I am writing in response to Barbara E. Neil's editorial on May 17. Some foes have health issues and we must speak up to try to protect our lives. Does she live in the affected area? No! I do live in the affected area and am faced with health issues. She stated that we all have a little bit of so-called smells and then asks some questions. I would like to answer her questions.

1. How many of you have garbage cans at your home? We all do, but I'm sure most people take their garbage out and remove it when it starts to smell in their home or their outside living area. The smell doesn't remain.

2. How many of you smoke? Not everybody, and that is that person's choice. They can control their odor if they choose to.

3. How many of you deposit manure into your commodes in your bathrooms? I hope nobody, but we do deposit our human waste. Again, this odor can be controlled and if not you must have a serious plumbing problem.

The point I'm getting at is that some odors are controlled. This ethanol plant, if it is built and odors are emitted into our air and comes into our homes and yards, how are we supposed to control them? Please don't just say close your windows. The plant would run pretty much all the time and there would be no relief. For us this is of great concern.

My husband suffers from severe migraine headaches, which are triggered from certain smells and odors. We are very careful of our surroundings and the environments we are in. This could cause him migraines daily. Why should anyone have to worry in their own home if they're going to be sick or not?

I have always felt and I'm sure you have heard that your home is your castle. It doesn't matter if you have a $1 million home or if you have a shack, it is still your space inside and out on your property.

I know we are just one family, but there might be others out there who also have health issues that are of great concern to them. So please have a little bit of compassion for other people if you do not know all of your facts.

I would also like to know how many of the LIDA board members and Greene Township Supervisors live in the affected areas of the ethanol plant if it comes to Letterkenny. Will it interfere with your lives at your homes?

Now I would like to address the jobs this plant will bring. I am under the impression we would see about 38 or so jobs. How many of these would be from our area, or would they be brought in through other ethanol plants? We heard from Letterkenny Army Depot that they have some concerns with the operation of this plant. They are wondering if it will interfere with their radar, their missiles and their helicopter pad. So now wouldn't it be just great if the plant does come and Letterkenny does have some problems and they leave.

We just picked up 409 jobs through BRAC. Now if they leave we will lose about 3,000 jobs for 38. Is it worth the risk for the entire Franklin County population?

This project will affect the whole town, not just Greene and Letterkenny townships, so I am urging all of Franklin County to really research this project and to look at both sides.

The state ag secretary supports ethanol was the front page headline in a recent Saturday paper. I'm sure he was in favor of it in York also, but York made it a conditional use so they could protect their citizens.

Will our elected officials do the same for the citizens in their townships? York wanted to protect their citizens; isn't it time for our elected officials to be concerned about us?

Public Opinion always writes the articles that are for this plant on the front page, but how many articles about plants that have had to evacuate or have had fires have you seen on the front page for people to read?

Get on the Internet about ethanol plants and get educated in them because it sure looks like we are about to have one in our beautiful valley.

Karen Bitner

Chambersburg

Originally published June 4, 2005