‘Out of control’: #LithiumBattery energy storage site catches fire in #California, forcing mass evacuation, reports say

Published: Jan. 17, 2025

"A major fire erupted at a battery energy storage site (BESS) in California on Thursday, forcing a mass evacuation and a call for residents in neighboring towns to shut their windows and stay indoors to avoid the #ToxicSmoke, according to recent reports."

https://www.silive.com/news/2025/01/out-of-control-battery-energy-storage-site-catches-fire-in-california-forcing-mass-evacuation-reports-say.html
#MontereyCalifornia #LithiumFire #Airquality #ToxicAir #MossLandingPowerPlant #MossLanding #BESSFires

While on the subject of #landfills and #TrashFires...

Exponential Landfill Expansion Proposal MustTake Into Account #EnvironmentalJustice

Josh Woodbury July 25, 2024

"#CasellaWasteSystems has applied for an expansion of the Juniper Ridge Landfill that could more than double its size. Under law, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection must determine whether an expansion has 'public benefit.' They also must consider Environmental Justice when looking at the industrial facility’s impact on surrounding communities, including the #PenobscotNation. The #MEDEP will make a decision by August 23rd. Public comments are currently being accepted. [I'll have to look into what the decision was]

"After a hard fought push back from area residents, including members of the Penobscot Nation, the DEP is now required to consider 'Environmental Justice' when making a determination about whether a landfill expansion meets the 'Public Benefit' criteria. The DEP will decide if the criteria is met next month.

"Juniper Ridge landfill is located in West Old Town, and is situated between #PushawStream and #BirchStream that both flow into the #PenobscotRiver. The landfill’s leachate waste is trucked to the now #NineDragonsMill in #OldTownMaine, where it receives treatment [sic] and is released into the Penobscot River, directly below the Penobscot Nation.

"In current solid waste law, the DEP has defined Environmental Justice as, '…the right to be protected from environmental pollution and live in and enjoy a clean and healthful #environment, regardless of ancestry, class, disability, ethnicity, income, national origin or religion.

"Environmental justice includes the equal protection and meaningful involvement of all people with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of waste management laws, regulations, and licensing decisions.

"The Penobscot Nation has experienced environmental impacts from the Juniper Ridge Landfill including odors, a toxic fire in 2023, and the discharging of minimally treated leachate, which includes #PFAS, into the #PenobscotRiver sustenance fishing waters.

"Juniper Ridge Landfill still accepts out of state waste after Casella lobbied for a postponement of recently passed restrictions."

https://www.sunlightmediacollective.org/exponential-landfill-expansion-proposal-musttake-into-account-environmental-justice/

#SunlightMediaCollective #JuniperRidgeLandfill #Casella #MaineNews #Maine #ToxicSmoke #ToxicFire #WaterIsLife #WabanakiAlliance #KathyPaul #DontWasteME #Slingshot #ConservationLawFoundation

In between #OldTownMaine and #SearsportMaine is #OrringtonMaine -- famous for its HUGE pile of trash and trash "plant" that has plagued the area for years...! And sure, human residents can stay indoors, but what about all the denizens who live outdoors! smh...

Massive fire is just the latest setback for troubled Orrington trash plant

"The past six years haven’t been kind to the trash incinerator along the #PenobscotRiver in Orrington.

"On Tuesday night, a massive fire broke out at #EaglePointEnergyCenter, formerly known as #PenobscotEnergyRecoveryCo. Orrington’s assistant fire chief, Chad Bean, said early Wednesday morning that the blaze has been contained, but it will likely take several days to fully extinguish.

"That’s in part because firefighters, who came from as far away as Levant and Eddington, have been unable to safely enter the 200-by-400-foot building where the blaze is burning on the tipping floor.

"In the meantime, Orrington and #HampdenMaine residents have been advised to keep their windows closed because of the significant smoke given off by the fire.

"While a cause isn’t yet known, the facility’s owners said #LithiumIon batteries likely sparked the conflagration."

