FRANKLIN COUNTY PRISON ISSUES:

Construction of the new Franklin County Prison began in July 2005 and is progressing well as of May 2006.

Question #17  Is the present Franklin County Prison location less dangerous than one next to an ethanol distillery/storage facility operating 24 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days of the year?  (click to see map) Read more about this Question (Click)

"...the 75,000 gallons of gasoline to be stored at the plant can create one huge explosion with one gallon of gasoline equal to 30 sticks of dynamite. This creates an explosive hazard of 2,250,000 sticks of dynamite but with the added risk that gasoline can give off explosive vapors (flash point) as low as -50° F!"
Ethanol plant would benefit only those who stand to profit from it.
By DR. WILLIAM PETRI III, (Click to read the entire Letter to the Editor of the Public Opinion)

According to the Integrated Contingency Plans for Penn-Mar Ethanol (March 31, 2005) which is part of Penn-Mar's Plan Approval Application to PADEP for a "60 Million Gallons Per Year Fuel Ethanol Production Facility," the following would be stored on-site:

... five 13,333 cubic foot Carbon Dioxide (CO2) storage tanks
        8,000 lbs Anhydrous ammonia would be at the distillery;
      18,000 gallons of Aqueous ammonia would be in an aboveground storage tank;
    165,000 gallons 95% ethanol - aboveground storage tank;
    165,000 gallons 100% ethanol - aboveground storage tank;
1.5 million gallons Fuel Ethanol - 2 aboveground storage tanks (AST);
     75,000 gallons of Gasoline for denaturing in aboveground storage tank (AST);
       7,000 gallons Sulfuric Acid - aboveground storage tank;
       5,700 gallons Sulfamic Acid - aboveground storage tank;
       8,000 gallons Sodium Hydroxide (Caustic Soda) - aboveground storage tank;
      8,400 gallons Glucose Amylase - aboveground storage tank;
      8,400 gallons Alpha Amylase - aboveground storage tank;

Penn-Mar Ethanol does not mention the proposed Franklin County Prison in its External Factor Planning from the Integrated Contingency Plans for Penn-Mar Ethanol (Click to view).
It does state: "Bomb threats, civil disturbances, national emergencies and other large-scale emergencies would be unlikely to contribute to a hazardous materials release."

More articles about ethanol distillery hazards (Click)

Franklin County Commissioners purchased land at Cumberland Valley Business Park (CVBP) near the Penn-Mar ethanol's proposed distillery site for a 440-bed prison. (click for more info)  The evacuation plans for the Penn-Mar ethanol plant call for immediate evacuation within 2.5 miles in all directions from the plant--and take cover inside for 5 miles. (Click to view info about Emergency Response Plan) 

Question #17  Is the present Franklin County Prison location less dangerous than one next to an ethanol distillery/storage facility operating 24 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days of the year?  (click to see map) 

"The new facility will be in a less tenuous location. The Franklin Farm Road facility sits in close proximity to Interstate 81, meaning there could be problems if a hazardous spill ever takes place on the highway.

"It's a real problem that we drill for," Warden John Wetzel said." 
$17.3 million is low bid for new jail by Keith Paradise, Public Opinion, June 22, 2005

Please continue...

Franklin County Prison's Warden explained their "evacuation plan:"

EXPOSURE TO ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS OR TOXIC MATERIALS IN PRISON  Link to ACLU website