Note: The following is not a verbatim transcript of the Zoning Hearing Board meeting; it is simply one person’s summary of the major points made by those involved in the hearing process.  For that reason, quotation marks are not used unless a direct quote was recorded.  For information about obtaining an official ZHB transcript, contact the New Hanover Township office.

John Richards, Ph.D., PE President, Air Control Techniques, PC. Mr. Richards is a registered chemical engineer specializing in air pollution control.

The township’s attorney asked a brief series of questions on whether Richards had prepared the air quality report he had been stating from.  He replied that he had not.

Richards answered another set of questions on the size of the proposed plant, saying that it was a small to medium sized plant but with a larger per hour throughput.  The attorney asked if it was common for a plant to be set up to produce 2 million tons/year, but then to scale back to only produce 500,000/tons per year (as the Gibraltar Rock witnesses have claimed this facility will produce).  Richards said it was “unusual.”

Richards also stated that the plant will most likely be a ‘minor source of pollution.’

Upon questioning, Richards admitted that he had only indirectly factored into his conclusions the fact that there will be idling diesel vehicles on the site.  The attorney asked him why air quality diesel emissions were removed from the air quality application.  Richards said he didn’t know.

The attorney asked him why some of his formulae and analysis were missing from his report.  Richards wasn’t able to answer saying he’d have to look them up.  It was stated that someone looking at his report (without these formulae) would not be able to get some of the information, he said that was true.

 When questioned on some of his numbers, he said that he did not have all the data that he would have liked so he used his professional judgment---so some of his findings are based on his judgment not on data.

Zoning board members asked him questions on number of trips into and out of the site.  From this witness it appears that there will be approx. 14 trips/hour or about one every 5 minutes.

Finally, community members asked questions of Richards.  One resident asked him about the silica content and is said that there is very often crystalline silica in the PM 2.5 through PM 10 range.

A member of the Paradise Watchdogs asked Richards how much of the total dust emitted would be in the range of PM 2.5 and PM 10.  Richards stated that 50% would be in the PM 10 and about 7.5 of the remaining 50% in the PM 2.5. 

The Watchdog then continued by asking how far PM 2.5 and PM 10 particles might blow off the property.  Richards said that PM will probably remain on the property, but that the PM 2.5 might dissipate up to miles away. When asked if he knew that there were two elementary schools within ½ mile of the site, he said he did. 

The next GR1 meeting is April 6, 2006.