The Sun Herald has the following disturbing article. These failed businessmen walk away and leave the mess for others to clean up. Worse than that, they create a toxic mess, walk away and contribute to the destruction of our planet. And they are not held accountable.
In the last 15 years, this will be the 13th poison discharge from this failed plant. Bradford County, HPS II, please take note here.
Thanks to Jane Blais for direction.
Comments by OSFR historian Jim Tatum.
-A river is like a life: once taken, it cannot be brought back-
EPA plans to discharge wastewater from Mississippi Phosphates plant
Sun Herald
July 25, 2017 4:26 PM
The EPA announced Tuesday a planned discharge of wastewater from the Mississippi Phosphates site in Pascagoula because of heavy rain forecast
for the area.
The rainfall is expected to exceed storage capacity of the on-site phosphogypsum stacks and wastewater treatment system, forcing the discharge, known as a bypass.
The bypass calls for wastewater to be partially treated, which alleviates any impact to the environment, the EPA said. The bypass is under strict control of the EPA, as laid out in a contingency plan for bypass and spill response.
Mississippi Phosphates is a former diammonium phosphate fertilizer plant that began operation in the 1950s. The facility stopped operating in December 2014 under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, leaving more than 700,000,000 gallons of low-pH, contaminated wastewater stored at the facility.
The EPA assumed temporary control of the site on Feb. 11, 2017, after the MPC Environmental Trust, which owns the property, ran out of funds.
EPA is overseeing wastewater treatment at a rate of approximately 2 million gallons per day. EPA will continue to oversee wastewater treatment operations at the site until the facility is sold or cleaned up and closed.
Since 2002, there have been a total of 12 emergency bypasses and uncontrolled released from the MPC Site.
Every day we see more egregious things happening to our state & environment all due to Governor Rick Scott his lack of love for this state and all wild things living is starting to rapidly DESTROY this states environment. He even threatened his employee’s in his administration if they talk about Climate Change or Global Warming they will be fired & he cut the states EPA!!! All this Governor has done since in office is enhance HIS WEALTH & HIS GREEDY CORPORATE POLLUTERS with raping this state for their own GREED with disregard of the consequences and or future generations. We can stop this, soon his rein will be up as Governor, WE MUST NOT ALLOW HIS EGREGIOUS CRIMINAL TO BE ELECTED AGAIN in any OFFICE OF POWER. WE CAN DO THIS……. the power of the people and our numbers are our greatest asset for change. TIME FOR A POLITICAL REVOLUTION, we all see that Republicans don’t care about the environment (or not enough of them) for change VOTE DEMOCRAT if you want to save your state. It’s IMPERATIVE WE VOTE IN A DEMOCRAT FOR GOVERNOR. You see our so called president doesn’t believe in climate change and wants to strip the EPA we must protect ourselves.
The petro-chemical “genie” that modern science released from the industrial “bottle” has been poorly
managed due to the unforeseen consequences of fulfilled wishes. The mass starvation predicted by Malthus was not realized because of the technical advances engendered by the Industrial Revolution, to wit: phosphate fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. Now these scientific “miracles” of organic
chemistry appear to threaten us with another “Malthusian” prediction of societal proportions– are we
“damned if we do, and damned if we don’t?” Who willingly gives up a seat in an overcrowded lifeboat?
This is how it works. The MPC owners, protected by the corporate shell, made their money and left wealthier and unscathed, because one of the biggest costs of their operation is now being borne by the taxpayers. Now, HPSII wants Bradford and Union counties to be their chumps. If they were confronted with their long term costs up front, they would abandon the venture as non-viable.