Read more:
https://www.bangordailynews.com/2024/10/02/bangor/bangor-business/orrington-maine-perc-eagle-point-energy-center-history/

#Maine #MaineNews #TrashFire #ToxicAir #Pollution #LithiumBatteries #LithiumFires #ToxicSmoke

#EPA data make it hard to know the extent of the #contamination from last year’s #Ohio #derailment

By JOSH FUNK - Associated Press
September 24, 2024

"The way the Environmental Protection Agency has reported its test results since the disastrous East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment last year makes it hard for residents to know the full extent of the contamination they have been exposed to that they worry could increase their risk of cancer. A new Associated Press analysis of data from the agency — along with results from #NorfolkSouthern’s contractors who are carrying out the cleanup and independent testers in East Palestine — raise questions about whether the EPA is disclosing everything it knows. The agency’s lack of transparency, combined with independent tests that appear to show lingering problem areas in town, are making it hard for some residents to trust the EPA."

Source:
https://www.wnky.com/i/epa-data-make-it-hard-to-know-the-extent-of-the-contamination-from-last-years-ohio-derailment/

#EastPalestine #EastPalestineOhio #ToxicSmoke #Contamination #Environment #ChemicalIndustries #ToxicWaste #TrainSafety #Polluters #HazardousChemicals

#NorfolkSouthern reaches $600 million settlement to settle #EastPalestine #derailment suit

By David Goldman, CNN
April 9, 2024

New York CNN — "Norfolk Southern has reached a $600 million settlement that, if approved by a court, will resolve all lawsuits covering thousands of residents within 20 miles of the 2023 #EastPalestineOhio, derailment that spilled more than a million pounds of #hazardous #chemicals into the soil, water and air.

"The rail company said the settlement is intended to offset costs related to the spill that sent a plume of #ToxicSmoke into the air and displaced many residents and businesses. But Norfolk Southern didn’t admit to any liability or wrongdoing as a result of the settlement.

"'Individuals and businesses will be able to use compensation from the settlement in any manner they see fit to address potential adverse impacts from the derailment,' the company said in a statement. 'This could include healthcare needs and medical monitoring, property restoration and diminution, and compensation for any net business loss.'

"The settlement of the class-action lawsuit, which subsumed 31 separate cases, also allows residents within 10 miles of the derailment to receive additional compensation.

"In a court filing Tuesday, the plaintiffs said they expected to file a motion for the judge to approve the settlement within 10 days. Attorneys representing the claimants said they hope to make the claims process easy and efficient and to begin sending out payments by the end of 2024.

"'We believe this is a fair, reasonable and adequate result for the community on a number of levels, not the least of which is the speed of the resolution, and the overall amount of the awards residents can expect, which will be significant for those most impacted by the derailment,' said Seth Katz of Burg Simpson Eldredge Hersh & Jardine, M. Elizabeth Graham of Grant & Eisenhofer, Jayne Conroy of Simmons Hanly Conroy and T. Michael Morgan of Morgan & Morgan, in a combined statement.

"Following the February 3, 2023, Norfolk Southern freight train derailment, residents were ordered to evacuate temporarily. State and federal environmental officials say testing shows the air and water in the town is now safe, but some residents still complain of health problems, including burning sensations in their eyes, tingling in their lips, heaviness in their chest and swelling of lymph nodes in their necks and groins."

Read more:
https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/09/investing/norfolk-southern-settlement/index.html

The latest Schnitzer Steel recycling plant fire is under control, but not before blanketing the Bay Area with acrid, possibly toxic, smoke. Air quality suffered greatly during the fire, but no Spare the Air alert was called.

https://alamedapost.com/news/schnitzer-fire-under-control/

#alameda #AlamedaFireDepartment #fire #oakland #OaklandEstuary #OaklandFireDepartment #RadiusRecycling #SanFranciscoFireDepartment #SchnitzerSteelRecyclingPlant #ToxicSmoke