Stephanie Ogle and the Washington Department of Ecology is not really a People BEFORE Profit sort of group. Yet they are paid by public dollars.

Stephanie Ogle of the Washington  Department of Ecology is assigned to regulate the Port Townsend Paper Mill and claims to follow up on all odor complaints. However, all this seems to be is to contact the mill and see if everything was normal and okey dokey on that day. The Mill says Ya all is well and well that is that. So it would seem that the DEQ is really out to protect the mill and not the water, air, soil, and people in Washington.

Kind of like asking a criminal if they committed the crime, of course they say NOPE sure didn't.

Stephanie Ogle and the Washington  Department of Ecology is not really a People BEFORE Profit sort of group. Yet they are paid by public dollars. 

The Bottom Line is the mill is, in my understanding of the laws, breaking the clean air, clean water and clean soil laws. They are harassing us constantly and ruining our legal right to quiet enjoyment of property. The Port Townsend Paper Mill, I allege, is breaking the Clean Air Act, and yes are committing crimes on the residents of Port Townsend.

The DEQ allegedly logs odor complaints, SO WHAT. They are supposed to protect the water, soil, air and people of Washington. Instead they protect the profits of the Crown Paper Group, not even based out of Washington.

Complaining about Odor is Futile. They don't do anything but pay us lip service.

The DEQ and EPA does NOT address the poisons we are clearly breathing nor the massive clean water that is poisoned by the mill. And for WHAT? The alleged smell of MONEY.

That money smell is for the lung doctors, the mill owners, the investors and not for Port Townsend. There are clean jobs that could come in and there is tons of clean up jobs. The PT Mill gets grants and lot's of hand outs, plus they use 14 Million Gallons of water a day. SURELY there can be a way to create 400 jobs in PT without poisoning us and ruining our quality of life.

Stephanie Ogle of the Washington  Department of Ecology gets her deep investigative results from the mill itself. 

And she says "Generally speaking, the operations at the mill were normal and the air pollution control equipment was operating within their normal ranges. They did not have any leaks/spills/abnormal releases during that period."

What does "generally" MEAN? This is our precious air. We have a right to clean air. The harassing smell that the PT mill puts out is toxic and annoying. There is no such thing as generally speaking. WE WANT FACTS, and the Clean Air and Water Laws OBEYED. The DEQ is SUPPOSED to make sure the laws are followed and not CODDLE corporations.

What does "normal" and "normal ranges" MEAN? Normal Ranges is the PROBLEM. The Mill's NORMAL toxic spewing is poisoning us, harassing us, and is in violation of the Clean Air Act. It is wrong, immoral and I believe flat out against the law to put these toxins in our air and water daily. The NORMAL RANGES need to be stopped as they are unconstitutional, unlawful and a complete violation of citizen rights and property rights.

Stephanie Ogle also says;

"While the emissions from the mill are within their normal operations, the weather can have an amplifying affect on the odors that are generated at the facility. It has been hotter and more humid recently and it looks like there are have been some periods of low to no winds, which can also increase the intensity of the odors. This may be why the odors have been worse during the past week.
I will continue to request that they investigate the odor complaints and I will let you know if they do find anything outside of their normal operating ranges."

ENOUGH with the blaming the Weather. JUST Stop the source of the toxins and DO YOUR JOB. Stop mumbling about weather, generally and normally and get STRICT about what is really going on. Protect the people paying your wage. The mill is SERIOUS bad every single day it is operating REGARDLESS of humidity, wind, weather or other mumbo jumbo.

STOP LETTING THE Bad Guys Regulate themselves. STOP calling the perpetrator and asking them if they are committing the alleged crime. INVESTIGATE yourself. Monitor the Air, Obey the Law.

Contact Stephanie Ogle and tell her what you think

Stephanie Ogle, PE
W2R - Industrial Section
360-407-6355


Complain to the Department of Ecology at 
Stephanie Ogle at stog461@ecy.wa.gov

Also Complain to the Port Townsend City Manager David Timmons, the Port Townsend Water Manager Ian Jablonski, and the Port Townsend Mayor.

Contact Information for the Above:

250 Madison Street, Suite 2
Port Townsend WA 98368
Phone: 360-379-5047
Fax: 360-385-4290

http://www.cityofpt.us/contactlist.htm

Complain to Ian Jablonski, City of Port Townsend water quality manager , ya know the guy that said to the PT leader that YOU should conserve water. Even though the mill uses 14 MILLION gallons a day. http://www.ptleader.com/news/drought-city-raises-lords-lake-a-second-time-this-year/article_e908d478-19f7-11e5-80cb-13bf9568a566.html


More City of Port Townsend Contact Information

City Council  Main:  


Position #1 Michelle Sandoval     msandoval@cityofpt.us

Position #2 Catharine Robinson     crobinson@cityofpt.us

Position #3 Deborah Stinson     dstinson@cityofpt.us

Position #4 Robert Gray     rgray@cityofpt.us

Position #5 Pamela Adams     padams@cityofpt.us

Position #6 - Mayor David King     dking@cityofpt.us

Position #7 - Deputy Mayor Kris Nelson     knelson@cityofpt.us


The City of Port Townsend can enact LAWS to protect your water, air and soil. Example Below
There Could be a Port Townsend Environmental Bill of Rights Like this City
http://smdp.com/city-council-passes-environmental-bill-of-rights/119705


The Mill and DEQ Refuses to Protect Port Townsend. So complaint directly to the City and the County and Get the Mill Out of Our County, or at the least REALLY actually use new technology to clean the air. They are blatantly poisoning and harassing you, with NO transparency and NO accountability.

Complain to Jefferson County Commissioners. 

P.O. Box 1220
Port Townsend,
WA 98368
jeffbocc@co.jefferson.wa.us

PHONE
Phone: 360.385.9100

Link for More Contact Information
http://www.co.jefferson.wa.us/commissioners/

Sue the County and the Mill, and the DEQ for violations of the Clean Air Act and more cause of actions.  Stand up for your Rights. It takes us all to STAND up United.

