McCain Grandstanding on Economic Crisis - President Bush to address Nation at 9:00 PM

George Wenschhof

Senator John McCain says he will suspend his campaign and requested the debate scheduled for Friday night be postponed. This so he could go to Washington and focus on the economic crisis. Of course, he could have already been there.

This action taken after his poll numbers continue to slide as voters are not comfortable with him handling the economy. This can be best be described as a "Hail Mary" pass designed to save his campaign. He will talk about how he puts the country first, not his campaign for President.

This also comes after Senator Obama called Senator McCain this morning to suggest they issue a joint statement on the economy. You can read the joint statement as well as individual positions by Senator Obama here.

However, this does not erase a entire career in Washington where McCain supported deregulation which happens to be the primary reason the country is facing this economic meltdown today.

President Bush will also address the nation tonight at 9:00 PM ET for the first time since the markets began to tank ten days ago. He will no doubt paint a grim picture, highlight a "9/11" type of event facing the country and create the urgency for passing his three page 700 Billion bail out plan.

Bush has also invited presidential candidates Obama and McCain to meet with him tomorrow to discuss his bail out plan. CNN.com has more here.

As of this time, both the Obama campaign and the Commission on Presidential Debates have not agreed to a postponement of the debate Friday. MSNBC has more here. Although this debate would be a perfect time to discuss the current economic problems, the planned topics areas are foreign policy and national security.

Stay Tuned.

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Dem Campaign Chatter 9-24-2008

George Wenschhof

Today, Obama is in Dunedin, Florida - He is also preparing for the first of three presidential debates to be held Friday night at the University of Mississippi. By the way, riots broke out when the University of Mississippi admitted it's first black student, James Meredith, in 1962. The NY Times has more here.

Biden is in Cincinnati, Ohio and Jefferson, Indiana. Michelle Obama and Jill Biden team up in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

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Congress continues to debate the 700 Billion bail -out proposed by the Bush administration - it would be wise for members of Congress to read the Inaugural Address by Franklin D. Roosevelt given on March 4, 1933. You can read it full here. One paragraph of that speech, given in the midst of the "Great Depression", is particularly relevant and reads as follows:

"Finally, in our progress toward a resumption of work we require two safeguards against a return of the evils of the old order; there must be a strict supervision of all banking and credits and investments; there must be an end to speculation with other people's money, and there must be provision for an adequate but sound currency."

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Senator Obama urges conditions be placed on Bail -Out - In a email sent to supporters last night, he points out the need for fairness and openness with No Golden Parachutes, Main Street, Not Just Wall Street, and Bipartisan Oversight. You can read his plan here.

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FBI investigating failed financial institutions for fraud - Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Lehman Brothers and AIG are among 26 firms currently under investigation. CNN.com has more here.

Interestingly, a firm owned by McCain's campaign manager Rick Davis was on the payroll of Freddie Mac from 2005 until last month when Freddie Mac was taken over by the government. The NY Times has more here.

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Ipsos-McClatchy poll shows Obama 44% and McCain 43% - a lot of interesting sub parts to this poll which all point to the closeness of this contest. Barr and Nader each received 2%, with 5% supporting none of them and 4% undecided.

The economy remains the number one concern for voters - 36% with National Security at 16%. As to who the voters would prefer to handle these issues, McCain leads in national security and Obama leads in regard to the economy. McClatchydc.com has more here.

In a Washington Post/ABC News poll released today Obama is in the lead by his largest margin 52% to McCain 43%. The poll shows the voters concern with the economy is helping Obama. Read more here.

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Biden to blast McCain in regard to his positions on U.S. foreign policy - perhaps the Obama campaign is reading the same poll - see above. Today, in Cincinnati, Ohio Biden will hammer away at the failures of the Bush administration in foreign policy and McCain's support of those positions. thepage.time.com has excerpts from the speech here.

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Commissioners Continue to Mull Frederick County MD Waste Disposal Options

George Wenschhof

Today, we publish the last in a series of columns on waste disposal options by Democratic Frederick County Commissioners Jan Gardner and Kai Hagen. Board President Gardner favors a proposed waste-to-energy facility, while Commissioner Hagen prefers further investigation into what may be a more environmentally friendly and potentially less expensive option, a Materials Recovery Facility combined with the existing landfill.

The manner in how a community handles the trash it generates is not a issue many voters tune in to - they just want the trash to be picked up regularly from their home. However, what does catch the attention of the voters in a community is when a decision nears as to where to locate a incinerator or landfill - no one wants it near them.

Yet, the decision on the manner of waste disposal is extremely important as it impacts the daily lives of residents for many years to come. We published these columns and will keep them available for easy reading (links are provided in the upper right hand margin of our web site) because we wanted Frederick County voters to have another source of information on this subject.

