Since the Penn-Mar ethanol plant proposed for Conoy Twp. has left for another county, it has run right into another group of determined ciitizens in Franklin County. Only this time the group includes several attorneys and a well-established citizens' rights group.

Thsi from "Citizens for a Quality Environment"...


ETHANOL PLANT POSES DANGERS

On Monday, Feb. 7, the Letterkenny Industrial Development Authority (LIDA)
Board voted to sell 55 acres in the Cumberland Valley Business Park to
Penn-Mar Ethanol, LLC, to build a plant that will produce 50 million to 60
million gallons of ethanol annually. The land is located in Greene Township,
in the Keystone Opportunity Zone, a part of the land Letterkenny Army Depot
gave to the community through LIDA. Penn-Mar Ethanol will not pay local or
state taxes until 2011.

Penn-Mar had planned to build in Conoy Township, Lancaster County, but the
ethanol plant was strongly opposed by residents there. Luckily for Penn-Mar,
LIDA was/is not aware of the dangers the plant will pose for employees in
the business park, and residents in the neighboring communities. But
fortunately for Chambersburg, the approval process at Greene Township and
the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has not yet begun,
so there is time to prevent this plant from locating in our community.

Why we oppose the ethanol plant:

* The toxic emissions that could escape from the plant are so dangerous
that there will be an immediate evacuation plan for the area within 2.5
miles of the plant.

* The plant will store 8,000 pounds of ammonia, 7,000 gallons of sulfuric
acid, 75,000 gallons of gasoline and as much as 1.8 million gallons of
ethanol, according to a Feb. 7 Public Opinion article. A fire or other
disaster could bring a high death toll.

* Ethanol plants emit a foul and offensive odor that carries miles from
the plant.

* Two-thirds of the corn used would come from the Midwest and Penn-Mar's
partnership of 13 farmers from central Pennsylvania and northern Maryland
will likely supply the rest -- local farmers may not benefit, but could see
the price of their corn decrease due to large amounts of "imported" grain.

* Large amounts of volatile products will be transported to and from the
plant over our roads and through our communities.

Here is what neighbors of ethanol plants in the Midwest say, according to
published reports in newspapers and on Web sites:

* "The technology is great for production of ethanol, (but) does nothing
to protect citizens from their emissions."

* "Symptoms were burning eyes, lungs, and throat, you'd get headaches,
cramps in your sides and feel nauseous."

* "These plants smell and ... might prevent clean businesses from joining
the community."

* "When it hits here, it's like my throat slams shut," (said a) resident
two miles from the ethanol plant in Preston, Minn.

* "It made some of the kids sick, so we'd have to close up the windows to
keep the smell from blowing into the classroom."

The LIDA staff and board members are apparently woefully unaware of the
history and dangers of ethanol plants. Their cart-before-the-horse approach
of visiting other ethanol plants and doing their homework after signing the
agreement of sale is irresponsible. How can they expect to locate desirable
industries or businesses in Cumberland Valley Business Park, near operations
known to pollute and create environmental, fire, and explosion hazards?
Their last fiasco, Warrior Roofing, has generated numerous air quality
violations from the Pennsylvania DEP, and complaints from residents and
business owners up to 2 miles from Cumberland Valley Business Park.

Our association and our members are committed to preventing this undesirable
plant from locating in the Cumberland Valley Business Park. We are
especially concerned with the elderly, children home alone, or at school,
and up to 400 prisoners locked up within the maximum danger zone at the
future prison.

We have just begun the process of informing our neighbors, businesses in and
around Cumberland Valley Business Park, elected officials, the LIDA board
members, about the hazards, the degradation of the quality of life, the
decrease in the value of all of our properties (both residential and
commercial), and the proven dangers to our health that this plant would
bring to the area.

More information is available on our Web site at www.c4aqe.org.

DeEtta Antoun
Director, Citizens for a Quality Environment
P.O. Box 1058
Chambersburg