DHEC has memory block
State agency reps differ on using past violations
Students might not get into college with bad grades and low test scores; job candidates face tough odds if they have criminal records. But it's a different story when it comes to South Carolina's treatment of polluters.
The Post and Courier
Water sprayed on Kinder Morgan's coal pile trickles into this retention pond, where it is filtered and reused to wet the coal, preventing dust. The state Department of Health and Environmental Control is under fire for what have been called lax policies when dealing with repeat pollution violators such as Kinder Morgan.
The state Department of Health and Environmental Control says it doesn't have the authority to deny a permit based on a company's pollution violation record.
This stance infuriates residents and citizens groups who see it as one of many examples of DHEC's toothless approach toward business interests.
Local residents raised the issue in 2007 during a heated meeting over Kinder Morgan's plan to double the volume of coal going through its facility in the Neck Area.
At that meeting, residents and boaters who dock at the nearby Cooper River Marina repeatedly brought up the company's track record.
In Charleston, for instance, DHEC regulators had found thicker-than-allowed dust clouds, broken equipment and missing maintenance records during unannounced inspections.
Elsewhere, a subsidiary of Kinder Morgan Energy Partners agreed this summer to pay a $156,000 fine to settle a U.S. Department of Justice case related to the disposal of potash off the coast of Oregon.
Last year, another subsidiary pleaded no contest to six felony counts in the 2004 "pillar of fire" explosion at a pipeline project in California that killed five people. The company also agreed to pay $15 million in fines and settlement money.
The Post and Courier's on-line center for investigative reporting.Are you ticked off by people who illegally use handicap placards? Want to know which restaurants are making you sick or which gas stations have bad pumps?
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During the meeting about Kinder Morgan's Charleston coal facility, Rhonda Thompson, then the director of environmental services for DHEC's Bureau of Air Quality, told the audience that state law prevents the agency from considering past offenses.
Thom Berry, media relations director for DHEC, said Monday that the agency does take into account a company's history.
"What we cannot do is to deny a permit application based solely on that issue," he said.
Berry said that if the state had "bad boy" legislation, the agency could deny permits based on past records. He said the agency supports such legislation now, and has in the past.
Kinder Morgan said it spent $1.5 million to clean up its coal handling site on the Cooper River, and that it passed two surprise inspections in May.
The company received its permit to expand earlier this month, after a nearly three-year wait.
In a series this week, The State newspaper quoted Sen. Phil Leventis, D-Sumter, as saying DHEC has the authority to examine a company's past pollution record when it applies for a DHEC permit in South Carolina.
"There's something wrong here," Leventis told The State. "Past performance reflects on future behavior. That's not only common sense — it's a responsibility the agency has."
The State's report found that DHEC "falls short in its role as the public's chief protector."
The newspaper cited The Post and Courier's investigation into mercury as another example of DHEC's mediocre handling of public health issues.
The Post and Courier's "Mercury Connection" investigation found that the agency routinely tests thousands of fish a year for mercury but had only tested one person, even though fish in many of the state's rivers have serious mercury contamination problems.
Reach Tony Bartelme at 937-5554 or tbartelme@postandcourier.com. Reach Katy Stech at 937-5549 or kstech@postandcourier.com.
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Comments
zoomru (anonymous) says...
Come ON.............!!
Connect SOME DOTS... !
CAMPAIGN CASH...Beidler FOREST....BIG RAIL....BIG COAL....SANTEE-Cooper.....Nuclear PERMITS.....ROBERT BYRD...JAMES CLYBURN.....HENRY BROWN....JOE WILSON......Lindsey Graham.....OTHER STATES Garbage.....Bees FERRY Landfill.....Permitting of COAL ASH LANDFILLS....WASTE MANAGEMENT......FENNEL CONTAINER....County Council Green Commission.....Incinerator in Neck AREA.....SHipyard Creek Developers......"Promenade" Developer's old ROMNEY LANDFILL.....MAGNOLIA PROJECT......SC-DOT Contractors...MAYOR RILEY......MAYOR SUMMEY....Charleston Regional Development ALLIANCE......MR. BRYAN......MR. Charles ROWE.... !!!!
Kind of like 6 DEGREES of KEVIN BACON!!!!
No wonder the REAL truth is never reported !!! Everyone has their hand in the others back POCKET !!!
Guess WHO PAYS....!!
OUR CHILDREN ...!!
OUR ENVIRONMENT...!
OUR ECONOMY ...!!
NO ONE is doing the RIGHT THING !!!
...and we expect the LORD to bless US more...??
FINE CITIZENS of this FINE state.....WAKE UP !!!! Do you even realize why you SHOULD...????
E N E R G Y ....!!!!! Big Oil and Big Coal versus Energy from OUR trash (DHEC est. 3.5 Million TONS per year), Energy from our Coastal WIND, and ENERGY from ALGAE Bio-Diesel FARMERS !!!!!
Watch this......
http://cc.pubco.net/www.valcent.net/i...
This is a time BOMB waiting to explode .......
..if the PUBLIC was only informed by their NEWSPAPERS and LEADERSHIP !!!!
November 18, 2008 at 2:50 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
zoomru (anonymous) says...
"Kinder Morgan said it spent $1.5 million to clean up its coal handling site on the Cooper River, and that it passed two surprise inspections in May.
The company received its permit to expand earlier this month, after a nearly three-year wait...."
WELL....whoop-de --dooo !! Why would you need to expand if there were NO MORE Coal plants being PLANNED to be permitted!! We have NUCLEAR jobs in Aiken....NOT COAL MINERS !!!! ...from where.. South America ???
The real story is HOW Much Campaign Cash HAS come from Kinder-Morgan in our State and Local Elections ????! Who they KNOW at DHEC ???
