PESTICIDE FIRM COMING TO MOJAVE; CHEMICAL COMPANY GREETED WITH SUPPORT, OPPOSITION.Byline: Jim Skeen Daily News Staff Writer A Carson pesticide company is relocating to Mojave, a move that has political leaders excited about the economic possibilities and has environmentalists concerned about potential chemical spills chemical spill Public health An inadvertent release of a liquid chemical regarded as hazardous to human health which in a workplace is identified with hazardous materials labels. See Material Safety Data Sheets. . Niklor Chemical Co. Inc.'s $2 million plant would manufacture the chemical chloropicrin chloropicrin (klōr'əpĭk`rĭn), colorless oily liquid used as a poison gas. It is a powerful irritant, causing lachrymation, vomiting, bronchitis, and pulmonary edema; lung injury from chloropicrin may result in death. and package and reship the chemical methyl bromide methyl bromide Toxicology An insecticide and rodenticide, which is a volatile fumigant 3-fold denser than air and absorbed through skin, producing narcosis, pulmonary edema, renal tubule damage, jacksonian convulsions, CNS depression, peripheral neuropathy; , a controversial chemical that is scheduled to be phased out of production in 2005 because of concerns about ozone depletion Ozone depletion describes two distinct, but related observations: a slow, steady decline of about 4 percent per decade in the total amount of ozone in Earth's stratosphere since around 1980; and a much larger, but seasonal, decrease in stratospheric ozone over Earth's polar regions . ``Mojave has heavy industrial (zoning), rail-served property, large lots and a very pro-business attitude,'' said Stephen Wilhelm, Niklor's vice president. ``It was a very easy choice for us.'' The Mojave plant will be built on 49 acres about a mile south of the town's main residential and business area, on the north side of Purdy Avenue approximately a quarter-mile east of Highway 14. Niklor is being forced out of Carson, where it has operated since 1969, as the result of changes in the city's zoning. Niklor applied for a three-year extension of its operating permit, but that was rejected by Carson's City Council in April during a meeting that included testimony from three dozen representatives of environmental and citizen groups opposed to the plant. Carson city Carson City, city (1990 pop. 40,443), state capital, W Nev., in the Eagle valley; inc. 1875. The city is a trade center for a mining and agricultural area. State government is the major employer, and tourism is economically important. officials said the decision to deny the permit was based on zoning issues, not on environmental or regulatory concerns. Niklor has a good operational record in Carson, they said. Niklor's last major hurdle in relocating to Mojave will be when the Kern Kern, river, 155 mi (249 km) long, rising in the S Sierra Nevada Mts., E Calif., and flowing south, then southwest to a reservoir in the extreme southern part of the San Joaquin valley. The river has Isabella Dam as its chief facility. County Air Pollution Control District's board meets at 2 p.m. Thursday in the Tehachapi City Hall council chambers, 115 S. Robinson St., to consider certifying the company's environmental impact report. Once the EIR EIR n. popular acronym for environmental impact report, required by many states as part of the application to a county or city for approval of a land development or project. (See: environmental impact report) is certified, the company would be able to start pulling permits to begin construction. Niklor expects to begin building its plant in early 1999 and be finished in about a year. Mojave's political leaders are supporting the project, citing the addition of 20 jobs and $1 million in payroll to the community. Political leaders also are excited about Niklor's plans to build a 2,000-foot-long rail spur, which could be used as an incentive to draw additional businesses to the adjoining 200 acres. ``It's a good deal. It's a clean operation,'' said Bill Deaver, president of the Mojave Town Council. ``I live within a mile or two of this thing. I wouldn't be in favor of this thing if it would endanger en·dan·ger tr.v. en·dan·gered, en·dan·ger·ing, en·dan·gers 1. To expose to harm or danger; imperil. 2. To threaten with extinction. my life.'' Southern Kern Residents Against Pollution see a potential for a major hazardous materials spill, especially since the proposed facility is close to a highway and to an oil storage area. ``This is just an accident waiting to happen,'' said Jane Williams Notable people named Jane Williams include:
Wilhelm points to the company's operational record when questioned about potential spills. The company has operated for 40 years without a major incident, he said. ``Our record has been very good,'' Wilhelm said. ``We handle hazardous materials, but we respect them.'' The chemicals Niklor handles have raised opposition from a variety of environmental groups, including the Environmental Defense Fund, Californians for Pesticide Reform and Pesticide Action Network. Chemicals of concern are methyl bromide, which can cause central nervous system and respiratory system respiratory system: see respiration. respiratory system Organ system involved in respiration. In humans, the diaphragm and, to a lesser extent, the muscles between the ribs generate a pumping action, moving air in and out of the lungs through a failure, and chloropicrin, which can cause upper respiratory problems and skin and eye irritation. Both chemicals can cause death. The Montreal Protocol Montreal Protocol, officially the Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer, treaty signed on Sept. 16, 1987, at Montreal by 25 nations; 168 nations are now parties to the accord. , an international treaty to protect Earth from ozone depletion, has targeted to end methyl bromide production by 2005 in industrial nations and by 2015 in developing countries. The Netherlands phased out use of the chemical in 1992 because of concerns about groundwater contamination and Denmark and Sweden are in the process of doing the same. Both chemicals are used in agriculture, notably in California's strawberry industry. Plans for the Niklor plant include five buildings totaling about 14,000 square feet and a 10,000-square-foot storage tank. Niklor also plans to build a rail spur and four loading and unloading Unloading Selling securities or commodities whose prices are dropping to minimize loss. stations that can handle 90-ton rail cars. Among the supporters of Niklor is the chairman of the Kern County Air Pollution Control District board, Kern County Supervisor Steve Perez, whose district includes Mojave. Perez wrote his fellow KCAPCD board members asking for their support for the project. |
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