El Monte
The impact of waste-to-energy projects on air quality will be the subject of a South Coast Air Quality Management District committee hearing at 9:30 a.m. Nov. 8 at the district office in El Monte.
The hearing by the district’s Inter-Governmental Affairs Committee, headed by Ontario City Council member Faye Myers Dastrup, was prompted by requests from U.S. Rep. David Dreier (R-La Verne), West Covina Mayor Forest Tennant and the Miller Brewing Co., all of whom oppose plans by Pacific Waste Management Corp. to build a plant in Irwindale that would burn 3,000 tons of trash a day to generate electricity. James Birakos, spokesman for the air quality district, said the hearing will look at waste-to-energy plants generally and not focus on the Irwindale proposal. He said the hearing could help the committee formulate a board policy on waste-to-energy plants. Some board members, he noted, believe that even though the plants could harm air quality, there may be off-setting environmental gains from burning trash instead of burying it in landfills.
The district will make a recommendation on the Irwindale plant to the state Energy Commission, which has primary permitting authority.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
