The highest ranking civilian at Letterkenny Army Depot raised
serious concerns Monday about an ethanol plant that could be built
next door to the installation north of Chambersburg.
Dr. John Gray, deputy commander, is wondering what investment
Army planners will be willing to make if an ethanol plant is built
next to Letterkenny — Franklin County's largest employer and a
survivor of the 2005 round of military base closings.
"My concern is more long term," Gray said. "How does this (plant)
impact the long-term viability of Letterkenny? You almost can't
quantify it."
Gray's testimony Monday in Franklin County Court was the first
time that a Letterkenny official articulated specific concerns about
the proposed ethanol plant.
A citizens' group has asked the court to halt Greene Township's
approval process on the ethanol plant until the court rules on the
group's stand that the plant is not a permitted use in the heavy
industrial zone and should be subject to a conditional use hearing.
Judge Richard Walsh had issued a temporary stay on June 16 and is
deciding whether to make it permanent.
Walsh heard one day of testimony about the damage that a
continued stay might inflict on developer Penn-Mar Ethanol LLC of
York and the harm the community might suffer by lifting the stay.
Scott Welsh, project manager for Penn-Mar, testified that
delays will cost the developer "several million dollars" a year.
Material costs continue to increase, and Penn-Mar is spending
$40,000 a month to continue operating. The plant is estimated to
cost $85.
Courtroom Two maintained its civility despite a broken air
conditioner. The doors were opened. A box fan hummed beside the
judge's bench. The temperature rose to 84 degrees by mid-afternoon.
Attorneys kept their jackets on. Walsh did not shed his robe.
Much of the testimony rehashed earlier arguments about the
potential hazards of a 60-million-gallon ethanol plant in the
Cumberland Valley Business Park.
Frederic Antoun Jr., representing the citizens group, used a map
to show a zone 2.5 miles around the plant that would be evacuated in
the event of a worst-case accident. People within five miles would
be advised to stay indoors.
The map outlines zones that were drawn for an ethanol plant that
Penn-Mar had proposed in Lancaster County. Penn-Mar has not made
public any emergency plans for the plant proposed in Greene
Township.
Gray said he did not know what the evacuation procedures would
be, should there be an accident or leak at the ethanol plant. About
95% to 98% of Letterkenny's 2,800 employees work within a 2.5-mile
radius of the plant. The shops are accessed through a single gate.
Evacuating the shops would disrupt work vital to the nation's
defense, according to Gray. Letterkenny is the only place that works
on the Patriot missile system, the world's only proven missile
defense system.
Letterkenny Fire Department, which responds to fires on the
depot, will not be available for an accident at the plant, he said.
"We are not trained for that," Gray said. "We will not be
responding to anything at the ethanol plant."
Gray spoke of other concerns:
Train tracks run through Army property, and during times of
national crisis Letterkenny officers must inspect everything coming
in. How does Letterkenny inspect train cars of corn and ethanol?
Gasoline and ethanol trucks would pass within 75 feet of
Letterkenny shops.
Rail tankers would transport the ethanol. The tracks in the
business park have had four derailments since 1999. Trains hauling
ethanol derailed in California, Indiana and Kansas in the first week
of September.
u The Army had been prepared to build a vehicle maintenance shop
within 100 yards of the ethanol plant if Red River Army Depot had
been ordered closed and its Humvee repair operations moved to
Letterkenny. The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission did
not close Red River.
Letterkenny is authorized to store temporarily as much as 2
million pounds of missiles and bombs at a rail yard within 75 feet
of the proposed ethanol plant.
"They're ready to go bang?" Antoun asked.
"Pretty much," Gray said.
Antoun also attempted to show that approval of the ethanol plant
had been predetermined:
Greene Township solicitor Weldon Fischer and township zoning
officer Travis Brookens — in discussions with supervisor chairman
Dave Jamison — determined that an ethanol plant was heavy
manufacturing and a permitted use not subject to a conditional use
hearing. The zoning officer was responsible for making the
determination, Antoun said.
Jamison, during a visit to the Badger State Ethanol Plant asked
Monroe, Wisc., officials, "Did you have any opposition? How did you
diffuse it?" Jamison is a member of the Letterkenny Industrial
Development Authority, which sold land to Penn-Mar for the ethanol
plant.
Walsh on Friday is accepting written closing arguments from the
attorneys. He did not say when he would rule about his stay.
He is to hear arguments about land use issues on Oct. 24.
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Jim Hook can be reached at 262-4759, or jhook@pubop.com.
