DHEC to study Neck Area air
State Ports Authority to pay for pollution monitor
The air in the Charleston Neck Area already is heavy with industrial pollution. And the problem will grow worse when ships begin using a container terminal that will open on the former Charleston Naval Base in 2013.
The state Department of Health and Environmental Control, with funding from the State Ports Authority, plans to place a long-term air monitor near the site of the new terminal. The monitor will measure pollution before and after the terminal opens, said Scott Reynolds, DHEC's director of the division of air quality programs. It will gauge the impact of the port expansion on air quality in the surrounding Charleston and North Charleston neighborhoods.
The monitor "will provide a reference point in an area that will see a lot of changes in the next five to 10 years," Reynolds said.
The new terminal will bring pollution from ships and from increased truck traffic, he said.
DHEC now needs to find the right spot to place the monitor, he said.
In the next two weeks, he said, the agency will place five 2-foot-tall temporary monitors in different locations in neighborhoods in the Neck Area. It will gather data from the temporary monitors for two months and use that information to determine where to best place the long-term monitor, he said.
Byron Miller, director of public relations for the SPA, said the authority last March agreed to pay $180,000 for the installation of a "special purpose monitor" to be placed near the site nine to 15 months before the opening of the new terminal.
DHEC later asked if the SPA would consider paying for the monitor earlier, he said. And the SPA agreed to consider it.
"We recognize we are part of air quality in Charleston," he said. "And we want to do our part to help."
Nancy Vinson, program director for the Coastal Conservation League, questioned the wisdom of investing a lot of time and money in gathering baseline data. Studies show that ports pump out a lot of pollution and people who live near them suffer higher rates of asthma, heart disease and stroke, she said.
DHEC could simply monitor the Wando Terminal, which is already fully functioning, she said. It could use that data to determine how to best proceed with air-quality issues, she said.
"I don't think anybody should have to breath highly toxic air," she said.
But North Charleston City Councilman Michael Brown, chairman of the Lowcountry Alliance for Model Communities, said he thinks gathering the data is a good idea because people need more information about air quality. Residents of the Neck really don't know what's in the air they breath every day, he said.
Reach Diane Knich at 937-5491 or dknich@post andcourier.com.
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Comments
moonpie (anonymous) says...
Oh your going into the "neck" area don't forget to include little Jimmy! He gets pissed and pulls that race card if you don't!
July 23, 2008 at 6:37 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
HighDef (anonymous) says...
early- i agree that our roads can't handle more trucks but I'll take that bet about seeing across the harbor ! I hope all that pollution doesn't blow over Daniel Island...oh yeah thats why the new port moved across the river.
July 23, 2008 at 8:28 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
zoomru (anonymous) says...
Wholly Summey........
"..Byron Miller, director of public relations for the SPA, said the authority last March agreed to pay $180,000 for the installation of a "special purpose monitor" to be placed near the site nine to 15 months before the opening of the new terminal. "
"Special Purpose" for 180K....it better act as peninsula AIR FRESHENER for that JACK!! Byron..who are you paying OFF?? We have smoke detectors at Walmart and LOWES for 12 to 40 dollars?? We cant get some whiz bang southern mechanics to modify one of these for 10K?? This is NUTS??!! Byron....do you serve on some school board TOO!!
"..DHEC later asked if the SPA would consider paying for the monitor earlier, he said. And the SPA agreed to consider it..."
What? Sounds like the SPA is ABOVE THE LAW! DHEC your the sheriff of OUR environment..start acting like it! The SPA doesn't consider ..CRAP! They follow the LAW and then some!
"We recognize we are part of air quality in Charleston," he said. "And we want to do our part to help."
Byron..we recognize clearly what shipping and the myriad of support entities means to the overall economy of OUR lowcountry. We welcome all business; BUT it will be done the RIGHT WAY; with all possible contingencies taken into consideration. Your grandchildren's livelyhood and quality of life depends on it...buck-a-roo!
BYRON...if everyone is SO concerned about the air quality of the NECK AREA; then I highly suggest YOU...yes you go to www.startech.net and read and learn. Look in the press releases where these machines are being installed. If YOUR so concerned about Neck Area air quality then you realize that the incinerator should be closed along with the Bees Ferry landfill ..FOREVER. Are you going to stand by and let Montenay sign a 20 year pollution aggreement to payoff local officials to fund their re-election campaigns? ARE YOU?? The Plasma machines have ZERO emissions BYRON...ZERO!
