{"id":5065,"date":"2024-09-10T13:44:35","date_gmt":"2024-09-10T19:44:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/valleywatch.net\/?p=5065"},"modified":"2024-09-10T13:44:35","modified_gmt":"2024-09-10T19:44:35","slug":"east-chicago-hazardous-waste-facility-with-frequent-violations-expands-then-asks-for-permission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/valleywatch.net\/?p=5065","title":{"rendered":"East Chicago hazardous waste facility with frequent violations expands, then asks for permission"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By\u00a0Rebecca Thiele<\/strong>, September 6, 2024 in <\/strong>Indiana Public Media <\/strong> <\/a> Editor’s Note: The Indiana Department of Environmental Management<\/strong> only cares whether an applicant crosses its “Ts” and dots its “Is” so it is hard to tell just what their response will be on a company that ignores the fact that they needed a permit to expand and did not even botch to ask. Probably depends on whether the principals provided campaign cash to the right people.<\/strong> Not sure their past violations will mean much to<\/strong> IDEM.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tradebe Treatment and Recycling, LLC has asked the state’s permission to expand its operations. (Google Maps) <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Residents of East Chicago\u2019s Calumet neighborhood are concerned about a hazardous waste facility\u2019s plans to expand. Attorneys representing the East Chicago Calumet Coalition\u2013Community Advisory Group said the state isn\u2019t doing enough to enforce environmental laws and keep residents safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark Templeton directs the Abrams Environmental Law Clinic at the University of Chicago Law School. He said Tradebe Treatment and Recycling, LLC has had hundreds of permit violations within the past five years \u2014 often the same ones. Things like open or leaking hazardous waste containers, improper labeling and unsafe storage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Templeton said not only has the Indiana Department of Environmental Management failed to make sure Tradebe follows the law, it\u2019s let the company do things without getting state approval first. In fact, he said Tradebe has already expanded its operations<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIDEM is catching up with what the company had been doing in practice already. That’s not how environmental regulation is supposed to work,<\/sub>\u201d Templeton said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the past, Tradebe has said problems that came out of the pandemic created a backlog of hazardous waste \u2014 forcing incinerators to hold on to it longer than what\u2019s allowed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tradebe also recently asked to modify its air permit to accommodate a shredding machine it already has. Templeton said this machine can put out particle pollution \u2014 which can harm your heart and lungs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Templeton also has concerns about how the company is using its thermal desorption units \u2014 equipment that\u2019s supposed to use heat to remove toxic chemicals from material in the recycling process. He said Tradebe hasn\u2019t properly proved that there\u2019s no oxygen in the process \u2014 which means the company could be incinerating the waste instead, putting unknown hazardous chemicals into the air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Resident Akeeshea Daniels co-chairs the East Chicago Calumet Coalition\u2013Community Advisory Group. She said residents often aren\u2019t told what goes on at facilities like Tradebe and local and state officials don\u2019t seem to care. Meanwhile, people living nearby continue to suffer from things like asthma and cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey’re still letting people buy homes in this area, still letting people move into this area. These people have no clue what they’re moving into \u2014 and some of these people are young and they have young children,” Daniels said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among other things, the ECCC-CAG wants to have air monitors installed around Tradebe’s perimeter, for IDEM to respond within three hours of a report about odors or fumes coming from the facility, and for IDEM to set up a satellite office in East Chicago, Hammond or Whiting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

IDEM refused to make someone available for an interview and says that it might take previous violations into account when adjusting a company\u2019s permit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

READ MORE: East Chicago residents, U.S. EPA raise concerns over plans to expand hazardous waste facility<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Join the conversation and sign up for the Indiana Two-Way. Text “Indiana” to 765-275-1120. Your comments and questions in response to our weekly text help us find the answers you need on climate solutions and climate change at <\/em>ipbs.org\/climatequestions<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The agency is holding both a public meeting and a public hearing on Tuesday night starting at 6:15 p.m. Central at the Pastrick branch of the East Chicago Public Library.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Richard Bamberger, a spokesperson for Tradebe, said in a statement the company looks forward to educating the public about the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis new building will make the facility more efficient, improve the workplace for Tradebe employees, present an attractive appearance for the surrounding area, and create hundreds of direct and indirect jobs including many from the East Chicago area,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The public has until September 23 to comment on Tradebe’s hazardous waste permit. You can send questions or comments to Paula Bansch at IDEM at (317) 232-3243, pbansch@idem.in.gov, or by mail to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indiana Department of Environmental Management
Office of Land Quality
Hazardous Waste Permit Section
IGCN 1101
100 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46204<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rebecca is our energy and environment reporter. Contact her at <\/em>rthiele@iu.edu<\/em><\/a> or follow her on Twitter at <\/em>@beckythiele<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0Rebecca Thiele, September 6, 2024 in Indiana Public Media Editor’s Note: The Indiana Department of Environmental Management only cares whether an applicant crosses its “Ts” and dots its “Is” so it is hard to tell just what their response will … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5065","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/valleywatch.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5065","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/valleywatch.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/valleywatch.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/valleywatch.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/valleywatch.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5065"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/valleywatch.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5065\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5067,"href":"http:\/\/valleywatch.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5065\/revisions\/5067"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/valleywatch.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5065"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/valleywatch.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5065"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/valleywatch.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5065"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}