The REAL story is OIL and COAL versus Nuclear and ALL other forms of ENERGY !!! ...in addition to the backslappin' Biedler Forest Land Swap, Neck Area track disputes, Shipyard Creek Developers, "Promenade" Landfill developement, Magnolia Project, Mayor RILEY, ....and CHARLES ROWE !!!
WAKE UP ..........
November 18, 2008 at 3:41 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
zoomru (anonymous) says...
Mr. Charles Rowe......yes YOU !
How long did it take YOU to ever buy a cell phone when they first came on the MARKET ?? Did you ever think you would USE one ??
I BET YOU HAVE ONE ...NOW !!!!
These phone companies do a great job of informing the customers of WHY THEY NEED ONE !!!
I highly suggest you and your PAPER start MARKETING all the NEW technology that would benefit OUR Citizens !!!
....just like OUR auto industry has bitten the dust because they are beholden to OIL; OUR state's economy suffers do to the lack of foresight, lack of teamwork, and lack of MORALS.
November 18, 2008 at 3:53 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
NativeSon (anonymous) says...
Don't forget, lack of ETHICS
November 18, 2008 at 4:45 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
moonpie (anonymous) says...
Don't you love it when zoom talks to his self? I know I do... Welcome back and take a pill bro' before you jump timing!
November 18, 2008 at 6:09 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
back2u (anonymous) says...
lol moonpie! I was thinking the same thing. Though I think there are some valid thoughts buried down in the blog somewhere.
November 18, 2008 at 7:04 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
theronce (anonymous) says...
I've kinda grown to like the style...yep, I'll give it an "A" for the style. Some of the ideas might be interesting if they were more cohesive rather than developed over several lines or posts. I'm not that smart and am easily lost.
November 18, 2008 at 7:31 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
LEYH (anonymous) says...
And don't forget, DHEC/OCRM is concidering letting Robert DeMoura of CC&T fill in 4.23 acres of wetlands and develop on 3 sides of the Angel Oak. DNR and The Fish and Wildlife Service wrote letters to DHEC/OCRM saying don't allow this.
Greg Wahl, MS
Stormwater Project Manager
DHEC/OCRM
843-853-0242
Please fax letters to 843-953-0260. They will be put in the Angel Oak file and taken into concideration.
savetheangeloak.org
November 18, 2008 at 8:27 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
guidedbystewart (anonymous) says...
DHEC is a joke, period!
...but I would not expect anything less from this State!
November 18, 2008 at 9:02 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
zoomru (anonymous) says...
Sounds to me like the Wall Street Journal's .."EXPERTS" are close to being in the DHEC TANK !!!
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB12266...
November 18, 2008 at 10:04 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
zoomru (anonymous) says...
Citizen ALERT .....
Waste Management is getting ready to DO what in Cherokee County in OUR... STATE !!
http://www.goupstate.com/article/2008...
Quote...
Included are single-stream recycling, recycling of construction waste and demolition debris, and conversion of methane gas from a disposal site to power
more than 13,000 households.
WHAT ....UH.oh ??!! This is exactly what does NOT NEED TO HAPPEN !! AND did this paper REPORT it..?? NO !!!!
They are tapping the METHANE to keep the Landfill..OPEN!! INSTEAD of Plasma-fying it to SELL the ENERGY back through the POWER GRID !!
Citizens....WAKE UP !!! What do you think they are going to try to do with BEES FERRY and Oakatie !!!!
Landfills are OBSOLETE !!!! Why do you think they want to TAP the METHANE ??!! DO you think they are going to hook up 13K homes to methane....NO!!!!! They are going to give it to a BUSINESS for CHEAP (OR FREE!)...at TAXPAYERS expense!!!
GOOD GOD ...PEOPLE !!!!
THANK YOU ...so ....MUCH ...CHARLES ROWE !!!!!!
November 18, 2008 at 12:24 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
iceman1978 (anonymous) says...
Posted by guidedbystewart on November 18, 2008 at 9:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)
DHEC is a joke, period!
...but I would not expect anything less from this State!
----------
I agree. I think God every day that we have an EPA. If it weren't for that, SC would be a toxic landfill.
We have some very beautiful beaches here. We have wetlands, marshes, barrier islands, and breathtaking scenery. Lately I've been doing some amateur photography with this new camera that I bought. Here are some links to some of my photos taken around the Charleston area.
http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn...
http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn...
I sometimes wonder how much longer we'll be able to enjoy the natural beauty and the unique geography and ecosystem we have before our politicians let developers and polluters destroy it. All in the name of "progress" of course.
November 18, 2008 at 1:10 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
zoomru (anonymous) says...
ALL Right ....who wants to join ME !! Lets get OUR trash and DUMP IT on the State Capitol ...GROUNDS !!!! ALL LANDFILLS SHOULD BE CLOSED IN South Carolina with the Plasma Technology from www.startech.net ......PERIOD !!!! This underwear garbage slurpee is BOGUS !!!!! DHEC....you stink...I don't care WHAT the freakin' LAWS are !!!! Come ON People..... REVOLT !!!!! Are we going to take this backslappin' and winkin' and noddin' ?????? NO !!!!!!!!
November 18, 2008 at 3:02 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mkris (anonymous) says...
Nice photos.
November 18, 2008 at 3:07 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bigwhip (anonymous) says...
DHEC...Don't Help the Environment Co. They are useless. I remember when the road to Raul's Seafood was barely a car wide; now its two lanes. They fill in the marsh little by little.
November 19, 2008 at 11:28 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Tides (anonymous) says...
DHEC is not calling the shots. Big business and lobbyist are.
November 20, 2008 at 2:18 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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