Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Permit process prompts protesters, approvals

Before a public hearing related

to the air permit for the proposed

Swepco plant could

begin, a group of protestors

gathered on the lawn of the

library at the University of

Arkansas Community College

at Hope. Those protestors then

filed into the meeting with several

of them voicing their objections

to the use of coal in the

electric plant.

More than 250 were in attendance

for that meeting. Based

on those who applauded when

statements in support of the

plant were presented, it seemed

that those in favor of the plant

outnumbered those against.

Fulton Mayor Henry Hale

was among those who spoke for

the plant.

Hale described himself as

educated with a degree in animal

science. Despite that, he

said that he doesnt have the

knowledge to say that the plant

is or is not safe. He said the prudent

thing to do is to allow those

with that level of knowledge to

oversee the process and to

ensure that the public is not

harmed.

Hale said he, and the citizens

of Fulton, are fully in favor of

the plant and urged the Arkansas

Department of Environmental

Quality to grant the permit that

would allow the plant construction

to continue.

Not all were so trusting of

official oversight. One objection

included the fact that officials

are not above changing or hiding

facts from the public.

Mary Boils, a homeowner in

the construction area, said the

problem is that mercury is a

known byproduct of the coalfired

electric production

process. Boils said that once the

plant is in process, its too late

to take back any of the by-products

 including mercury.

Others who spoke out in

favor of the permit included

Hope Mayor Dennis Ramsey

and Arkansas Senator Barbara

Horn.

The purpose of the meeting

was not for an ADEQ decision,

but to allow a period of public

comment on the air permit

request. The permit has been

reworked because of a change

in air quality control guidelines