COM 1062.014 2006-2008 - Laserfiche WebLink

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TO: Hawaii County Council y s " FROM: Amy Evans and Curtis Malia 2008 MR 25 Aft 11 01 56 Terrace Drive Hilo, HI96720 (808) 961-5693 COIIN'! v.A'~ SUBJECT: Proposed Wheelabrator Incineration facility in Hilo DATE: March 25, 2006 (6 p.m. Council meeting) We are writing to express our strong opposition to building a Wheelabrator in Hilo. We believe that building this facility would be a horrible mistake and a financial disaster. Far too expensive: We are in an economic downturn and we should be seeking the most cost- effective way to handle our waste, certainly not the most expensive. This is definitely the wrong time to be making a long-term financial commitment. It is just bad business to commit to a contract of twenty-plus years when the economy is not stable. We should not put our children and grandchildren in debt for this thing. Outdated technology: Technology advances at an ever-increasing speed. It would be foolish to commit to today's technology for twenty-plus years into our future. The one thing we can be certain of in twenty years is that today's technology will be outmoded, outdated, expensive and inefficient. Decreased air quality: Incinerators are not clean; they spew poisons into the air. They also create tons of toxic ash as a byproduct. The proposed Wheelabrator site is within a few miles of two of the State's top polluters: Helco's Hilo and Helco's Keaau Generating Stations. On top of that, Hilo is less than 40 miles from the active volcano vents. We should be doing everything in our power to clean up the air, not pollute it more. A real eyesore Each copy of this testimony includes a picture of a Wheelabrator facility. These huge, ugly factories are not compatible with the natural and unique beauty of our home. A facility such as one of these would dominate the landscape and its presence would be entirely counterproductive to the future we have all worked so hard to envision. Comm. No. /V 41s/ Ref. To: 1&94eat~d FG Ref. Date