DEQ: Plant moving too fast

By SUSAN HYLTON World Staff Writer
3/18/2008

A Watts recycling company hasn't obtained needed permits, it says.

WATTS -- A plastics recycling company broke ground last week on a new plant in Watts, but the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality has not signed off on the project.

DEQ officials wrote to Advanced Environmental Recycling Technologies of Springdale, Ark., last week, saying they were concerned that the project was moving forward without the company having obtained all the necessary permits, some of which can take three to six months to get.

The company plans to start construction April 1 and open the plant Oct. 31.

DEQ engineer Carl Parrott wrote to the company that the agency could not issue a construction permit for the project that would connect the facility to the Watts wastewater system without the company's permit applications.

"Moving forward with this project without the necessary permits is certainly at odds with DEQ's mission and is not an acceptable approach," Parrott wrote.

Al Drinkwater, Advanced Environmental Recycling Technologies' senior vice president, issued a statement Monday in which he said that all the paperwork needed for the stormwater construction permit applications would be submitted to the Department of Environmental Quality by the business day's close.

He added that the company "is committed to leaving a small footprint, which includes preserving what part of nature we have and reusing what we can for a greater good."

Ed Brocksmith, a co-founder of the group Save the Illinois River, said his organization is concerned about any type of toxins the plastic containers might have getting into the river.

"We just want to make sure it's done right," he said. "We're not against the plant or recycling."

The company plans to retrofit the old Razorback Farms facility to recycle polyethylene plastic, which is used in making "green" building materials.

The company's water-resistant, outdoor decking and fence systems are sold at several home improvement retailers in the state.

DEQ spokeswoman Skylar McElhaney said the Watts plant does not qualify for an industrial stormwater permit because state law prohibits any additional pollutant into the Illinois River basin, which is designated as an outstanding water resource.

Because of that, the company must to prove that all stormwater associated with industrial activity is retained on site, McElhaney said.

The Cherokee Nation recruited Advanced Environmental Recycling Technologies to this tiny Adair County town of 316 people. The tribe also offered $200,000 to offset costs and planned to help with recruiting and training employees. The state also offered incentives.

Cherokee Nation spokesman Mike Miller said the tribe has no ownership interest and doesn't own the land.

"We anticipate they will fully comply with all regulations," Miller said. "They market themselves as a green company, and I think that's their priority."

The company received an Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Excel lence Award in 1999.

Company spokeswoman Renee Robinson said the facility would be designed for compliance with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design specifications.

LEED certification means that an independent, third-party verifies that a building project is environmentally sound, profitable, and a healthy place for people to live and work, ac cording to the U.S. Green Building Council.

The company has 11 facilities in the U.S. and employs about 700 people.

If the Watts plant is realized, officials plan to employ as many as 265 people there with an average wage of $14 an hour.

Susan Hylton 581-8381
susan.hylton@tulsaworld.com

By SUSAN HYLTON World Staff Writer