Here, Here!!! John has spent the equivalent of half a life time on this, when you count the hours, stress, time from family and hours of study to make certain he was sharp as a tack on this issue. In addition, when you think of the hours of strategic planning on how to tackle the problem there are precious little to spare on just enjoying life.
John, you are a tireless activist on the things that matter in this town. Take a long vacation! We all owe a debt of gratitude to you for your perserverance and dedication, that those who have risen to power in this town care little about. Thank you, we can all breathe easier. Pamela Ellison Como Park Saint Paul ----- Original Message ----- From: "brian bates" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "John Birrenbach" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: "St Paul Discuss" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, May 18, 2004 8:46 PM Subject: Re: [StPaul] GSE bigger danger now than before > > > I would like to take a moment to thank john for sticking to this issue. > It is my experience that 1) any community activist simply cannot handle > many issues - the issues are many times too technical and time consuming > to manage - one must concentrate on an issue or two; 2) once folk see > that a community activist is on a particular issue they begin to rely on > that individual or group - others believe the issue is being addressed - > and that is good because other activists can adopt other issues; 3) > community activism is literally a thankless job - I will bet John can > count the times folks have said "hey thanks" on one hand. > > Hey thanks John!! Brian Bates, Macgrove > > John Birrenbach wrote: > > > > > > > After a more in depth look at the article in the paper and knowing > > that with GSE you always have to read between the lines, I have many > > concerns about what is gonna happen. > > > > First it only takes a couple of days to process ethanol from start to > > finish. They state that they plan on continuing to make ethanol from > > supplies of Beer and stuff, as they are available. As they are > > really doing the bottlers a big favor in getting rid of their > > hazardous waste, I would suspect that as they started to take this > > material, that information went out to all the area bottlers, and has > > since gotten around the state in publications for the industry. So a > > shortage of this material, enough to keep them from operating, is > > uncertain. > > > > Therein lies the issue.... if they are able to get enough bottlers to > > either give them or pay them to get rid of this stuff, it is possible > > for them to resume production on a limited or maybe even full > > capacity. Now the chemistry of everything will have to change in > > order for them to use this waste product. Additives will be needed to > > be added to make it a nutrient rich environment to get the ethanol > > process to work, these additives I am told are not that expensive and > > in ready supply. > > > > IF GSE goes into partial production, as they have clearly indicated in > > the comments to the paper, then, they will be under the cap's required > > under all of the agreements they have with the Consent Decree, and the > > Stink settlement with the city. Yet at the same time, on given days > > of the week they will be making a stench the likes of which we have > > come to know all to well, maybe even worse. > > > > IF GSE goes into full production, there is no information available > > about what sort of chemicals will be produced as an offshoot, but it > > is clear that they will change. Many will be the same, but there will > > be a complete new set of chemical compounds created in the process > > using only Waste from the Bottlers. > > > > In other interesting news, we are not the only one's fighting the > > stench of ethanol plants and what they do. In Michigan people are > > suing, not an old brewery, but a state of the art ethanol production > > facility. Recently, they have a bit of a problem mainly a fire. > > > > http://www.mlive.com/news/bctimes/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1084893347327030.xm l > > > > > > What's pretty amazing is that this is the third fire in the last 18 > > months. When are people gonna learn these things catch fire. > > > > But Michigan Ethanol is just another in a long line of "good > > corporate citizen" ethanol plants, which is why they started building > > the plant without alerting neighbors, are being sued by those same > > neighbors (because those neighbors hate the noise, stink and danger), > > and are themselves pursuing litigation against a local resident (Eric > > Fox) because Michigan Ethanol wants a court order to allow them access > > to land belonging to Mr. Fox and to cut down Fox's trees so that > > Michigan Ethanol can clean up a mess in the Cass River that Michigan > > Ethanol's negligence caused: > > > > http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/business/7147184.htm > > > > This of course follows the weekend news of ten dead in an ethanol > > plant explosion in China: > > > > http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,9541793%255E17 02,00.html > > > > > > When does GSE open up again, without any notice, on an expired permit > > designed for Ethanol from Corn not POP? Inquiring minds are asking > > these questions of the DOJ, EPA, MPCA, MNDH. > > > > > > _____________________________________________ > NEW ADDRESS FOR LIST: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > To subscribe, modify subscription, or get your password - visit: > http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul > > Archive Address: > http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/ > _____________________________________________ NEW ADDRESS FOR LIST: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, modify subscription, or get your password - visit: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul Archive Address: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/
