EPA draws bead on embattled waste plant

A proposal by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to shut down a hazardous treatment plant was applauded by members of the Gila River Indian Community and environmental activists during a meeting Wednesday night in Chandler.

But some questioned why Romic Environmental Technologies was allowed to continue operating its treatment facility south of Chandler for nearly two decades under a temporary use permit.

“If someone found that you were driving under a temporary driver’s license for that long you’d be arrested,” said Bradley Angel, executive director of Green Action, a San Francisco-based environmental organization.

The EPA is proposing to deny a permanent hazardous treatment license for the facility because the Gila River community wants them off their land. Under federal guidelines, Romic needs the community’s approval because the tribe owns the property.

“I think there’s a lot more awareness about this company and I believe a public consensus emerged out of that,” said David VanDruff, a Gila River community resident.

For the past several months, Romic has taken the initial steps toward shuttering the plant, according to EPA officials. Romic, they said, has sold its business to another treatment company in Phoenix and has not received any new waste shipments since early August.

EPA officials held Wednesday night’s meeting because they are required by law to take public comment. A majority of the nearly 30 people who attended were pleased with the EPA’s decision, but wanted assurances from federal officials that Romic would move out quickly.

“I’m not convinced they’ll be going anywhere soon. They could be around for years to come,” said Cheryl Joaquin, who lives near the plant.

The final decision on the permit won’t be made for a couple of months at the soonest, said Cheryl Nelson, an EPA spokeswoman. However, she said, Romic could appeal and delay the final decision for an indefinite period of time.

During the meeting, there were some in the audience who identified themselves as Romic employees who said unjustified accusations and panic has lead to the closure.

The facility has operated on tribal land since 1975, when it was owned by another hazardous waste treatment company. In 1988, Romic bought the plant that was designed to treat and store hazardous waste such as dry cleaning chemicals, paint thinner and various forms of industrial solvents.

The Romic complex was allowed to operate under a temporary use permit because it was built before 1980 when changes to federal environmental laws were enacted.

Those regulations outlined certain conditions for the Romic site and other waste treatment facilities to follow until the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency could review them for permanent licenses.

It wasn’t until 1996 when the EPA told Romic that its plant needed to apply for a permanent use permit because there were other sites across the country that posed a greater risk to public health, Nelson said.

For the past 11 years, the EPA has worked with Romic on its efforts to obtain a permanent use permit. But ultimately it was denied because the Gila River community refused to sign off on it.

The Tribal Council recently voted to effectively shut down the plant during a summer meeting because of concerns about public health standards and risks to the community.

During the past year, there have been several accidents where potentially dangerous chemicals were released into the air.

The EPA fined the company $70,000 for a incident in December. And two weeks ago, EPA officials said workers at the Romic plant mixed two incompatible chemicals together that caused a small fire.