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WIN Waste Responds to Herald Article About Peekskill Incinerator

To the Editor:

We want to share some thoughts in response to the Oct. 8 Peekskill Herald Event Feature about the Westchester Alliance for Sustainable Solutions (WASS)/Zero Waste Working Group event scheduled for Oct. 15 outside our WIN Waste plant (“Peekskill Incinerator Walk and Community Potluck: Exploring Waste Management“). While we’re not asking you to NOT post their event, we’re asking that the content be accurate and with context your expertise as reporters provide. 

We’re also not trying to guide people’s opinions of the facilities, but we are asking to present facts.  The Herald printing unvetted information about the site even within their announcement is counter to giving people the data and context to make their own decision about WASS and the facility. 

Please see the below information regarding their claims, and we again, ask that you consider the source of the opinion as opposed to the regulatory data from the public expert agency within the DEC.

[Ed. Note: the boldface passages below are taken from the article]

The column of smoke… 

• There is no smoke coming from the stack as that would be a violation of our strict opacity permit. The visual component is water vapor. While there are emissions from the stack, they are regulated strictly through the DEC.
  [Ed. Note: the photo of smoke was selected by the Herald, not provided by WASS]
  

The facility has been operating with an expired air permit since 2021…

• The WIN Waste facility is operating in full accordance with New York State law, which states that we may continue operations under a permit shield while our Title V operating permit renewal is under review by the agency. We were not delayed or negligent on any of the submissions required for the Title V renewal. In fact, the Title V renewal will reduce our NOx emissions once through the process.

…and continues to emit carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, heavy metals, particulate matter, greenhouse gases, and volatile organic compounds.

• Modern waste-to-energy facilities like Wheelabrator Westchester generate renewable energy safely. Wheelabrator Westchester emits less than what both the federal EPA and the even stricter State of New York standards allow. An air quality impact analysis conducted as part of Wheelabrator’s Title V permitting process demonstrated that the Wheelabrator Westchester facility’s levels are significantly below the air quality levels set by the state to protect human health and the environment. The analysis also revealed that the impacts of greenhouse gas co-pollutants on disadvantaged communities, including the City of Peekskill, are significantly below N.Y. DEC guidelines, with the average impact being less than 0.5% of state air quality standards. 

Not only does Wheelabrator Westchester continuously achieve emission levels well below state and federal ceilings, its operations actually reduce greenhouse gas emissions by diverting waste from landfills, which produce methane, a greenhouse gas that has a global warming potential of more than 80 times that of carbon dioxide in its first 20 years. By processing post-recycled waste into renewable energy, WIN Waste diverts millions of tons of trash from landfills, eliminating vast amounts of future greenhouse gas emissions. The U.S. EPA recognizes waste-to-energy as the preferred method for end-disposal.

It is one of the largest industrial polluters in the county of each of these substances,” said Travis Carpenter, spokesperson for WASS.

• The WIN Waste facility is one of the only industrial operations left in Westchester County. That is why it appears as “highest emitting” when looking at single sources but ignoring the cumulative impact of smaller sources like traffic related air pollution is significant since there are more than 35,000 cars that travel route 9 alone each day.  

“Compared to other Westchester municipalities, Peekskill residents suffer abnormally high rates of asthma, COPD, and other respiratory issues which can be linked to these emissions and are exacerbated by them.”

• Air pollution and its effects on human health is something all of us should be concerned about, but attempting to draw a correlation between Wheelabrator Westchester and pollution is misleading and draws attention away from the actual source of most pollution in the region — vehicle emissions. Most of the Hudson River Valley’s air pollution, like other areas of the Northeast, comes from motor vehicles — the Briarcliff-Peekskill Parkway (Route 9) alone serves about 35,000 vehicles per day.[1]Waste-to-energy is not part of our country’s pollution problem; it is part of the solution. 

In 2021, a report —referenced by WASS spokesperson Travis Carpenter— documented that Peekskill was the community most affected by incinerator-related pollution, with asthma rates above the Westchester average and a sustained record of citizen complaints.

• Numerous health risk assessments in the United States and globally have consistently demonstrated that well‑operated waste-to-energy facilities have no adverse impact on the environment or human health — even among the most at-risk groups. See, for example, “The Scientific Truth About Waste to Energy,” which shows the results of an exhaustive scientific review of global waste-to-energy operations and environmental impacts. This report and many others are free and available on the City College of New York website at ccnyeec.org. 

Carpenter said WASS believes the challenge lies not only in waste management but also in policy inertia. “Peekskill is affected by the county’s decision to rely on the incinerator for solid waste disposal, and it will take the county government establishing Zero Waste practices to end this reliance,” he said. 

• Waste reduction is critical, and we laud ongoing efforts to decrease the amount of materials entering the waste stream. New Yorkers are producing 40+ million tons of waste each year, more than ever before, and despite the state’s leadership in recycling, New York is still generating more unrecyclable trash than its disposal infrastructure can handle, a trend that is expected to continue. Efforts to reach net zero waste are smart and well-intentioned, but reaching net zero waste will take many decades. In the meantime, waste-to-energy is a safe and sustainable method for reducing waste and greenhouse gas emissions. 

Mary Urban
Baltimore, Md.
Sr. Director of Communications & Community
WIN Waste Innovations

Make Your Voice Heard: Register to Vote by October 20

To the Editor:

The last day to register to vote or to change your address for the upcoming elections is October 20.

Here in Peekskill, a city of more than 25,000 residents, only about 4,000 people vote in our local elections. That means every single vote truly matters. Local elections determine who represents us on issues that affect our daily lives – public safety, affordability, development, and the quality of our neighborhoods.

As a candidate for City Council, I can spend all day in front of the supermarket and meet dozens of people but too often, not one voter. Please take a few minutes to make sure your voice is heard.

It’s easier than ever: in New York State, you can now register to vote or update your voting address online at ny.gov/services/register-vote.

Our community is stronger when more of us participate. Let’s make sure every voice in Peekskill counts this Election Day.

Darren Rigger
Peekskill, N.Y. 

Lawler Should Act Like the Moderate He Claims to Be

To the Editor:

After reading the recent newsletter from Representative Mike Lawler, I feel compelled to point out that the budget bill he is so proud to have supported will end Affordable Care Act subsidies and cause millions of Americans (many of them Lawler’s own constituents) to lose their health insurance coverage. The bill also does next to nothing to fight the skyrocketing premiums the rest of us are paying.

Mr. Lawler claims to be a moderate Republican, but he supports his party leadership’s refusal to enter bi-partisan negotiations on the bill to keep the Federal government open. Democrats are demanding that the bill restore funding to the Affordable Care Act, a position favored by large majorities of U.S. citizens.

Mr. Lawler has also failed to speak out about lies that some of his fellow Republicans are telling about the ACA giving “illegal aliens” free health insurance coverage. The allegation is false, and Rep. Lawler knows it.

I wish Mike Lawler would stop trying to have it both ways. He should move away from MAGA and be the “moderate” he claims to be. 

Maria Modica-Snow
Peekskill, N.Y.