Citizens' Protest of Acid Rock & Fly Ash Dumping in Indiana County!

Citizens' Protest of Acid Rock & Fly Ash
Dumping in Indiana County!

A Picture Is Worth 10,000 Words!

Note of Explanation: Persons and their families who will be adversely affected by the proposal to dump huge amounts of acid rock and fly ash at a site in Pine Township in Indiana County are urged to protest in the many ways possible in our society today. One of the ways you can do this is by sending an email to me at cdharriger@hotmail.com.

The first listing is in the form of a very powerful cartoon. This masterpiece, which speaks for itself, was done by a close friend, Butch Rodkey, who lives in Strongstown at a residence which will be passed by hundreds of fly ash hauling trucks if PennDOT gets its way in this debacle. See more protests which are located below the guy in the fancy suit and hat who supports PennDOT in its acid rock escapade:

So, we invite those of you who want to go on public record as opposed to the PennDOT plan, which has to be sanctioned by the Department of Environmental Protection, to let us know and your comments will be posted. There are people who are visiting this area and who will be reading those comments -- now is NOT the time to remain silent and inactive!

Thanks,
cdh

PS - for those who support the plan, your comments will be noted also -- but be aware, they will be posted underneath the interesting character in the fancy suit just below. The reason? He is a supporter of the PennDOT "plan!" We're not sure where he lives, but it could be in the State College area, or maybe even Harrisburg!

PPS - Now then -- go below the character who supports PennDOT's "plan" and see comments which strongly object to the proposal.


"I'm all for the Centre County designated 'toilet' in Indiana County!"


I Object!

Solid grounds for objecting to the PennDOT proposal to haul an astronomical amount of acid rock from Centre County and mix it with huge amounts of fly ash from a generating station in Seward PA are as follows:

    The logistics of this project involving hundreds of trucks would impress an objective observer to the point of concluding that this plan was concocted by a padded cell resident in an asylum for the criminally insane! Speed limits and weight limits will be consistently violated due to lack of sufficient numbers of police officers needed for daily enforcement of existing laws.

    In the central PA area some months back a tri-axle driver was driving at 60 MPH and skidded 202 feet to avoid hitting a vehicle but slammed headon into a PT Cruiser, killing the driver, and causing the car to crash into a house. A mother and 2 children in the home escaped injury. The wife of the victim was injured and taken to the hospital, being released 2 days after the accident. The truck driver was charged with involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment. A district judge dismissed those charges! The attorneys argued over whether driving 5 MPH over the speed limit was sufficient grounds for the manslaughter and reckless endangerment charges! So what we have is not only a fouled up political system which plays with people's health and safety when it comes to dealing with toxic materials, but a justice system to match -- you break the law and kill somebody with your truck because you didn't obey the speed limit, and it's quite OK -- did anybody, including the lawyer for the truck driver, express any concern for the victim's widow? Is that a prelude as to what to expect when the tri-axles start rolling in full force on 422 and 403??????

    The routes traveled as one gets into Cambria and Indiana Counties were never designed for such a high volume of traffic and tonnage in terms of weight. So called "bonding" means nothing during the long period of the "project" as the roads will be pounded and broken into pieces week by week. There might be a chance that the roads would survive if PennDOT FIRST prepared the traveled routes by putting in a 36 inch base of limestone, put a 12 to 15 inch layer of asphalt on top of that, and increased total width of the road to 30 feet! Ok, ok -- so I exaggerated just a tad -- cut the base to 34 inches, the asphalt to 11 inches, and the width to 28 feet! That way the tri-axles would have a bit of room when they meet and pass each other coming and going, and the native residents would not be crowded on to the berm quite as often when meeting the empty or loaded behemoths!

    The safety hazard this traffic nightmare will present defies even the wildest human imagination. Families living along the traveled routes, especially Rt. 403 north from Strongstown will live in perpetual fear for the well being of their children. What parent would not be concerned about a son or a daughter on a bicycle for instance -- ah, just forget it -- that child's chance of survival is not as great as that of a lamb thrown into a den of starving wolves! And the parents themselves will have elevated blood pressure each time they try to maneuver out on to 403 from their driveways!

