Newsletter # 1
May 27, 2020
Dear Supporters,
This
is the first
newsletter for our supporters who are working to stop the Sungeel Lithium-ion Battery Recycling facility from operating in Endicott
. It will go to anyone who wishes to work on this effort.
The Newsletter will serve several purposes:
1.
Sharing information on the fast-moving events in the battle to stop this facility
2.
Posting help needed actions like planting Lawn Signs all over Endicott
3.
Listing the calendar of events such as Village Board meetings
4.
Sharing
suggestions
A little background on the proposed facility:
The Sungeel facility, proposed for the corner of Clark and Robble, will use incineration to capture the “rare earth minerals” which will be collected in the ash in the baghouse
, between the afterburner and the chimney stack
.
Sungeel, the owner, says it will ship the ash back to South Korea for further recovery.
In Sungeel’s process
the non-mettallic parts of the battery (e.g. electrolytes, binders, plastics and other materials encasing the batteries) will be first gasified
(solids and liquids converted into gases)
in a kiln and then the gases from this are burned at high temperatures in the afterburner
(1,472 degrees Fahrenheit or higher). Both of these two steps (heating and burning)
will be responsible for most of the highly toxic and cancer-causing emissions from the facility. The overall process is akin to a two-stage incinerator.
What will be emitted from this Battery Recycling Process?
The state Department of Environmental Conservation gave Sungeel an
Air Permit
on March 30, 2020, that
allows them to emit
four known human carcinogens
(Dioxin, Chromium-6, Formaldehyde, and Beryllium.) The DEC air permit is highly deficient and the NoBurnBroome science team is making this clear to the DEC and other authorities.
The Mayor has said on several occasions that they will not use incineration.
The Mayor is wrong.
The process is equivalent to a two stage incineration process.
T
he Mayor has said that this operation is a “part of a green jobs initiative.”
It is deceptive to equate “green jobs” with the reality of a very dirty
and dangerous operation
that will
emit human carcinogens into a residential and recreational area.
Why NoBurnBroome?
Air emissions know no boundaries. We don’t want any communit
y in the county to have to deal with this kind of toxic assault in the 21
st
Century. It’s at times like this that we have to help each other. We want and need jobs, but not at the expense of cancers in our children, family, or neighbors. We need clean technologies that respect our health and environment.
How can you help?
Lawn Signs:
We hope to make them available soon. In the meantime, please make your own. Three slogans:
No Battery Incinerator -
NoBurnBroome - Don't Burn Our Future
Can you leaflet your area?
If yes, send an
email
with the number of leaflets you need and your address.
Write letters to the Mayor and the 2 Trustees who support this project:
However emotional you may feel about this matter, please be respectful. Send to: Mayor Jackson, Trustee Chapman, Trustee Konecny, at 1009 East Main Street, Endicott, NY 13760-5290.
Share your suggestions with us?