Complain to the Department of Ecology at 

Stephanie Ogle at stog461@ecy.wa.gov

Sue the Port Townsend Paper Mill like the story below
http://www.chillicothegazette.com/story/news/local/2015/06/30/glatfelter-faces-million-lawsuit/29514095/

You can File an attorney general complaint and a Department of Justice Complaint. You don't have to have an attorney to file complaints nor to SUE all of the above. You have RIGHTS. No more settling for hey that's the Smell of MONEY.

The Port Townsend Paper Mill is NO Longer 

a Good Fit for the People of Port Townsend, PERIOD.

It is not a Good Image to Poison People.no matter what LIES the Port Townsend Paper Mill tries to feed the Residents of Port Townsend.

"Port Townsend Paper officials see payoff in fostering mill’s local image

PORT TOWNSEND — A community outreach effort by the Port Townsend Paper Corp. has already improved public perception of the mill, a chamber of commerce audience was told Monday.

“If people don’t know what you are doing, they will make something up. People are very creative,” said Kevin Scott, the company’s sustainability manager, in front of about 50 people at the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce’s meeting.

“But if you are upfront and tell them what’s going on, it helps, and our relationship with the community is very good now.”

Scott was one of four mill employees who addressed the chamber Monday, joining General Manager Carr Tyndall, Environmental Officer Annika Wallendahl and Executive Assistant Rita Hubbard.

Wallendahl said the new policies have included inviting the local media for tours and interviews, instituting public tours, establishing a complaint line, talking to community members in a one-on-one format and publishing an online newsletter designed to keep the public aware of mill improvements and environmental projects.

The company said it has also improved its website, www.ptpc.com, which includes job postings, product information and educational outreach information.

The mill held its first open house since 1949 in September, which drew over 400 community members and also improved relations, Wallendahl said.

“A lot of people couldn’t make the open house, so we now offer mill tours around once a month,” Wallendahl said.

Another important outreach program is the mill’s support of community and nonprofit groups.

Tyndall said the company has a line item for community contributions and considers each request for funding on an individual basis.

“We focus on a lot of the youth groups but will fund other things,” said Hubbard, who administers the allocations.

“Everything is subject to approval, but we have a little bit of leeway. As long as you have a good argument as to why you need the money, we can look at it and support it any way we can.”

The increased community goodwill is related to the mill’s efforts to clean up the environment and decrease the odors that emanate from the plant, Wallendahl said.

The company sponsored an odor reduction trial in 2013 that used a robotic raft to inject 6,000 pounds of liquid oxygen daily into the treatment pond, a process that reduced some of the odors, but did not eliminate them.

After the successful trial, the raft is now in full operation.

“We were grateful for the community involvement, it gave us access to a lot more input than we could have gotten on our own,” she said.

Water conservation is one of the company’s biggest concerns, especially if dry conditions continue through the summer.

Tyndall said that the mill’s water use has already been reduced from 15 million to 10 million gallons daily, and that number will decrease even further.

Scott said that he is working on a program to save 3 million gallons a day through reuse of the mill’s effluent, and Tyndall feels that other reuse processes will provide similar savings.

The drought conditions have pushed forward the annual mill closure — usually in December, it could begin as early as October.

“Efficient reuse of water is one of the biggest issues we face,” he said.

“With current drought conditions we are worried about what will happen in the fall. We are very worried that if we don’t get rain we may need to shut down for a while.”


Source
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20150629/news/306299970

You don't have to hire and attorney to sue the Port Townsend Paper Mill or Jefferson County over the Paper Mill. You can sue Pro Se and file in pauperis. You can file diversity and in federal court. More tips on that coming soon.

Meanwhile check out this article as you prepare to SUE the Port Townsend Paper Mill and Jefferson County, and maybe even the Department of Ecology, as the Port Townsend Paper Mill REALLY is violating your constitutional rights. FIGHT BACK.

You have a right to quiet healthy enjoyment of your property, LEGALLY. You have a right to clean air by law. The Port Townsend Paper Mill is VIOLATING YOUR RIGHTS, affecting your property values and flat out poisoning you and yours.

Check this Out

"As a class action suit, the lawsuit might end up representing as many as "hundreds, if not thousands" of potential plaintiffs, according to the suit, as it identifies the class as "all owner/occupants and renters of residential property residing within one and one-half miles of the facility's property boundary."

"Glatfelter faces $5 million lawsuit over emissions

CHILLICOTHE – A Columbus law firm has filed a $5 million class action lawsuit against Glatfelter Inc. over claims from plaintiffs that emissions from the Chillicothe paper mill have damaged property and created a nuisance.

The lawsuit, brought by South Hickory Street resident Teresa Ford, Ervin Avenue resident Jack Leach and Patton Hill Road resident Rhonda Leeson, claims the paper mill releases "noxious odors and air particulates onto Plaintiffs' property, causing property damage through trespass, negligence, gross negligence and nuisance," according to the complaint.

As a class action suit, the lawsuit might end up representing as many as "hundreds, if not thousands" of potential plaintiffs, according to the suit, as it identifies the class as "all owner/occupants and renters of residential property residing within one and one-half miles of the facility's property boundary."

In March, attorneys sent letters to area residents offering a free consultation and the opportunity to join a class action suit against the company.

The lawsuit, filed Monday with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio's Eastern Division, states that the plaintiffs do not wish to close the paper mill but rather seek to stop practices that result in the release of odors.

Glatfelter was mentioned as a possible source in four instances last fall and winter in which foul odors raised concerns among residents.

The first, which took place Sept. 9, was looked into by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, but no connection between the smell and the plant was confirmed, and both Glatfelter and the EPA stated the plant was functioning normally at the time the smell was being reported.

The second involved a Halloween discharge that took place when a mechanism designed to capture sulfur malfunctioned and a backup unit failed, requiring a temporary shutdown of an air handling unit to correct the problem.

The Ohio EPA found in that incident that hydrogen sulfite and methyl mercaptan had been released into the air at levels that required reporting to the EPA. One of the chemicals is a byproduct of the pulping process, whereas the other is mainly an odorant that functions similarly to what is added to odorless natural gas in order to help detect leaks.

