News Center

MEADVILLE, Pa. – Feb. 1, 2011 – The Center for Economic and Environmental Development (CEED) at Allegheny College will host a panel discussion on Wednesday, Feb. 16, to explore the potential environmental impacts of the tires-to-energy project that Crawford Renewable Energy has proposed implementing in Crawford County.  The discussion will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Ford Memorial Chapel. (Please note that the location has changed from Carr Hall auditorium.)

Speakers will include Conrad Volz, director of the Center for Healthy Environments and Communities and the Environmental Health Risk Assessment Certificate Program at the University of Pittsburgh; Sherrie Mason, associate professor of chemistry and coordinator of the Environmental Sciences Program at SUNY Fredonia; and John K. Baillie, senior attorney with Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future (PennFuture), a public interest organization that advances policies to protect and improve the state’s environment and economy. David Templeton, a graduate of Allegheny College who has covered health and science for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette since 2006, will serve as moderator.

Panelists will share scientific information focused on questions related to the proposed plant, which would produce energy by incinerating scrap tires. Those questions include what will be emitted and the impacts on human health and the environment. The panel also will address whether the fluidized bed technology that will be used at the plant represents the best available technology (BAT) and the best available control technology (BCT), as well as the implications of the Tailoring Rule – a controversial EPA policy that shields small polluters from rigid Clean Air Act permitting requirements – especially as it pertains to greenhouse gas emissions for controls at the proposed plant.

“Our goal is to present a balanced and civil discussion to inform decision-makers and the community on this project,” said CEED director Amara Geffen. “A proposal for a project such as the tires-to-energy plant is bound to evoke strong reactions — both for and against — in a community. We want to give our community a scientific foundation against which to frame and assess the discussion.”

Crawford Renewable Energy has proposed building a $337 million facility in Keystone Regional Industrial Park in Greenwood Township. The plant would produce 90 megawatts of electricity – or enough to power approximately 75,000 homes – by shredding and burning 900 tons of scrap tires a day.

The panel discussion is sponsored by CEED at Allegheny College. For more information, contact ceed@allegheny.edu.

The Center for Economic and Environmental Development engages Allegheny College students, faculty and the community in creating innovative approaches to environmental stewardship, environmental education and regional revitalization.