We thank Commissioners Gardner and Hagen for taking the time in their busy schedules to write on this subject. We encourage you to read these very informative columns and to contact the Frederick County Commissioners with your opinions on to how to proceed.

After reading these columns and being included in a lengthy email discussion, initiated by local community activist Alan Feinberg among a group of engaged individuals, I now have more information on this subject than most would ever want to know.

The participants in this email discussion have often been passionate from both sides of the argument as to whether or not to build a incinerator and support a waste-to-energy approach for waste disposal. This is to be expected in a discussion like this, but it is important to keep the focus on the issue and not engage in personal attacks.

I would hope these emails, which included all of the Frederick County Commissioners, will be introduced into the public record. They contain, on the most part, some very good information on this subject and should be made available to the public.

I would urge the Frederick County Commissioners to also ask county staff (if they have not already done so) to prepare a cost-benefit analysis of the various methods proposed for future waste disposal which would include a 20-30 year period from the present. This analysis would not only aid the voter but also the county commissioners as they make their decision on this matter.

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Are there Alternatives? Landfill or WTE?

Jan H. Gardner

Some citizens have expressed opposition to waste-to-energy (WTE) and have suggested that there are viable alternatives that the County should evaluate and consider. Primary among the suggestions is the evaluation and implementation of a Resource Recovery Park. A proposed Resource Recovery Park could include a wide variety of opportunities for citizens to drop off items for re-use or for recycling or for the recovery of certain resources, such as metals, that could then be recycled. It has been suggested that the private sector would be active participants and that there is money to be made. A Resource Recovery Park could also include a government, non-profit, or private sector owned and operated materials recovery facility or MRF. It has been suggested that a Resource Recovery Park combined with other aggressive efforts to recycle, recover, and re-use materials that might otherwise be disposed would reduce the waste stream to a level that would avoid the need for a WTE facility and/or a new landfill.

Resource Recovery Parks or Eco-Parks can be focused on more than the recovery of materials from the solid waste stream. Resource Recovery Parks can include biomass power plants that utilize agricultural waste or wood waste to generate electricity. Eco-Parks can include processes to recycle or re-use water. There are many types of businesses and functions that can combine on one site or work together from multiple locations to achieve a goal to recovery materials for re-use, create electricity or energy, or create products out of materials that would otherwise be disposed. Examples of the latter might include making rubberized asphalt or dock bumpers out of tire chips or tire crumbles. Components of a resource recovery park may be unique to certain locales or certain parts of the country. There are no strict definitions of components that could make up a Resource Recovery Park.

Are their examples of Resource Recovery Parks in existence that have successfully eliminated the need for another disposal option – such as a landfill or waste-to-energy facility?

The first place that comes to mind is Boulder Colorado. Boulder City and Boulder County both have aggressive recycling programs, have recently introduced single stream recycling similar to what is proposed and currently being piloted in Frederick County, and have the benefit of a material recovery facility, constructed by the county and operated by Eco-Cycle. Eco-Cycle is a local non-profit that has been promoting recycling, re-use, and resource recovery in the Boulder area for over 20 years. Eco-Cycle also operates a fairly elaborate Resource Recovery Park. With all of these efforts combined, between 60% and 70% of Boulder's waste stream is disposed in one of two regional privately owned landfills. The Resource Recovery Park and other aggressive recycling and composting efforts have not eliminated the need for landfill disposal in Boulder.

Some other jurisdictions that come to mind are those communities that have adopted a Zero Waste strategy including a proposal for a Resource Recovery Park. Richard Anthony and Gary Liss, both self-described Zero Waste experts and solid waste professionals, designed a Resource Recovery Park for the City of Palo Alto in California. Palo Alto is a community that has adopted a zero waste strategy and implemented a number of programs and strategies to increase recycling, composting and diversion from their landfill (which is actually in San Jose). I have contacted the City of Palo Alto and asked if they have implemented the Resource Recovery Park designed by Richard Anthony and if so, to share their experience or success with this plan. I also asked if they had implemented curbside collection of organics. According to Susan Caudill, representing Palo Alto's recycling program, Palo Alto has not been successful in engaging private sector partners in their Resource Recovery Park as originally anticipated. Relatively small financial incentives or grants are being considered to encourage private sector partners. The City of Palo Alto also bid out curbside organic collection earlier this year, received two bids, but awarded neither because the cost was too high. The City of Palo Alto does compost organics from local food service vendors. Their webpage indicates that public composting is limited to grass clippings and yard waste similar to the composting currently operational in Frederick County. The City of Palo Alto has achieved a 60% total diversion rate after aggressive recycling, composting, waste reduction and resource recovery efforts. They continue to utilize a landfill for that portion of the waste stream that remains for disposal.