    And then there are the Amish on the road with their horses and buggies -- sure to invoke the curses of those truck drivers who come upon these gentle folk and see empty tri-axles coming in the other direction -- so it's hit the brakes time -- will they get slowed down in time or pulverize the buggy into splinters and kindling wood, not to mention what happens to the occupants and the horse! Ask anyone in the area -- there have been some accidents with the buggies -- the common denominator in this? Something known as speed -- perhaps you have heard about what it is and what happens when it is not under control. By the way, no pictures of the Amish and their buggies will appear here due to respect for them and their desires to have no photographs taken of them. Can we expect the truck drivers on Rts. 422 and 403 to respect these folks, offering courtesy and consideration, as they encounter them if the PennDOT plan should be executed? We already know the answer to that one don't we?

    The health hazards both short term and then long term have been ignored. While some representatives from the DEP and even madam Secretary have stressed the "standards" and "regulations" regarding safety, what they can't control is this -- the fly ash debris will be flying all over the place! Particles will be in the air -- they will sift through open spaces in the truck beds as the trip is made. And when this stuff is dumped at the site, what about the dust that results and winds carrying those particles all over the area? Then when the truck leaves, there is residue still in the truck bed and anyone who has the misfortune of getting behind a tri-axle after the load has been dumped will find himself in a cloud of dust as the truck picks up speed! Now then, ask residents of the area near the designated Centre County "toilet" what they experienced years ago when a monster hill of fly ash was formed -- and the clouds of dust which were part of the perk "benefits" the community enjoyed!

    The country of India is really moving into high gear in its economic development. With this comes a great increase in number of power generating stations using coal for fuel. One web site featured an article on the massive health problems which are resulting due to fly ash. Here is a statement:

    "Being very minute, fly ash tends to remain airborne for a very long period leading to serious health problems as the airborne ash can enter the body. It causes irritation to eyes, skin, and nose, throat, and respiratory tract. Repeated inhalation of fly ash dust containing crystalline silica can cause bronchitis and lung cancer."

    If high level PennDOT and DEP officials had to live here, how much fly ash dust do you suppose they would be willing to tolerate in their lungs?

    Another issue not really addressed by PennDOT and the DEP -- hundreds of trucks hauling crushed pyritic material over a long distance. In spite of tarps the truck beds are not sealed -- debris will be scattered along the way since in the crushing process, there will be very fine amounts of material which will find its way through openings in the truck's tail gate as well as finding its way outside due to turbulence and wind effect on the tarp itself. In a rainstorm water is going to penetrate the load of material -- the result of pyrite exposed to water and air is something called sulfuric acid -- you know, the stuff that makes your car battery do its work! Will the trucks be fully identified as hauling hazardous material? Will drivers be qualified and licensed to haul such materials? Can you visualize how all the communities along the way will fare? Acid rock debris building up week after week and water saturating the stuff from time to time and presto -- acid water running down our streets and into our lawns!

    DEP cannot guarantee that in the long term there will not be health problems due to leakage of toxic substances into the ground and water at the proposed site of deposit. In spite of claims of use of liners and monitoring, no agency can really say with absolute certainty as to what the health status will be 2 or 3 generations down the road! Remember a place called Love Canal some distance to the north and what happened there some years ago? And one thing the PA DEP cannot do is restore health to an individual who has been given a "death sentance" due to approval of the placing of toxic material at a site to which that individual has been exposed over years of time!

A final question -- is Harrisburg willing to provide detailed information as to the full identities of persons and companies involved in this project? Further, how much money will be paid out and who the recipients will be? Will there be a published report on a quarterly basis as to such transactions? And what are the ties which the parties involved have with lobbyists and members of the General Assembly in Harrisburg PA? Big money operations always bring out the true character of the people involved!

News reports have revealed some figures as to money involved and amounts of material to be transported -- here is a sample:

[Begin quote] Since the nearly 1 million tons of acid rock was unearthed during construction of I-99 at Skytop on the Bald Eagle Mountain in early 2002, officials have examined options to solve the crisis that had delayed the $800 million construction.

The option chosen will cost $40 million, according to Marla Fannin, PennDOT community relations coordinator. "The $40 million includes $26 million to haul and treat it and $14 million for the in-place treatment for the portions that are not being moved," Fannin said. "About two-thirds of it needs to be moved. The site selected meets site-specific criteria. It has an ash layer, a clay layer, an impermeable liner and a leachate collection system to treat the runoff."