In that instance, the EPA determined the amount of the discharge had the potential to cause minor health problems such as sore throats, watery eyes and nausea as far away as a mile. The odor, however, was the focus of several social media posts and some 911 calls from as far away as Columbus and Newark.

The third was noted by the Ohio EPA on Dec. 16 and a fourth was noted on Jan. 7 and 8, according to a notice of violation sent to the company on Feb. 4.

In that letter, the EPA was critical of the amount of time it took the company to report equipment malfunctions from the October and December incidents and stated that both the October and January situations involved emissions above acceptable levels that, under terms of the Ohio Administrative Code, qualify as a public nuisance.

Following that letter, the company was given 30 days to submit a plan and schedule to get the mill back into compliance.

"The plan should specify the corrective actions that will be taken, addressing in particular the timely reporting of malfunctions and prevention of odor-causing events, and the schedule should include a timeline for completing those corrective actions," the letter reads.

In the lawsuit filed Monday, the Columbus firm of Kitrick, Lewis & Harris Co., Columbus attorney Robert J. Wagoner, and Detroit firm Liddle & Dubin P.C. are listed as attorneys of record.

The plaintiffs claim Glatfelter "intentionally, recklessly, willfully, wantonly, maliciously, grossly and negligently failed to construct, maintain and operate the facility" and, as a result, created a nuisance that caused a damage to the plaintiffs' properties as the odors and air particulates settled on their homes and properties.

They also claim that the odors interfere with the enjoyment of their properties and have created "an unreasonable risk of harm" to residents."

Source
http://www.chillicothegazette.com/story/news/local/2015/06/30/glatfelter-faces-million-lawsuit/29514095/

The Port Townsend Paper Mill has Blatant Pollution and Total Disregard for the Rights of Port Townsend to Breath Clean Air

Complain to the City Manager of Port Townsend, the Port Townsend Commissioners.

It is clear that complaining to the mill about the mill is FUTILE.

Complaining to the Department of Ecology is futile as well. They want the Mill to stay open and poisoning us. There are serious rumours of pay offs of the DOE, and even a Port Townsend commissioner though I am not certain which one, I have been told about how it may be happening.

The Port Townsend Paper Mill is poisoning us, why is money put over your rights to clean air?

Jefferson County and the City of Port Townsend have more power than you may think. They can enact laws that would forbid hug polluters in the county and create clean jobs instead.  You have complained to the mill for years and to the Department of Ecology and NOTHING has been done.

The Port Townsend Paper Mill is USING massive amounts of water;

Complain to Ian Jablonski, City of Port Townsend water quality manager , ya know the guy that said to the PT leader that YOU should conserve water. Even though the mill uses 14 MILLION gallons a day. http://www.ptleader.com/news/drought-city-raises-lords-lake-a-second-time-this-year/article_e908d478-19f7-11e5-80cb-13bf9568a566.html

The PortTownsend Paper Mill is clearly acting "out of line with the science and economics of our resources. "

"Hi Crystal,

 Wishing to become involved in efforts to reduce pollution from the PT cardboard mill.

After moving here 2 years ago, I am surprised that the federal and state laws have not reined in the blatant pollution of this mill.

 Ecology has received odor reports from me for the past 24 months, but claims not to have my records from Marrowstone Island.

Ms Davis of Ecology did send me a map of odor reporters—not sure if this does anything.
Noise from the mill seems to have increased in the past week (June 20th 2015) has something recently changed?

Mill using 14 times the amount of fresh water compared to the city of PT during a drought… arghh!
Mill engineers ignore suggestions for “best practice” to reduce odor from their outdated kraft technology.

For example, Toronto paper mill produces less toxin and is less consumptive of water and natural resources.

Wondering if the Port Townsend chamber of commerce has explored alternatives to the mill as an employment base by suggesting a more “green” industry be located there?  Building ferry boats has been suggested.

Please email me with any suggestion for becoming involved more effectively to abate this egregious problem.

John Comstock
Marrowstone Island, WA.


You may post my letter.

I respect you for taking a vigorous position on this issue.
It is easy to see that this mill is out of line with the science and economics of our resources.

I shall explore examples of other mills and communities that have abated such blatant pollution, either through modernizing the process, or—more likely—replacing it with a greener technology.

NRDC seems a likely resource, as does Greenpeace and Sierra Club.  EPA should be doing more, but they seem to be mouthing regulations and platitudes, while turning a blind eye to the gross violations.

Besides the (egregious) 14 million gallons per day water consumption, do you have other statistics on relevant issues such as:

Logging and timber clear cutting, and its effect on siltation of salmon streams
Amount and types of VOCs and other toxins pumped into the air
What is in the discharge water they produce, and its effects
Bark chips floating on the bay, and their effect on the aquatic environment
Amount of fuel burned for transportation to and from the mill
Effect of all those heavy trucks on our roads, and who pays for them
the list goes on…

John Comstock
Marrowstone Island WA."

Port Townsend is in a drought. The Olympic Peninsula is in a state of emergency drought and yet the Port Townsend Paper Mill uses 14 million gallons of clean, fresh water daily and POLLUTES it. All in the name of GREED. "Drought: City raises Lords Lake a second time this year"

The City o Port Townsend is not ready to call it a Crisis YET? 

WTF? It is a serious CRISIS.

The Port Townsend Paper Corp. uses 14 MILLION Gallons a Day. This is NOT acceptable period.  AND the City of Port Townsend want YOU to "conserve water"?? What a Joke.

Ian Jablonski, City of Port Townsend water quality manager wants you to cut down on water use. See it would be a good idea to stop watering lawns and restrict unnecessary water use,” Jablonski said.

SERIOUSLY Port Townsend, are you falling for this CRAP?

I seen a Port Townsend Commissioners meeting last March about the 14 Million Gallon that the Port Townsend Paper Mill uses every SINGLE day and that it is FUTILE to ask the residents to not consume when the Port Townsend Paper Corp. uses an OUTRAGEOUS amount EVERY SINGLE DAY.


