WOOLWICH BIO-EN PUBLIC MEETING JANUARY 29, 2020 IN LION'S HALL AT 7:30 pm.

There are a number of different questions and concerns regarding the significant proposed expansion of Woolwich Bio-En. These include numerous environmental issues as well as health and safety issues for the neighbours. The health and safety issues include not just road safety issues of increased truck traffic but also what kind of emergency plans are in place in case of a disaster? Fires and explosions can always take place when methane gas is involved. Basically this operation is producing methane gas from organic foodstuffs etc. and then the methane gas is burned in order to generate electricity for the power grid.

The environmental issues include odours, air emissions from trucks as well as from the plant itself, possibility of liquid spills either at the site or in transit, increased noise either from more trucks or longer hours of operation etc.. Also obviously any fires would also increase air pollution.

The proposed expansion is just over 50% of the current volumes. The number of trucks allowed is proposed to be doubled. The proposed new waste types to be allowed must also be explicitly advised to residents. The whole idea of allowing the site to become a waste transfer station sounds dubious on its face. Again will only wastes allowed for processing be stored/transferred or will other wastes be permitted? What are those wastes? What are the volumes? Will they be stored indoors or outdoors? Will they simply sit on trucks outdoors?

What guarantees/assurances will nearby residents have that current laws allegedly protecting citizens will be enforced by our paper tiger, the Ontario Ministry of Expanded Corporate Pollution (MECP)?