QUINCY, W.Va. — The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection has approved the air quality permit for a proposed plastic repurposing plant in eastern Kanawha County.
Clean-Seas West Virginia has taken over the old 84 Lumber site along Dupont Ave in Quincy. The Clean-Seas company website said it converts plastic through a process called pyrolysis, breaking down plastic at the covalent bond level, and repurposes it into new plastics, fuels, and industrial chemicals.
The WVDEP held a town hall meeting in Belle last month for residents to learn and ask questions about the plant. DEP and its Division of Air Quality had officials at the meeting to listen to concerns from residents and educate them on the air quality permitting process. During that meeting, officials emphasized that they can’t control which businesses invest in the area, only whether the companies comply with the permitting rules and regulations.
The final permit, in addition to responses to comments that the DEP received, have been added to the agency’s website.
Concerned residents spoke out against the Clean-Seas plant during July’s Kanawha County Commission meeting. People were worried about whether the plant would release emissions and therefore have negative health impacts on the local community.
Nonprofit research and communications center Ohio River Valley Institute released a statement about the DEP’s approval of the air quality permit.
“The state’s approval of this air permit represents a rollback of critical pollution safeguards put in place to keep families and children safe from the most damaging impacts of waste incineration,” Chief of Staff Tom Torres said. “In addition to departing from decades of precedent, the decision also dismisses concerns of local residents and county officials.”
“With this permit, Clean-Seas West Virginia has reached a critical milestone,” Torres added. “However, if its parent company’s past performance and the industry’s track record are any indication, the facility likely faces an uphill climb towards successful commercial operation.”