Fallout From Incinerator Plan

Bellflower City Councilman William Pendleton has proposed building a waste-to-energy incinerator at the Puente Hills landfill. He also stated that a lot of opinion against waste-to-energy is formed through hysteria, ignorance and misinformation.

I disagree with both his proposal and his characterization.

Duarte has strongly opposed waste-to-energy incinerators in the Los Angeles Basin. Among the many reasons are their contribution to air pollution and the toxicity of their ash.

We have particularly opposed the incinerator previously planned for Puente Hills. The San Gabriel Valley is already the depository of a disproportionate share of the county’s trash.

In the last four years, our City Council has spent literally thousands of hours and thousands of dollars studying waste-to-energy. We have not only attended seminars, we have sponsored them. Our experience shows that opponents of waste-to-energy are knowledgeable, well-informed and scientifically supported.

While we oppose any waste-to-energy facilities in the Los Angeles Basin, we suggest that if Pendleton really wants to build one, he build it in Bellflower. We also urge him to use state-of-the-art technology to confine the resulting air pollution and toxic ash to his own community.

JOHN E. HITT

Mayor of Duarte