I am joining the call for Mary Gade, director of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, to immediately suspend the operating permit for the Robbins Incinerator. Recent reports of more than 600 emissions violations are intolerable.
According to the recent newspaper reports, the incinerator has regularly emitted “excessive levels of dioxin and mercury . . . some IEPA administrators consider these violations to be `significant.’ “
I stand with state Sen. Patrick O’Malley (R-Palos Park) in requesting the Environmental Protection Agency to suspend operations at the Robbins facility.
I would like to see the EPA respond to the public’s feelings, not a possible court ruling. The EPA is an agency funded by our tax dollars and is charged with the duties of protecting our homes, health and environment. The management of this facility has repeatedly shown a disregard for the EPA, its regulators and, most important, the health and safety of our community.
The Robbins facility has been in operation for less than 18 months, but it has repeatedly been cited for leaks, accidents and excessive pollution. If the EPA will shut it down, it will finally send a serious message to the Robbins Incinerator and polluters throughout our state that the well-being of the citizens of Illinois will not be taken for granted.