"The City of Port Townsend expects to start drawing from Lords Lake this week to meet the city’s water needs – more than two months earlier than is historically normal.

The move signals an increasing awareness of the severely low snowpack throughout the state, which prompted Gov. Jay Inslee to call a statewide emergency drought situation in May.

On Monday, June 22, the state Department of Natural Resources expanded a burn ban on all state-protected lands to include those west of the Cascades.

Even Port Townsend Paper Corp. is looking to save water by considering the installation of a second cooling tower, which would save it an additional 500,000 gallons a day.

Olympic National Park officials, who are currently monitoring a lightning-caused fire in the Queets Valley in West Jefferson, report that this is the Olympic Peninsula's driest year since 1951.

LORDS LAKE

“We’ve never had to draw from the lake this early,” said Ian Jablonski, City of Port Townsend water quality manager and a 22-year city employee. It's typical to draw from the lake in early September, he said.

City officials aren't calling the situation a crisis, but Jablonski said Tuesday it is time for city residents to think about water consumption.

“It would be a good idea for our customers to stop watering lawns and restrict unnecessary water use,” Jablonski said.

At one water gauge below the city's diversion point, the Little Quilcene River had a flow of 32 cubic feet per second, the lowest recorded flow for this time of year since the gauge was installed in 1994, he said.
No official declaration urging water conservation has been made by the city.
In the meantime, the city has received permission from the state Department of Ecology (DOE) to raise the level of Lords Lake for a second time in three months in an effort to capture more water from the Big Quilcene River, which also is dropping because of the low Olympic Mountains snowpack.
“Hopefully, we’ll get a few more million gallons,” Jablonski said of the effort to add to Lords Lake.


Source
http://www.ptleader.com/news/drought-city-raises-lords-lake-a-second-time-this-year/article_e908d478-19f7-11e5-80cb-13bf9568a566.html

The Port Townsend Paper Mill has a HUGE Carbon Footprint and needs to STOP poisoning us as a matter of law. Check out this Groundbreaking Ruling.

I wonder if we, Port Townsend can get Attorney Andrea Rodgers of the Western Environmental Law Center to sue the Port Townsend Paper Mill for poisoning us?

It is time for the Washington Department of Ecology to not be about money for corporations and instead do what you pay them to and PROTECT the actual Ecology of Washington.

"In an unprecedented decision, a judge in Washington State has ruled in favor of a group of young people who filed a lawsuit last year asking that the state be required to develop a science-based plan for limiting carbon emissions in order to protect the climate for future generations.

The lawsuit, Zoe & Stella Frazier v. Washington Department of Ecology, was brought last year by eight teens and preteens, the youngest nine years old, who filed a petition last June with the Department of Ecology, requesting that it develop a rule “to recommend to the legislature an effective emissions reduction trajectory that is based on best available climate science and will achieve safe atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide by 2100.”

“Youth petitioners hereby submit this petition for rulemaking on behalf of themselves, the citizens of the State of Washington, and present and future generations of children,” it said.

Last August, the Department of Ecology denied the petition although it did not deny the scientific basis for it. The petitioners filed an appeal, arguing that they had a right to grow up in a healthy environment. King County Superior Court Judge Hollis Hill agreed with them and ordered the Department of Ecology to reconsider their petition and report back to the court by July 8 whether it will consider the science necessary to climate recovery.

“Washington State’s existing statutory limits should be adjusted to better reflect the current science,” wrote Hill in her decision. “The limits need to be more aggressive in order for Washington to do its part to address climate risks.”

The plaintiffs’ attorney, Andrea Rodgers of the Western Environmental Law Center, pointed to the groundbreaking nature of the decision.

“The effect of this decision is that for the first time in the U.S., a court of law has ordered a state agency to consider the most current and best available climate science when deciding to regulate carbon dioxide emissions,” she said. “The court directed Ecology to apply the agency’s own findings that climate change presents an imminent threat to Washington and demands immediate action. The ball is now in Ecology’s court to do the right thing and protect our children and future generations.”

In a footnote to her order, Judge Hill explained why she rejected the Department of Ecology’s plan to delay acting on emissions."

Source
http://www.truth-out.org/buzzflash/commentary/groundbreaking-court-ruling-says-state-must-address-climate-change-thanks-to-teen-lawsuit

The Port Townsend Paper Mill Consistently creates TOXINS in our air and water. The Washington Department of Ecology and Jefferson County Washington protect them to do so, and this is in the name of the "Smell of Money". As if Jobs created poisoning are air and water are a GOOD THING.

PORT TOWNSEND PAPER MILL SPRINGS A LEAK

"A leak in an underground line at the Port Townsend Paper Corp. earlier this week led to a system shutdown and will require a repair, but there is no impact on the public aside from the smell, mill employees said Wednesday.

“The leak is well within the mill boundaries, and we don't believe any contamination has left the property,” said Kevin Scott, environmental officer for the company.

“While there is a small chance of some odor, the contamination is confined to the site of the leak,” he said.

Monday's leak was in an underground foul condensate pipe that is used to transport wastewater from the mill to a holding pond where toxins are removed before the water is routed into Port Townsend Bay.

Scott said the leak was detected at about 1:45 p.m. and stopped at about 4:15 p.m., letting about 120 gallons of untreated wastewater to spill into the earth.

Once the leak was shut down, the wet earth was excavated, Scott said. It will be examined later to see whether it is hazardous and requires special disposal.

The diverted stream from the leak is going to the treatment pond until the pipe is repaired.

Scott said the company expects to have the system back in full operation this week. He said the mill immediately notified the state Department of Ecology.

The agency had an already-scheduled visit Tuesday.

It took that opportunity to inspect the leak, Scott said.

“They told us at the time they were not concerned,” Scott said.

Ecology spokeswoman Kathy Davis said the agency's industrial section staff engineers were present at the site Wednesday and that the agency's spills program also responded.

The mill recently has encouraged residents to call in with odor complaints, reconfiguring its Community Impact Line, 360-379-4224, for that purpose."

