds sludge should have a
skull and crossbones on it.
Donham said Nova Scotians may
as well get used to it because there
is 1.1 million tonnes of contaminated
material between the tar ponds
and coke ovens. He states that it's
unlikely it will make political or
economic sense to haul that to
another province. He makes it
sound as though officials are going
to try to burn it in Nova Scotia.
There are two sites discussed: the
cement plant in Truro and the Point
Aconi generating plant. I am sure
the people of Truro don't want our
toxic sludge. My question to Donham
and the government is how do
they think Point Aconi can burn the
sludge clean enough so that we can't
smell it.
We in Point Aconi and surrounding
areas don't want the sludge
either.
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