Robindale applied for a water quality management permit for the Pine Township site owner, RNS, a wholly owned subsidiary of Robindale Energy, Hedrick said.

PennDOT's Engineering District in Clearfield County also has applied for a permit to transport the acid rock and fly ash, said Rick Hogg, PennDOT district executive in District 10.

It will take more than a year to transport 650,000 to 700,000 cubic square feet of pyritic material in 150 truckloads per day, five days a week, to the Pine Township site, Hogg said. "It will be mixed with fly ash and lime," Hogg said. "It will be a 1-to-1 ratio. For every cubic yard of pyritic rock, we'll also haul the fly ash and some lime to mix with it on top of the bed of ash there. Fly ash can set up similar to concrete with the crushed rock. The rock will be 6 inches, maximum size." [End quote]

Source: Tribune-Review Feb 11, 2006

However, it is also a foregone conclusion -- when you have "estimates" of money involved in some sort of activity with which government agencies are doing the "spending," the final tab will be much greater than what was originally "predicted!" And why people who cling to government contacts like a leech clinging to its victim and sucking blood always manage to live very high on the hog!

And a final suggestion -- instead of splitting up the trucks with some hauling acid rock and the rest hauling fly ash, why not have ALL the trucks take fly ash down to Centre County, dig a hole, dump in fly ash mixed with acid rock, and cover it up. Then put up a giant piece of granite on top of the pile with the inscription, "In Tribute to former Congressman Bud Schuster" -- it was his bright idea about I-99 and where it should go which got us into this mess in the first place! Then send him the bill and let him and his family pay all the expense for this fiasco!

Reality dictates that the plan to bring acid rock from Centre County and fly ash from Seward and then mix the two materials at the Robindale site in Indiana County is a Pandora's Box of the first magnitude with the lid having been opened by PennDOT under the sanction of the DEP!

I rest my case!

by Clayton D. Harriger
February 23, 2006

Dear Clayton,

I've been following your site about the Acid Rock situation and I must say "Great Job". You have put alot of work into trying to get the word out about the dangerous situation that this I-99 Skytop Acid Removal Project really is. I live within 1 mile of the proposed dumping site for Centre Counties dangerous Acid Rock and believe me, I'm very upset about it.

I've been e-mailing newspapers, writing to all of our elected officials, passing out petitions, etc. I've been researching it to death and coming up with-- there is not one good thing about this whole rotten deal!!!!

A few years back when they were dumping the fly ash on top of the now 75 foot pyramid, (before we knew their scheme to try to kill us all off) you could hear the truck tail gates slamming from early morning to late in the evening. You could see them dumping the fly ash from the hillside by our home and literally see it swirling in the high wind gusts blowing in every direction of the ever changing wind. You could almost taste it in the air. How healthy is that? I understand that the fly ash can have the following in it -- toxic heavy metals like lead, arsenic, cobalt and copper, silica, alumina, oxides of iron, and others. Now, the brainy idea that some people think you can put a mile and a half of CRUSHED TOXIC ACID ROCK, when exposed to air or elements such as water, sleet, etc. becomes very dangerous to the environment, on top of the existing 75 foot bony/fly ash pile without flying around in 60 mph winds can be contained, is not a very well thought out plan.

Let's see, 60 mph wind gusts, trying to dump 20+ ton of toxic materials in each truck load, on top of an already 75 ft. high mountain, thinking that you can contain it with a load of fly ash without flying all over the countryside, and poof, the acid rock is neutralized in a flash and, it's no longer dangerous. How stupid do they think we are???

Some people actually believe that the only problem is the truck traffic and that they don't want to see accidents and that if we gripe enough, PennDot will find another route, and the trucks won't have to travel past our house and our good neighbors will get stuck with the heavy traffic and noise pollution and our problems will be over.. . .WRONG, DEAD WRONG, you still are bringing this TOXIC MATERIAL TO OUR LITTLE COMMUNITY THAT HAS THE CAPABILITY TO TRAVEL FOR MILES IN THE AIR AND IF NOT PROPERLY CONTAINED, WHICH REMAINS TO BE SEEN, IN OUR WATER SOURCES ALSO.

