New Report: Despite "Green" Claims, Incinerator Industry Just Blowing Smoke

Providence, RI - Environmental groups gathered at the State House today to release findings from a new report, An Industry Blowing Smoke: 10 Reasons Why Gasification, Pyrolysis & Plasma Incineration are Not "Green Solutions" revealing that new incineration technologies are no better than conventional trash-burning. The report cites consultant reviews, government studies and scientific literature concluding that despite industry claims of advanced pollution control technology, the impacts of incinerating waste remain the same: it is toxic to public health, harmful to the economy, environment and climate, and undermine recycling and waste reduction programs. Clean Water Action, Toxics Action Center, Conservation Law Foundation and other groups stood with Lt. Governor Elizabeth Roberts and legislators in opposition to two bills pending in the legislature that would overturn the state's fifteen year ban on incineration and define trash-burning as renewable energy.

"This report debunks every claim made by the waste industry," said Sylvia Broude, Lead Organizer for Toxics Action Center, a contributor to the report. "Solid science still demonstrates that emissions from incinerators are harmful to public health. This is a dinosaur technology that should be retired, not renewed or redefined as renewable energy."

For fifteen years, Rhode Island has banned trash incineration. Now, out-of-state incinerator giant Covanta has been spending $12,000 a month to convince elected officials to take a giant step backwards and undo the well-considered ban. Two bills in the House and the Senate (H6053 and S933) would not only allow trash incineration in Rhode Island, but also define trash-burning as renewable energy - a poor precedent that would cripple Rhode Island's burgeoning renewables industry. An Industry Blowing Smoke challenges industry efforts to greenwash incineration, and highlights more sensible waste management options that should be considered by decision-makers.

"You can dress it up any way you like, but at the end of the day, the problems with trash-burning technology are the same as they were two decades ago," said Annie Costner, Campaign Organizer for Clean Water Action. "Rhode Island had this debate in the early nineties and then again with the recent passage of the renewable energy standard and decided - we'd rather recycle our waste than burn it, and we'd rather invest our dollars to encourage the development of wind and solar technologies so they can compete on a level playing field."

The report argues that building new incinerators will directly hamper efforts to increase recycling and save energy, citing a study commissioned last year by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. Key findings include that in terms of overall energy benefit, it is always preferable to recycle materials rather than incinerate them. Recycling saves energy, reduces raw materials extraction, and has beneficial climate impacts by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Senator Josh Miller echoed the sentiment saying, "We've already got methane capture at the landfill, reducing the impact of greenhouse gases generated by waste. It's paramount that our future waste management systems have the least environmental impact, and an incinerator, no matter what the claims, would have a much greater impact than recycling, which actually saves energy."

Both renewable energy advocates and environmental organizations have denounced the pro-incinerator legislation and cautioned against a range of negative impacts for the state if the incinerator ban were overturned. Some groups Thursday also warned that Rhode Island could become the dumping ground for out-of-state waste. "Burning trash will cause air quality impacts beyond those contemplated in the bill, disrupt incentives for recycling and waste reduction, and bring with it the potential to establish Rhode Island as a new marketplace for out-of-state waste," said Tricia K. Jedele, the new director of RI Conservation Law. "We should be moving toward the goal of reducing waste and the impacts caused by waste generation, not toward making waste more of a commodity than it already is."

Eric Tretton, Assisstant Canvass Director for Clean Water Action, organized community members in Johnston and gathered 125 letters in opposition to the incinerator in a matter of 3 hours last Saturday. "Despite the Mayor's public support for an incinerator, the people of Johnston are outraged at the idea and have come together to oppose such legislation."

Thirty-five people turned out to support the rally and pack the State House rotunda on Thursday, including Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Roberts, Rep. David Segal, Rep. Rod Driver, Audubon Society, Sierra Club, Environment Council of RI, Environmental Justice League of RI, Childhood Lead Action Project, Ocean State Action, and People's Power and Light.

The report is available at www.toxicsaction.org and www.no-burn.org.

Clean Water Action is a grassroots environmental advocacy organization with 40,000 members in Rhode Island.

Toxics Action Center is a public health and environmental non-profit that works side by side with communities to clean up and prevent pollution in neighborhoods.