HomeMy WebLinkAboutC.054.93011_1635 (2)it is in on important watershed for Iredell County, let's look a little bit at the outputs of this process. At a run
rate of 6 million gallons per annum, approximately 12 million lbs. of glycerin and 3 to 6 milliongallons of wash
water will be generated and will need to be stored. These products, especially, the glycerin will be laced with
lye and methanol. Now are these materials and these volumesgoing to be dealt with safely.-' What do the
storage facilities look like? Are they appropriate for volatiles... like methanol, or caustics... like lye?
Steve Ward (opponent): I live on Wilkesboro Highway about a half to three quarters -a -mile from the
proposed plant. I have lived in this area since 1979 Most of you know me, but for the ones that don't, I am a
retired Abrth Carolina State Trooper. I retired with 30 years of trained experience in traffic and accident
investigation. I have been certified in court cases as an expert. The road width in this area, where the
proposed site is going to be, is 8'6 -and this is a one -travel lax. The shoulders range from 3 to 5 feet. There
is an average of 920 vehicles traveling the road a day The last traffic count on this road was done in 2005.
There are five school bus routes on Snow Creek Road. School buses will be traveling this road in the morning
and afternoon. There are school bus stops near the prepared site. When school takes in, the risk of accidents
increases tremendously because of the school traffic which includes parents taking children to school in the
morning, and in the afternoon. School buses also travel this road with numerous inexperienced drivers of school
age. By adding more truck traffic, the risk of accidents increases: If this site goes into full operation, there
will be as many as 20 trucks a day entering this site. Going east on (inaudible) road is a distance first
(inaudible) out of the curve on the proposed driveway is approximately three -hundred feet. If an automobile
driver traveling on Snow Creek Road at 55 mph sees a hazard it takes them 255 feet to stop. This is called a
panic stop. A vehicle traveling 55 mph is crossing 80 feet a minute per second. Two vehiclesgoing in opposite
directions will cover 160 feet per second. A school bus traveling at 45 mph is traveling 66 feet per second and
if it were an automobile it would take 189 feet to stop. Trucks traveling this roodgoing to the site and hauling
animal waste, for grease, will most likely be spilling liquid on the road, especially near the driveway......... are
required to cover ............. the trucks are required to cover the road but you can't keep the smell under the
cover. If a truck wrecks, the spill is multiplied I have been on these wrecks. I know the smell. It is
multiplied twice if it is on the ground, and the cleanup time takes longer. There have been numerous accidents
on Snow Creek Road, and at least two fatalities, at or near, where the proposed driveway is to be.
Jerry Mishoe (opponent): I, and my wife Becky, live at 1044 Snow Creek Road Our property does join the
McLain property. Our upper property line is approximately 500 feet from where the proposed biodiesel site
will be. At any particular time, if you lookout of my family room, our kitchen, our side yard, we have direct view
to this site. We have a view of where the proposed truck entrance will be and where the present one is. I
would like to enter into evidence, if I may, my credentials and I will tell you what they are. I take issue
with what is safe and what is not safe. ram certified by the North Carolina Department of Labor as a
certified MSNA instructor That is Mine Safety Health Administration. ram certified by TTA (Tire Institute
of America) in explosions of contained vessels I'm safety director for a service facility and a trucking division.
Im here tonight not in opposition to a biodiesel facility, but in opposition to rezoning R-20 land to M-2. These
two zoning requirements are at opposite ends of the spectrum. We are 100% for the greening of America. We
are for biodiese/ We are for renewable fuel sources, but only in an approved M-2 industrial site. And I think
these M-2 industrial sites were approved by the commission here and are in the Irede# County Land Use Plan.
There was some talk about the opposition a little earlier when the McLain family, who are friends of mine, and
are neighbors of mine -- when the Lowes Corporation was coming to northern Iredell County, Phil led the
opposition against Lowes Corporation in trying to combat the M-1 zoning. That was an industrial facility.
Inadvertently, it was approved. Mike led the charge in the R-20 zoning which was passed at much displeasure
to the Snow Creek community. I don't understand, once we have the zoning in place, why it needs to be changed
again. As you saw from the slides, this is a residential community. There will be no benefit for myself, or the
property owners there, we will have to subsidize their operation with decreased value of our property. I have
grave concerns for our safety. The safety of our livestock, the safety of our land, and the safety of our water
supply There are three basic chemicals involved in the biodieselproduction They alluded to the MSDS
(Inaudible)T presented to you copies of the MSDS sheets. I take direct opposition as a person with some
expertise in these fields in discussing these chemicals with you Sodium hydroxide, methanol -- methanol is a
highly flammable gas.
Raymond Odom (on behalf of McLain family): I went to school in the great state of Louisiana. T'm a
chemical engineer with over 30 years experience in this business. I've worked alternate fuels in California
trying to make ethanol from sugar beets. I've dealt with methanol over 100s of thousands of gallons stored
(inoudib/e) with the Borden Chemical Gbmpony. It is highly protected by dykes and by fire protection systems
I take offense (inaudible) methane in this process Methane is agar, and there's no methane in this process.
It's preferred catalyst is sodium methoxide -not caustic anymore because (inaudible) actually water. There's no
wash water in this process. If you seethe process flow diagram, it shows an exchange system. There's a lot of
processes out there that use wash water to purify the biodiesel. Mr. McLain will not do that. We willgive him
a system that will have no wash water anywhere in the system. The only water he will have is water from his
cooling system when his vacuum pumps ...... which has to be a pump and houl permit, if he prefers to do it that
way I've been doing this an awful long time and I'll answer any questions There is value added to this. Also,
the methanol is also not agar, it's a liquid