Source

http://www.pulp-paperworld.com/usa/north-american-news/item/4366-port-townsend-paper-mill-springs-a-leak-temporarily

Calling in with Odor COMPLAINTS for YEARS Does NOTHING.

The Washington Department of Ecology is about money, pay offs in my opinion and greed and NOT about the law, the clean air act, clean water laws or the fact that we are in a severe drought.

Port Townsend Paper Mill Gets GRANT Money for FREE to Poison the Air and Water of Port Townsend.

State Department of Commerce grant.

Surely Jefferson County, Port Townsend could have created some pretty amazing JOB, Clean Jobs with no smell of money toxins and no 14 gallons of water being poisoned every day, with a $2 million State Department of Commerce Grant. STOP Giving the Port Townsend Paper Corporation money to poison our Air, WATER, and Soil. And essentially to break the law via the clean air act.
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20091007/NEWS/310079992

Port Townsend Paper leveraged $53 million in additional funding to match the $2 million state Department of Commerce Grant.

STOP Giving the Port Townsend Paper Corporation money to poison our Air, WATER, and Soil. And essentially to break the law via the clean air act.

We are in a TIME OF massive dangerous drought. And the arrogance of the "Smell of Money" is poisoning 14 million gallons of water a day. And then putting it back into the Port Townsend Bay. Is this a Port Townsend Value?

The most important thing is clean air, clean water, and clean soil. The Port Townsend Paper mill is poisoning us.

It is a fact that the fine particle air that the Port Townsend Paper mill is spewing is toxic. The city of Port Townsend can enact laws to stop this pollution that we are all breathing. It is not about the Smell of Money that is for the corporations. The mill can provide other CLEAN options for the workers. It is a violation of the Clean Air Act for Jefferson County to continue letting the Port Townsend Mill poison our air and in the name of what? Money?

What is your life, your lungs, your kids life and health worth? It is a Public Safety issue that we are breathing toxic air. That on top of the Port Townsend Paper mill using 14 million gallons of clean water a day, that they poison and put into the Port Townsend Bay. We are currently putting their money, putting money in general in front of the rights we have to Clean Air and Clean Water, the rights of the ecosystem in the Port Townsend Bay, and our right to clean drinking water.

Our AIR is the MOST important Issue. Really what could be more important?

Shut Down the Port Townsend Paper MILL
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shut-Down-the-Port-Townsend-Paper-Mill/1600063010208886?fref=ts

STOP Poisoning US

Port Townsend Police Brutality?

Port Townsend Alleged Police Brutality Incident.
Stay Tuned for more information. It is said there were many witnesses.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1596929913911566/

Port Townsend Mill holds Port Townsend Hostage and no one can seem to do anything.

The air in Port Townsend is Toxic. What the Port Townsend Mill puts out is well known, and is TOXINS, flat out. Yet Jefferson County protects them and so does the state of Washington. It seems that Toxic Jobs are more important than the health of the citizens of Port Townsend.

On top of that, the Port Townsend Mill takes 14 million gallons of pristine mountain water, pollutes it then puts it into the port townsend bay. Meanwhile we are to save water and in a drought, WOW.

Is it FRAUD to Lie KNOWINGLY in Bankruptcy Documents? MAYBE depending on who you are. It is my opinion based on the Below that the Port Townsend Paper Mill Lied on Federal Bankruptcy Documents about known Toxins.

This article was in 2007, yet the Port Townsend Paper Mill CERTIFIED they did not know of hazards to health, on their bankruptcy filings.

http://porttownsendpapermill.blogspot.com/2013/05/this-article-was-in-2007-yet-port.html

What is the Smell in Port Townsend. So many Google what is the smell in Port Townsend. The Smell in Port Townsend is TOXIC, it will most likely make you SICK in visible and non-visible ways. The Smell in Port Townsend is BAD for ALL aspects of Healthy life in Port Townsend Washington

The Smell in Port Townsend is the Port Townsend Paper Mill's Toxic Emmissions.

This Blog Post is written in my opinion and to the best of my knowledge.

The Port Townsend Paper Mill takes 14 million gallons of pristine Olympic Mountain water a day from the Little Quilcene River and the Big Quilcene River, and they pollute it, fill it with toxins and create yucky toxic water that they dump into the Port Townsend Bay.

They have a SLUDGE pond that creates toxic soil and huge toxic odor. When they remove sludge in trucks it goes to unknown sources and is said to be able to be used as fill for playgrounds, parks, agriculture and other and that the Port Townsend Paper Mill does not have to disclose what is in the SLUDGE as that is the alleged legal responsibility of the end user.

The toxic air, of which is said to contain 1000 lbs of ammonia a day and other known carcigens, this causes massive health problems that many cannot recover from and so they leave Jefferson County, Port Townsend. Their Doctor even tells them, hey your kids can't get better here, or you can't get better here and so they have to move from this alleged pristine area.

Jefferson County seems to love the Port Townsend Paper Mill as many say it's the smell of money. Which is shocking, as it's money for big corporation, for doctors healing lung cancer and other major health problems the mill cause and as for the workers, they don't seem to mind that this affecting their health as yes they are making a living, the thing is, at what cost?

The toxins that the mill puts out, seems to be a known fact, it seems that Jefferson County, the City of Port Townsend and Washington Department of Ecology simply looks the other way and keeps this toxic waste site (in my opinion) spewing air that is harming the health and public safety of the area ( in my opinion due to the ability to read). They seem to do this willfully and wanton, to protect the mill and the jobs that come with it.

The Washington Governor seems big on taxing companies that spew CO2, this mill spews tons daily and for now they seem to hve no conscience nor accountability held on them and are even self monitored.

The WA Governor recently called for an emergency drought on the Olympic Peninsula, oh well, who cares right?

The city of Port Townsend uses 1 million gallons a day for the needs of the people. The Port Townsend Paper Mill pollutes and wastes 14 million gallons a day with total disregard for the environment, or the people ( in my opinion).

The EPA seems to know what is coming out of the Port Townsend Paper and so does the Washington Department of Ecology, and they look the other way.

