Bethel asks city to act before Baxter site reboot

Presenter: During public comment Sept. 8, the City Council is asked to protect West Eugene residents, just in case someone buys the old J.H. Baxter site.  Here’s Active Bethel Community co-Chair Lin Woodrich:

Lin Woodrich (Active Bethel Community): My name is Lin Woodrich. I’m speaking for the Active Bethel Community board. I sent you the link to a horrifying story about Stella-Jones purchasing the Superfund site in Sheridan, Oregon, and starting up the same polluting business.

[00:00:28] I urge you to read it because you as our elected officials should help us avoid a similar fate in Eugene. I would also like our city manager to read it. I managed to print out three 21-page copies that I will leave for you.

[00:00:41] EPA allowed the new buyer to use the same toxic chemicals Stella-Jones had used, including pentachlorophenol, which resulted in renewed poisonous emissions into the surrounding neighborhoods. We should ensure we prevent any such calamity in Eugene.

[00:00:56] The EPA will be having a public comment period during the decision-making process about reuse of the site, and many people have expressed a desire to have productive use that benefits the community, including a renewable energy source such as a solar panel array.

[00:01:11] It is critical that the public health standards be finalized soon so that the community is able to benefit and public health will not be harmed prior to Georgia Baxter selling the J.H. Baxter site to another polluting business.

[00:01:24] As EPA says, who can make a difference is lawmakers. Call and email your representatives asking them to allow EPA more weight in reuse decisions. EPA and DEQ can only regulate what they’re given authority to. Even city zoning laws make a big difference in what is allowed in reuse.

[00:01:42] To speed things along, I like the suggestion that (Ward 7) Councilor (Lyndsie) Leech made of narrowing the descriptions of the zone designations. The City Council could accomplish this right away.

[00:01:51] The narrower zone verification requests would give the planners a way to deny the most hazardous businesses. Then maybe we could have had the legal basis to deny the fuel tank farm in the Trainsong neighborhood.

[00:02:03] Putting protective zoning in place would have helped strengthen the city’s position regarding the biofuels train-to-truck distribution center before the company took the city to the Land Use Board of Appeals. Thank you.

[00:02:15] Presenter: Lin Woodrich speaks on behalf of Active Bethel Community and again asks the city to take action to keep toxic chemicals away from established neighborhoods.