BYRON....ARE YOU A LEADER OF OUR COMMUNITY? ARE YOU?
PICK UP THE PHONE AND STOP PAYING OFF!!!
July 23, 2008 at 9:13 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
panasonic (anonymous) says...
If you want to kill Charleston, get rid of the port. The city would be nothing if not for the port. There are thousands of jobs directly and indirectly attributed to the port in the tri-county area.
July 23, 2008 at 9:37 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
zoomru (anonymous) says...
BYRON.........
I'm not through with you yet...RECRUIT!
While you are on the phone; teleconference in MAYOR RILEY AND SUMMEY AND SC SENATOR McCONNELL, SC SENATOR BOBBY HARREL, CEOs OF SCE&G and SANTEE "SANDANISTA" COOPER, COUNTY COUNCIL TIM SCOTT AND THE LOT and RICHARD TODD of the "MORNING BUZZ", and lets not forget ol' ARTHUR RAVENEL!!!!
YOU BYRON... NEED TO SHOW SOME TEAMWORK and remind all OUR officials what is at STAKE! ALL! This Blatant raping of the taxpayers has got to STOP....NOW! We all know we have the technology today to solve our air qulity and landfill issues.....period!
Byron ...this is what you tell OUR leaders...
"Local officials and listeners of the lowcountry, My name is Byron with the SPA here and I've called you all to inform you that no matter how much money is spent to monitor air in the neck area; it is evident that the SOLUTION involves an integrated chain of events that need to happen. I'm not going into every link of the chain here today; but we all know that both terminal services and the waste disposal delimma that face our lowcountry area needs to work hand in hand to greatly reduce its impact to the environment. The SPA is firmly committed to following ALL DHEC priorities and procedures and above all stepping forward to publicly state that our impacts goes hand in hand with the CLOSURE of the incinerator and landfill in our tri-county area. We respect the people of the NECK area and the entire LOWCOUNTRY. We all recognize as leaders WE must put citizens and taxpayers concerns first above politics and BOTTOM LINE!! The SPA stands by MONTENAY and its workers and will make every "TEAMING" effort to ensure all entities concerns are met through this "TRASH" and "AIR QUALITY" transition. Ladies and Gentlemen...this is a new dawn of partnership and teaming here in the lowcountry to embrace NEW technology to solve multiple issue simultaneously! Thank you for your time ..and please read your POST and Courier for complete layout, ramification, schedule, and DETAILS. THANK YOU for your time!..."
Byron...I know you can DO THIS!!!
July 23, 2008 at 9:41 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
panasonic (anonymous) says...
zoomru, What did the port do to you?
July 23, 2008 at 9:48 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Rebel_Yell (anonymous) says...
Why do a $180,000 study on neck area hair? People get it due to genetics, not from pollution after going to Diamonds for a steak and a table dance.
July 23, 2008 at 11:48 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
wjhamilton3 (anonymous) says...
We're already borderline on air quality in North Charleston. If the port puts the area over the EPA limits, federal funds for road construction will be limited or cut off. The 300 million dollar upgrade for new lanes on I26 will probably be completely absorved by the new truck traffic.
The SPA isn't even making an effort to plan really effective railroad connections for this terminal. They prefer trucks, and dismiss the railroad as being unimportant or even a bad idea.
Oddly, the Port of Los Angeles doesn't feel that way and just finished a massive railroad upgrade. They're arguing that you can ship plastic junk from China to LA and then run it across the country by rail cheaper than you can ship it to the East Coast. They spent hundreds of millions of dollars on massive rail projects that run righ to the docks and marshalling yards in LA.
Of course, it just possible we would be better off making our own plastic junk instead of buying it from the Chinese with borrowed money. Every container coming into our port is a nail in the coffin of our economy.
July 23, 2008 at 11:49 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
suec (anonymous) says...
If you live in the neck area, pollution is the least of your problems. I'd be more worried about a bullet flying through my window or wall.
July 23, 2008 at 3:12 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
moonpie (anonymous) says...
Nice one SUEC and very true! Get out while you can!
July 23, 2008 at 8:53 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Zod (anonymous) says...
Did anyone pick up the driving force behind this story? It's not the people of the neck area. They are pawns. The driving force behind the story is the Coastal Communist League. This is just another attempt to kill the port.
July 23, 2008 at 9:56 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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