We have otters, whales, herons, and tons of sea life and wildlife here as well as lot's of organic farms, and well lot's of people that want and have a legal right as a matter of law to Clean Air and Clean Water.  Yet this issue is swept under the proverbial rug over and over.

It makes no sense how Jefferson County Washington can have Organic Farms when the air is polluted as far as the information I have seen.

Go out at night, with a flashlight, tons of yellow fine particles, YEP you come to Port Townsend, our beautiful amazing town and you breath Toxic Air, so does your children, your babies, elderly and guess what; the worst of the "what's that smell" in Port Townsend goes right into our hospital and schools; oh well the county, state and federal officials look the other way to create toxic jobs.

For More Information on your Google Search "What's that Smell In Port Townsend" Check Out the Links Below.

http://www.porttownsendpaper.com/

The Port Townse Smell is Port Townsend Paper Mill Emissions
http://ptairwatchers.org/port-townsend-paper-mill-emissions/

Why is the Port Townsend Paper Mill ALLOWED by the City of Port Townsend and Jefferson County Washington to put KNOWN Toxins into the Air, Water and Soil?

The Port Townsend Paper Mill is MAKING YOU SICK, Lowering Your Immune System and causing you Serious Health Risks

http://porttownsendnews.blogspot.com/2014/12/why-is-port-townsend-paper-mill-allowed.html

EPA Did NOTHING
http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2011/pulp-mills-09-26-2011.html

http://www.nationofchange.org/paper-mill-air-pollution-standards-25-years-out-date-environmental-groups-sue-epa-1323967682

Jefferson County Public Health Does NOTHING
http://jeffersoncountypublichealth.blogspot.com/2014/12/state-of-washington-department-of.html

Remember when Reading Blogs, When You get to the bottom, go to the lower right and click older posts to keep going.

Port Townsend Paper Mill Toxic Air
http://olympicgazette.blogspot.com/search?q=Paper+Mill

http://porttownsendnews.blogspot.com/search?q=Paper+Mill

Port Townsend Mill Facebook information
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Port-Townsend-Paper-Mill/245153762294452?fref=ts&__nodl

PT Airwatchers Facebook Page
https://www.facebook.com/groups/10150099332035319/?fref=ts

PT Airwatchers Web Site
http://ptairwatchers.org/

Massive Co2 YET County, State, EPA all do NOTHING but Protect the Mill
http://ptairwatchers.org/2014/10/06/pt-paper-emits-1-6-times-as-much-co2-as-all-other-sources-in-jeffco-wa/

The Toxic Pond (this article was removed by the Port Townsend Leader, who I allege protects the Port Townsend Mill to Knowingly Poison the Port Townsend People
https://web.archive.org/web/20130423165340/http://ptleader.com/main.asp?SectionID=36&SubSectionID=55&ArticleID=33384

Background about the Smell in Port Townsend
http://ptairwatchers.org/background-the-stink/

The Air Makes Some Dizzy, Check Out this guy
What Does it Smell Like in Port Townsend and Port Hadlock / Irondale?: https://youtu.be/3k4mT1sI37I

I myself stayed at the Manresa Castle for a while and woke up some nights seizing in my chest. Felt like my organs were shutting down, throat badly swollen. Sinuses burning badly.  Stomach Cramping, Eyes Swollen. Horrible inner ear pain.

I have lived rural here as well and had burning eyes, ear pain and other symptoms. So why stay? The thing is Port Townsend is such a cool town, and it's so beautiful here. The people are so amazing and well I love it here. Plus for me it is a Spiritual Calling.  However, whether we choose to stay or leave the smell and toxic air of Port Townsend or not, the Port Townsend Paper Mill is seemingly breaking the law and causing a public safety issue and environmental hazard and it's time to STOP.

I know many who have had to leave to get their children to safe air. This is a serious issue and seems to be something that Jefferson County is either unable or unwilling to tackle.  Clearly the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act as well as our constitutional rights should trump the alleged "Smell of Money" YAP they use to keep poising the Port Townsend Bay, Port Townsend Air, Whales, Otters, Babies, those in the local hospital, fish and wildlife, organic farms and all of us citizens who SHOULD have the legal rights to Clean Air, Clean Water and Clean Soil.

A Few More Research Links

http://olympicnationalforestnews.blogspot.com/2014/12/investigative-blogger-crystal-cox-says.html

What is that Horrible Smell in Port Townsend ?

What is that Smell in Port Townsend?

Who to Call to Complain

Call the County,  Call the Mayor, Call your Commissioners, Call the State Department of Ecology, Call your Senator, Call the Governors Office, File Lawsuits, File Attorney General Complaints.  I believe the Port Townsend Paper Mill is breaking the LAW. Expose them, Sue them.

Also Call These Numbers to Complain

Stephanie Ogle, PE

W2R - Industrial Section
360-407-6355
stog461@ecy.wa.gov

Angie Fritz
anfr461@ECY.WA.GOV
360-407-7393

Mill Phone Number: 360-379-4244

Complaints re Port Townsend Paper Corp stink
Email anfr461@ECY.WA.GOV
360-407-7393 

LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD; YOU HAVE RIGHTS 

AS A MATTER OF LAW, PERIOD

Washington State Governor calls for Emergency Drought, yet the Port Townsend Paper Mill uses 14 million gallons of water a day and the city of Port Townsend only uses a Million a Day. City of Port Townsend seems to be taking this VERY serious and is about to let the public know.

So, not only does the Port Townsend Paper Mill pollute our air, water, and soil. But they also draw from the same water source as the town of Port Townsend and use 14 times more a day then the entire city of Port Townsend.

At the March 16th 2015 Port Townsend Commissioners meeting during the City Manager's Report, it was discussed about the situation of how much water the Port Townsend Paper Mill uses and how this affects the city of Port Townsend. They said this information will be out in an upcoming newsletter, probably in May.

Those reporting on the mill have discussed for years that the mill is using and seemingly polluting massive amounts of water, then putting it into the Port Townsend Bay.

The mill uses 14 MILLION gallons a day, even if they shut down in a state of emergency, they need a massive amount of water just to keep things going in a shut down mode, per the discussion at the commissioners meeting.