Another example of a Resource Recovery Park referenced by Gary Liss is a regional park located in Monterey, California. This Resource Recovery Park includes a 315 acre landfill with a 126 acre buffer area, administrative buildings, a public drop-off recycling station and re-sale facility, as well as, a landfill gas power project, a permanent household hazardous waste collection facility, a materials recovery facility or MRF, a construction and demolition recycling operation, composting, and a soils blending facility. The most unique operation in this Resource Recovery Park is the C & D recycling operation, which successfully diverts 60% of the C & D from the waste stream going into the landfill. This operation has helped achieve an overall diversion rate of 60%. A landfill is a component of this Resource Recovery Park. There is a clear recognition that a disposal option is essential.

Several citizens have suggested that Frederick County model a Resource Recovery Park after the one being planned in Austin, TX. I have attempted to obtain information from the City of Austin, Texas, but could acquire little information. It appears this proposed Resource Recovery Park is in the planning stages and that little information is available.

Many jurisdictions including Frederick County have components of a Resource Recovery Park. Expanding resource recovery efforts is a viable option for Frederick County and will help the county reach its 60% recycling/diversion goal and do so sooner. The County is planning to utilize existing capacity in a MRF in Elkridge, MD to process materials from single stream recycling. The County has also bid out Construction and Demolition (C & D) recycling. A landfill gas to energy project is also under consideration for the Reich's Ford Road landfill. E-cycling for electronics and computer components is currently available at the landfill location along with textile recycling.

In conclusion, I can find no known examples of Resource Recovery Parks eliminating the need for a disposal option such as a landfill or WTE facility. In fact, it appears that Resource Recovery Parks are often co-located with a landfill or WTE facility. Resource Recovery Parks are part of an integrated solid waste management system.

There is general consensus that the first step in responsibly managing the waste stream is waste prevention followed by recycling, composting, re-use, and resource recovery. There is general agreement among elected officials in Frederick County and the general public that waste prevention, recycling, composting, re-use and resource recovery are community priorities and at the top of the hierarchy for a successful integrated waste management system. Long-term waste disposal is needed for that portion of the waste stream that remains after these efforts. The options for long-term waste disposal include two major choices – landfills or waste-to-energy. Other choices such as plasma gasification and waste-to-ethanol are technologies that may become viable over the next ten years but are currently not demonstrated or proven in a large operation.

Frederick County must decide which option is best for our community. Do we want to bury our community's waste in a landfill risking negative environmental impacts to ground water? Or, do we want to pursue a Waste-to-Energy facility that raises concerns about air emissions and ash disposal?

Many Federal Superfund clean-up sites involve landfills. In these instances, the landfills have failed to prevent the leaching of toxins into ground water supplies including public drinking water sources. Technology has improved with lined landfills and sophisticated leachate collection and treatment systems. However, landfills must be monitored in perpetuity to protecting public health. Landfills also create methane gas, which is the most potent greenhouse gas. Landfill gas can be flared or captured and used to create electricity. Landfills also require a significant amount of land. County staff has indicated that a new landfill site would require 800 to 1,000 acres to assure a long-term disposal option of 50 years or more and to provide adequate area to buffer the operation from surrounding residents and businesses. It would be very difficult to site a landfill in an industrially zoned area since land areas of this size are not readily available. It is more likely that a new landfill location will consume agricultural land. Is this a good land-use decision?

Waste-to-Energy facilities (WTE) do raise concerns with air emissions and do create carbon emissions though significantly less than those created by coal generated power plants or natural gas power plants. While dioxins are eliminated through the use of high temperatures in the process and state of the art technology removes most toxins and pollutants from air emissions, some small amounts of toxins and particulate matter exist. Long-term testing of the ash demonstrates conclusively that the bottom ash and the fly ash can be mixed and can be made inert so that toxins and heavy metals will never leach. Trash is reduced, in terms of volume, by 90%. The remaining ash can be used as daily cover in a landfill or can be used in certain construction materials though this market has not been fully developed. A WTE facility can be located on a much smaller site than a landfill – approximately 25 acres. A WTE facility can also be reasonably located in an industrial area. If located outside an industrial area, additional land would be needed to buffer the operation from surrounding residents and businesses. A WTE facility consumes significantly less land than a landfill and is a better choice from a land-use perspective for this reason.

Both landfills and WTE facilities are controversial and difficult to locate without community opposition. Both landfills and WTE facilities present environmental risks that must be mitigated. Frederick County needs a disposal option for that portion of the waste stream that cannot be recycled, composted, re-used, or otherwise recovered or diverted. A disposal option is an essential component of all integrated waste management systems. Alternatives, such as material recovery facilities (MRFs) and Resource Recovery Parks, can reduce the volume of waste that remains for disposal but cannot avoid the need for disposal in its entirety.

Jan Gardner is President, Frederick County, Maryland Board of Commissioners