We all need to stand up and be counted for. Help your neighbors fight this! Even if you think that it directly won't hurt you, what about your property values??? Remember, you are now considered a "Brownfield", where Interstate 99 corridor in Centre Co. is a "Greenfield" and they don't want Centre County to turn into a "Brownfield", so if they dump on us, and get rid of their acid rock, they can stay a "Greenfield".

Let's put 2 + 2 together, do we come up with -- WE ARE A TOXIC DUMPING GROUND ALREADY AND WE ARE GOING TO GET DUMPED ON AGAIN????? IF WE DON'T WAKE UP, WE WON'T BE WAKING UP IN A FEW SHORT MONTHS. Some "Wise Man" not long ago, gave me a good little piece of advice -- KEEP PROTESTING IN EVERY WAY POSSIBLE. IT HAS BEEN SAID IN THE PAST THAT ALL IT TAKES FOR EVIL TO TRIUMPH IS FOR GOOD PEOPLE TO DO NOTHING!!!!

"STILL SWINGING"

A VERY CONCERNED CITIZEN OF THE PROPOSED ACID ROCK DUMPING GROUND--KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!!! GET THE WORD OUT!!!

Mr. Harriger,

I would like to thank you for your informative website on this acid rock problem........

I am one of the ones who knows that this is a real problem. I live within a mile of the "dump site" and fear for the safety of my family.

We have written letters and pleaded with anyone and everyone to help stop this.

I feel our best bet is Governor Rendell who has not yet answered any of my letters.

Once again, thank you and please continue to help.

Sincerely,

A concerned citizen

To whom it may concern:

My husband and I live along Water Plant Road in Nicktown, Pa, approximately 1 mile from the proposed site to dump acid-rock and fly ash in Pine Township, Indiana County. We are extremely concerned about the health of our two small children. The quality of air and water is bound to be affected by this toxic dumping in our community. We are also concerned about their quality of life. They will have to listen to the sound of dump trucks hauling acid rock and fly ash all day long. The ponds in our back yard where they go fishing are bound to be affected by this environmental hazard. Will there even be any fish in those ponds in 5, 10 years?

We are also concerned about our property value. We built a new home here in 2002. We put alot of time, money, and most importantly, heart and soul, into building a nice home in the middle of the country for our family. We wanted our children to have plenty of room to play outside and to be able to enjoy and appreciate the outdoors. It will be very difficult to teach them about respecting the environment and wildlife with our own state officials trying to destroy it. Please don't destroy our environment! We don't want acid-rock dumping here! Help us protect the health of our children!

S.D.

Nicktown, PA

Thank you so much for the eye opening website. I am gathering information from every source possible and trying to get a 'straight story.' Seems things published from the government agencies leave out important details on a regular basis.

We originally moved to this area in 1997 to realize a life long dream of a rural lifestyle and leaving pollution and city life behind. It has been wonderful to be part of this fine community. This proposal is insanity. We don't want to become the disposal site for Centre County and will fight to prevent this from happening. We have written and emailed everyone concerned and will continue to attend the meetings and voice our concerns.

I can only hope and pray that our banding together to stop this from happening will succeed.

Keep up the good work.

E.

Can Harrisburg Be Trusted?

It was just a few days before the big meeting scheduled at Penns Manor High School that Governor Rendell gave the "order" that PennDOT's proposal be withdrawn so far as transporting the acid rock into Pine Township was concerned. Many felt this meant that the matter was totally "off the table." But in light of RNS Services, Inc. submitting a new application to mix pyritic rock and fly ash at the Mine #24 site in Pine Township, is it not more accurate to say that it has been moved from the front burner to the back burner where it will still be percolating a bit, at least until after the fall election!

As more details are revealed about the PennDOT proposal to haul at least 600,000 to 1,000,000 tons of acid rock material from Centre County and mix it with equal amounts of fly ash from a generating station in Seward PA, it is evident that the whole thing amounts to a conspiracy of the first magnitude!

As the month of February closed out, here are some things that have been brought to light as reported by the media folks who have really started to probe this Texas sized debacle.

    An outfit known as the "I-99 Partners" made up of some business and government representatives has been meeting for about 2 years with focus on what to do about the acid rock problem which was holding up I-99 construction. The "minutes" of the meetings of this bunch has been revealed. As it ended up, the Robindale site in Pine Township was selected to be the Centre County "toilet!" Is it time to say, "I told you so!" -- with a lot of wealth & political clout in Centre County and in the territory of Penn State University, what else could you expect?

