Franklin County Commissioners
(click for their contact information) purchased land at Cumberland Valley Business Park ( CVBP ) near the proposed Penn-Mar ethanol site for a 440-bed prison
.  Franklin County Prison's Warden explained their "evacuation plan:"

"Wetzel said that keeping prisoners in their cells at the new prison and shutting down the air handlers would be the likely response to an accident at the proposed ethanol plant." Article published in the Public Opinion newspaper Mar 10, 2005 

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. 

A member of Citizens for a Quality Environment had an opportunity to talk to G. Warren Elliott, Franklin County Commissioner, about the proposed ethanol distillery/refinery, he was defensive and said, "you were lucky that it wasn't an oil refinery." 

"LIDA is an Industrial Development Authority incorporated under the Pennsylvania Economic Development Financing Law (IDA Act), and is governed by a 15-member Board of Directors appointed by the County Commissioners." from the LIDA website

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

"Highly flammable ethanol leaking from a ruptured CN tanker car forced an evacuation of about 200 residents early Monday in this community southeast of Ottawa."  Monday, May 2, 2005
Chemical spill closes Ottawa-Montreal rail link
   CTV Television Network, Ontario, Canada

Nursing home evacuated after train mishap May 2, 2005  CBC News

Update:  "OTTAWA People living in Maxville, Ont., are being told not to drink water from their wells after a train car leaked 60,000 litres of ethanol in the area.MAXVILLE'S WATER TESTED AFTER ETHANOL SPILL  CBC News website: cbc.ca