This is a very big deal and will hopefully wake up more of the Port Townsend Residents as to how BAD the Port Townsend Paper Mill is for Port Townsend.

News on Washington Drought State of Emergency

http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN0M92DJ20150313?irpc=932
Port Townsend is in an EMERGENCY drought situation yet the Port Townsend Paper Mill uses 14 million gallons of water a day.

Declared Emergency Drought Region
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/drought/

http://www.capitalpress.com/Washington/20150313/washington-governor-declares-drought-in-three-regions


Click Below for Video and Agenda of Port Townsend Commissioners Meeting Dating March 16th, 2015.

http://cityofpt.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=4&clip_id=1005
http://www.cityofpt.us/video.htm
It was discussed in the City Manager Report section of the commisser's meeting.

hmm is this where Roger Hagan is going next?

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12 Feb	17:20:14	rogerhaganporttownsendpaper.blogspot.com/

Why does the Port Townsend Leader (local newspaper) protect the Port Townsend Paper Mill to poison us? The SMELL in Port Townsend is POISON coming from the Port Townsend Paper Mill as far as I see it.

''The pond, the smell

PT mill's discharge permit, expired in 2009, now up for public review

A 33-acre pond – also known as an aerated stabilization basin – at the Port Townsend Paper Corp. is up for review this spring.

It is considered a source of odor that some in Port Townsend find offensive and others say is “the smell of a paycheck.” PT Paper has the largest industrial secondary waste permit in Jefferson County.

Allison Arthur, assistant editor

The first in a series of stories on the Port Townsend Paper Corp.’s proposed new discharge permit.
It’s affectionately called “the pond” at the Port Townsend Paper Corp. and less affectionately referred to as “the thing that stinks” by people who live near it or pass by it.

It is the largest industrial wastewater treatment plant in Jefferson County.

And starting April 24, paper company officials and the community have an opportunity to start discussing what conditions should apply to what is technically an aerated stabilization basin (ASB), when the state Department of Ecology issues a draft National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Waste Discharge Permit.

A public workshop and hearing follow, with comments taken through June 21.

The mill’s discharge permit, last written in 2004, expired in 2009. A new draft contains new requirements for monitoring groundwater, monitoring sediment under the outfall and well as studying the efficiency of the pond. These requirements are now up for public review, including at a public hearing likely to occur in late May or early June.

The mill’s permit to use, reuse, treat and then discharge more than 12 million gallons of water daily into Port Townsend Bay is likely to be controversial.

Both the PT AirWatchers and the Port Townsend Citizen Watchdogs, two organizations that have been critical of the mill’s practices, have been eyeing the state’s progress on the permit review for months.

It is the third permit in four years that Jefferson County’s largest private employer has had to review with the public watching and commenting.

A permit to build a $55 million electric-generating biomass project, approved by the DOE in 2010, has been appealed by a group of environmentalists to the state Supreme Court.

A permit to continue to operate a 23-acre landfill, contested in 2012, is headed to the state Pollution Control Hearings Board in August.

Jefferson County and the DOE joined hands and want the mill to seek a more environmentally stringent permit; the mill is happy with a permit it’s had for years that doesn’t require testing or proof it has the financial means to close the landfill once its full.

And now comes the discharge permit, a permit some believe is caused by the treatment pond.

Discharge permit delay

Although the mill’s discharge permit expired in 2009, both the DOE and the mill agree that the mill applied for a renewal on time.

“It’s a standard renewal,” said Kevin Scott, the paper company's new environmental director. “We applied in 2009 and Ecology is finally getting caught up with paperwork.”

“They regulate a lot of stuff. They are some busy people.”

Garin Schrieve, DOE industrial section manager who is in charge of the permit, said the permit has been routinely issued since national pollution laws were enacted in the 1970s.

Those permits typically are reviewed every five years.

“In this case, this permit was last written in 2004,” Schrieve said. “It should have been renewed in 2009 provided we had the resources.”

State officials say they didn’t have the resources and so didn’t review the permit until now.

DOE spokeswoman Lind Kent said it is not unusual for an expired permit to be extended. She likened it to a home lease that expires and converts to a month-to-month lease.

“We wish we could rewrite every permit before it’s expired,” Kent said.

The NPDES is under the federal Clean Water Act. Washington has an agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to administer the program and oversee permits.

“If it’s not reissued in five years, provided the company had made an application for renewal on time, the permit stays in effect until it’s rewritten,” Schrieve said of where the permit is now.

So, until the permit is rewritten, which is happening now, the permit that was written almost a decade ago is still in effect.

Largest discharge

The draft permit spells out discharge limitations for pollutants into Port Townsend Bay. By volume, it is the largest permit of six in Jefferson County.

“Port Townsend Paper Company is the largest discharger by volume of six permittees in Jefferson County. Their average daily discharge is 12 million gallons,”

Schrieve said. “The City of Port Townsend is the next largest discharger in the county with an average discharge of around 1.4 million gallons per day."

Other permit holders include Fort Flagler State Park, New Day Fisheries, located at the Port of Port Townsend, Olympic Corrections Center in West Jefferson County and the Port Ludlow Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Although a new discharge permit wasn’t reissued in 2009, the mill continued to monitor and comply with the requirements of the old permit, Schrieve said.

And DOE has been conducting on-site inspections. It did three inspections in 2012 and did sampling as part of an inspection on Aug. 1, 2012, officials said.

The mill was found out of compliance with its old permit 12 times since 2004. 

A Leader story detailing those violations will be published later in this series.

 Studies sought

Some of the changes in the new proposed draft permit include requirements for studies on the impact of the mill’s discharge of water on Port Townsend Bay.

“One of the things we do in permit reissuances is to look at the environmental data surrounding the discharge,” said Schrieve.

In this case, DOE is proposing to require the mill to conduct a “receiving water study” at its discharge location, which is about 1,200 feet from the shoreline, out in Port Townsend Bay.

The data would be used to help determine if the water quality standards are being met.