    Local officials were never informed about any of this conniving until sometime well into January 2006! Strategy in warfare consists of making sure your enemy or potential enemy doesn't even have a hint as to what you are up to until the very last minute! That way it is virtually impossible for him to rally his troops to put up effective resistance and you can run over him as easily as a steam roller squashing a bug on a highway!

    It has also just been revealed that there may be fly ash hauled from the co-gen plant at Ebensburg in addition to what is hauled out of Seward. Take a look again at the "circus" they have with truck traffic in and around Ebensburg, and at the "killer" intersection at Rt. 219 and Rt. 422! If you didn't see the pics yet, they are at Trip of a Lifetime! (Use reverse feature on your web browser to come back here.)

    PennDOT is now speaking of possibly using Rt. 56 to bring the fly ash from Seward instead of Rt. 403. Look for future pics to be posted about this route which will involve the people of Armagh and the high school of United School District!

    And here is one to really chew on -- guess who is handling the "application" to transport all this acid rock and dump it at the designated Centre County "toilet" in Pine Township? The DEP's regional office in Williamsport which covers Centre County -- as the famous Gomer Pyle would say, "Surprise, surprise, surprise!" Why is the southwest regional office of the DEP not handling this application? After all, it is the office which is responsible for environmental goings on in Indiana and Cambria Counties. But to hear the "explanation" coming out of Williamsport convinces you beyond all doubt that when some of these people die, the undertaker will have to screw them into the ground as one would a corkscrew!

    Another critical question which ties in to PennDOT and ultimately to Harrisburg -- and that is, what will be done about CONSISTENT law enforcement over the lenghty period these hundreds of tri-axles will be hauling acid rock and fly ash? There is a preponderance of evidence that a majority of truck drivers moving through Indiana and Cambria Counties ignore speed limits and stop signs at will -- many are the persons who can testify to this! The PA State Police are rarely if ever seen on Rts. 422 and 403. Local police in Blacklick Township work very limited hours and those are mainly evenings on weekends -- sitting by the brick church in Belsano they may nail a few for speeding, but they won't be trucks in most cases! Seems the PA State Police are more concerned about monitoring traffic on the 4 lanes approaching Indiana or Rt. 219 south toward Johnstown -- both of those areas are such that you can travel more safely at 70 or 75 MPH than you can by traveling posted speed limits of 55 or 45 on the narrow, windy, curvy, dippy roads to be traveled hauling acid rock and fly ash! And if it should be that a police officer is spotted in those areas on a very rare occasion, then the CB network shifts into overdrive and guess what? All our truckers put on their halos and go tip-toeing by like innocent little boys on their way to Sunday School! Harrisburg being what it is and PennDOT being what it is, hopes for real tough and consistent law enforcement of speed and weight limits when and if the hauling begins stand as much chance of becoming a reality as the proverbial snow ball does of surviving in that very hot place you may have heard about somewhere!

    Back to the original question -- can Harrisburg be trusted? Some of us who are older in years have seen the massive deterioration which has taken place in the political system, especially at state and federal levels. Politicians routinely make promises while campaigning which they do not keep -- remember Rendell intensely vowing to reduce property taxes immediately after assuming office and that he would keep the Legislature in session until it was done? Those claiming to represent us make it a perpetual habit to vote themselves pay raises and perk benefits at the midnight hour, and then whine when we become skeptical and cynical! The PA Legislature is recognized as one of the most cumbersome in all 50 states and is in drastic need of reduction by at least 50 per cent if not 60 per cent! On top of this we deal with a high pressure lobbying system and political cronyism in staffing agencies -- little wonder we have highly questionable procedures taking place with the I-99 road project and its accompanying acid rock problem. Is it a "done deal?" Some say, "Yes, it is -- might as well forget it -- it's already in the works!" But some of us will carry on the fight to the end and if it goes through and the trucks start rolling, then it will be protest time of another kind! Ever get a gang of people together and block traffic? Ever take a couple of vehicles and go slowly up the road in front of a truck? And if you get arrested, will you stay in jail and refuse to eat? And if you get enough people you can fill the jail to full and overflowing!