In addition, DOE wants a sediment impact analysis, which would require the mill to take samples of sediment around the outfall, 40 to 45 feet below the surface of the bay.

DOE also is asking for a study of groundwater impact associated with the treatment pond. The mill would be asked to study groundwater adjacent to and under the pond. Such testing has not been done before, Schrieve said.

Perhaps the most potentially controversial area of the permit involves the removal of sludge, or buildup, inside the pond. It is that buildup that could be contributing to what many people associate with “the smell.”

DOE is asking the mill to do an engineering study that looks at the pond's efficiency.

“We’ve asked for a treatment efficiency study before, but what we’re asking for that’s new is that we’re asking them in this study to look at how well the pond is treating those odorous compounds,” said Schrieve.

Odors associated with the pond could be produced by a number of different things, Schrieve said. It could be that the bacteria that eat the waste in the pond aren’t getting enough oxygen, or it could be decaying bacteria decomposing and producing hydrogen sulfide.

Some of the mill’s processes also produce odorous wastewater that are routed to the pond for treatment. So it could also be that compounds coming off the pond are contributing to the odor problems.

“I think the goal here is to determine how well the pond is destroying those smelly pollutants,” Schrieve said.

Mill and opponents

Up until 1971, effluent from the mill went straight into Port Townsend Bay, Scott said. Now, there is a primary treatment system as well as a secondary treatment system, which is what the pond does, he said.
Scott said the mill spent $3.5 million in 2005-2006 to upgrade the efficiency of the pond.

Although the pond holds 60 million gallons of water, it discharges an average of about 12 million gallons of water a day – roughly the same amount of water as it takes in each day.

In January, Scott said he didn’t know what changes might be included in a new discharge permit.

“You get a driver’s license in the state of Washington and every so often you have to renew it,” Scott said. “We have an operating permit for a water treatment system and you have to renew it every five years.”

Scott said the DOE’s Marc Heffner pays the mill unannounced calls and everything has to be ready for those spot inspections, including the pond.

“We might get a call from the gate house that Marc Heffner is here and he wants to come in,” Scott said. “If you knew the IRS could come into your home at any day and review your information, would you have it ready? We have to make sure it’s ready.”

Environmental watchdogs aren’t so sure the DOE or the mill have taken the public’s interest as seriously as Scott portrays.

 Accountability

Gretchen Brewer, who founded PT AirWatchers, said she was told initially that air emissions from the pond are not regulated by the discharge permit, but that the pond itself, including what material goes into it, is covered by the discharge permit.

“Fumes from the ASB have not been included at all,” said Brewer. “I think it is very important. It gives us another piece of where are things being accounted for.

“If they aren’t accounting for air emissions from the pond in the air permit, then they should be accounting for them in the water permit. And likewise, if they aren’t accounting for sludge in the landfill permit, where are they accounting for it?”

Brewer, Dave McWethy and others say the mill hasn’t accounted for a lot of sources of pollution – and the discharge permit is where that could change.

Editor’s note: The Leader endeavors to follow this permit process as it did with a permit for the landfill in 2012.''

Source of REMOVED article
https://web.archive.org/web/20130423165340/http://ptleader.com/main.asp?SectionID=36&SubSectionID=55&ArticleID=33384

For more information on the Port Townsend stench and toxins in the air, check out

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shut-Down-the-Port-Townsend-Paper-Mill/1600063010208886?skip_nax_wizard=true&ref_type=page_profile

https://www.facebook.com/groups/10150099332035319/

http://porttownsendpapermill.blogspot.com/

''PT Paper mill sold to newly created Crown Paper Group'' and thereby continue poisoning the City of Port Townsend. Crown Paper Group is now to continue the legacy of poisoning Port Townsend Washington.

''Port Townsend Paper Corporation has been sold to a newly created holding company, Crown Paper Group, that has also purchased PTPC's sister mill, Crown Packaging, which has mills in Canada, for an undisclosed amount.

Mill employees, public officials and community leaders were being informed this morning, Feb. 10, of the transaction, which is expected to be closed in the next few days, according to a press release.
A new holding company, Crown Paper Group, was formed by Lindsay Goldberg LLC of New York to buy the holding company that owned both mills. The holding company was wholly owned by GoldenTree Assets, an asset managing company based in New York.

No changes in Port Townsend mill operations were announced.

“It is very positive for the mill, our company and our community because the company that's purchasing us is interested in investing in our business and making it better and more viable for the future. They are interested in building the company,” said PTPC President Roger Hagan. Hagan plans to stay on as president under the new ownership.''

Source
http://www.ptleader.com/news/pt-paper-mill-sold-to-newly-created-crown-paper-group/article_57982090-b14f-11e4-834b-bfe9d4afa2e9.html

Jefferson County needs to enact laws to STOP the  Crown Paper Group from poisoning us.

Port Townsend Paper Corp. looks like it will continue to dump toxins into the Port Townsend Air now via Crown Paper Group, Inc. of Atlanta.

''PORT TOWNSEND — The Port Townsend Paper Corp., is changing ownership this week, with a newly formed holding company purchasing the mill and its assets, it was announced on Tuesday. 

Crown Paper Group, Inc. of Atlanta will close on the sale later this week as it purchases the Port Townsend Holdings Company, Inc., which includes Port Townsend Paper Corp., along with Crown Corrugated Company in British Columbia, which does business as Crown Packaging and Boxmaster.

A sales purchase agreement has been signed and the transaction is expected to be finalized in the next few days, according to company president Roger Hagen. 

The amount of the sale will not be publicly disclosed, Hagen said Tuesday. 

The purchase will not immediately change operations at the mill, which employs about 300 employees and is Jefferson County's largest private employer.

Hagen said he plans to stay on as president and there will be no change in personnel in the near future.

The new company also has purchased other properties, including distribution centers in Kelowna, British Columbia, and Calgary, Alberta, to form the new paper packaging company. 

The sale process took approximately six months to complete, according to Alan Ulman, a spokesman for the new company.''

Source
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20150210/NEWS/150219999

Washington State Attorney General; Jefferson County Public Health

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