We hope it will never come to such necessary protesting as mentioned in the last 3 questions, but if the trucks begin to roll, then the writer of these statements is willing to participate and pay that kind of price. We still have certain liberties (although they are being taken away more and more by the federal government) which permit us to protest that which is harmful to us and most unjust! But at the same time, we do not condone acts of vandalism or violence done to property and persons in the process of resisting what is obviously a grave injustice being inflicted on residents in Cambria and Indiana Counties which will result in irreparable harm taking place in years to come.

And now, a word of exhortation!

While a possible worst case scenario has been mentioned, there is a "weapon" at our disposal which can be employed to prevent the unpleasantness of confrontation taking place. A number of persons who visit this web site, read the details, and view the photos believe there is a God Who loved this world so much He gave His Son, Jesus, to redeem us from the destruction of sin and make possible a new way of life and hope.

In this experience comes the privilege of prayer which often becomes a "weapon" to be utilized when we are threatened with evil in its many forms. In the Indiana County and Pine Township areas which are attempting to recover from the curse of pollution due to mine drainage, we are now being threatened by the invasion of material which has the potential of causing indescribable damage to 2nd and 3rd generations down the road in the future!

So there is an urgent need to pray against this threat and all who are involved in the attempt to make it a reality in our community! So pray:

  • that God will directly intervene in this crisis.

  • that the WHOLE truth will be revealed as to who was involved in the planning and the execution of that plan (or conspiracy, which seems to be the better term!) to dump massive amounts of acid rock and fly ash in Pine Township.

  • that God will "visit upon the heads" of those involved in this action the "fruit of their doings!" This is a Biblical principle which is verified in Biblical history on many occasions -- it means that God deals directly with those who participate in actions which bring damage and harm to others! The Scripture also speaks of the law of "sowing and reaping" and the fact that God is not mocked! See Galatians 6 in the New Testament.

  • ultimately, the prayer is that the plan to make Pine Township a dumping ground as a result of a fiasco committed in Centre County will be defeated by God's intervention in whatever way He sees fit in His infinite power and wisdom! God reminded His people (the ancient Israelites) many times that the conflicts which they faced were not really their "battles" but God's! There are many victories recorded also as proof that when people call on God for His help in a time of crisis, He does respond in the most amazing ways. A very simple incident, but very powerful, drives the issue home -- remember David and Goliath -- a giant, armed to the teeth, against a fragile shepherd boy with only a sling and a few small stones? The "giant" of Harrisburg, PennDOT, and the DEP can be brought down in this matter and defeated in destructive plans which involve Pine Township and Indiana County -- so PRAY and keep on PRAYING! See Isaiah 41:10 -- a great promise!

  • and also keep this promise in mind -- ".....when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him." (Isaiah 59:19b NKJV).

By Clayton D. Harriger
February 28 & March 1, 2006

Just had to share this "experience" -- one of many of the kind which citizens along Rts. 422, 403, and 271 experience on a daily basis in Indiana and Cambria Counties. This AM on Feb 27, 2006 I was headed to Nanty Glo on Rt. 271 after leaving Rt. 403. Tri-axles were hauling out of Vintondale area and come to a Y at 271 in Twin Rocks as noted in another area of this site. As I approached this Y, a loaded tri-axle approached the stop sign to go south and never slowed up -- he just rushed right through the stop sign as though it never existed! I stuck with him into Nanty Glo and he really cranked it up -- going down grade as he approached the Nanty Glo borough line he hit 60 MPH! This is a 35 MPH zone -- again apologies to our police folks who somehow never seem to be on site when these things happen! This guy was obviously 1 of the 98 per cent group which gives the 2 per cent a bad name -- you know, the 2 per cent of tri-axle drivers who do honor speed and weight limit laws! (by cdh, web servant of this site dealing with the acid rock crisis in Indiana and Cambria Counties).



Rodkey does it one more time, telling it like it is!

T O P

Take me back to Acid Rock, Fly Ash, PennDOT, and DEP - A Deadly Mix in Any Man's Language!

For comments, complaints, or just plain axe-grinding, contact C. D. Harriger by clicking on Penelope, efficient mail hostess of Circuit Rider's Range, and she will set up the email form for you to fill out and send on its way