" In his Letter To The Editor on 02/11/07 Ray Naud wrote that this sludge plant would consume 600,000 gallons of water per day. That's 219,000,000 gallons of water consumed per year. For what?

For 20 or so jobs that some poor destitute Mexicali workers are willing to fill?

And then the county and state folks have the nerve to tell us we need to cut back on our water consumption.

This whole scheme stinks (pun intended). "

" This is our home. We're making it OUR paradise where our kids can play outside just like we did 30 years ago. Alot of people are working very hard to make the Imperial Valley a great place to live healthy, work safely, and play rigorously. Get out of our way, MISTER! "

" Can you think of a better place to dump the waste and sewage than IV? Look around > this is not exactly paradise around here. "

" I guess what some people fail to realize is that the ballot initiative is part of the “system.” I’ve seen projects be permitted despite the health risks which were pointed out in an EIR. Why? The “system” only works for those who participate in it. Well, this is a time in which people are participating. Thank you “aguaporchocolate” for reminding us, through the words of Margret Meads, of the power of a community working together. Such is the case with the Measure X supporters.

Watch the documentary “Crapshoot: A gamble with our waste.” It will give you a holistic picture of this issue.
Here is a preview: Go to YOUTUBE and type in watch?v=o6F_dyKbK2U in their search engine.
"

" Good Point Chalio! We should have never deposited our sludge on another soil. SO very wrong. I agree. I think that was done during a dinner meeting (not covered under the Brown Act)one day perhaps in a California Rockies skybox. That said, sludge from 20,000 toilets is quite different from 20,000,000 toilets or 5 counties-the largest in the nation. And let's not forget about all those hospitals, metal plating factories, machine shops, etc that dump down the sewer drains everyday in all those big cities.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."-Margaret Mead "

" We ARE in the EIR process. You mean the very EIR that was supposed to be out last November-then Dec, then Jan, now Feb? The EIR that is evaluating a "biomass" power plant? The EIR should evaluate the true nature of the project. Call it what is really is, not some dressed up name to make us buy salvaged Cadillac with a lawnmower engine. Not afraid of the EIR at all. We ask for it every week. We're told LIberty is dragging their heals, not us. BRING IT ON! They revise this ,,revise that..changing the players and the plays but it's all the same ball game. The County says if its not safe they'll shut it down? The Planning department is supposed to monitor Clean Harbors in Westmorland. That's the biggest joke Mr. Hueberger played on us years ago. They are in their second notice of deficiency today and still operating-accepting everything but sewer sludge. Oh, didn't know that the county banned them from bringing in sewer sludge years ago? That darn Commerce clause is so inequitable. Who's CRYING WOLF, now? "

" I agree, Miss Nava, wonderful metaphor by aguaporchocolate!
Considering that that is exactly what, us, yes us, Imperial Valley Residents are doing to Arizona residents.
We have been shipping our poop for them to put on non-farmground. Yes, we feel at ease because we say that they put it on non-consumable crops like cotton and hay.
I just hope that someday we have a way of figuring out which cow in which hamburger ate the hay that was fertilized with our poop. What will we do the day Arizona outlaws land use of poop? What will we do then? Will we say, we should have taken an opportunity and evaluated this proposal?
What are we afraid of? Why do so many people want to stop this proposal before it gets to the Environmental Review? If what is being said about air quality and everything else is true, the report will confirm it. Or are Measure X backers, whose names I primarily see on this blog, afraid that the report will prove that they were just crying wolf? Give the system an opportunity to work! "

" The allegory by "aguaporchocolate" helps us understand what's going on with this sludge issue. Many of the highly populated counties are thinking that they can deal with their waste problem by simply giving it away, along with a few dollars for the recipient’s troubles. Liberty Energy would like to be the recipient, and make Imperial County home to one of its incinerators to dispose of it. In Canada recently, Liberty Energy was required to reapply for a permit for their incinerator because they initially applied for a permit for an energy plant, but it was later realized by the government that it needed to be permitted as a waste disposal facility instead. Why haven’t our supervisors recognized yet that this is a waste disposal facility? Recently, Ventura County passed an ordinance to ban the exportation of their sludge and instead chose to deal with it within their own county. Kudos to Ventura County! Don’t let Liberty Energy make us the recipient of other counties problems! VOTE YES ON MEASURE X ON FEBRUARY 5TH TO STOP THE SLUDGE FROM COMING IN TO OUR HOME!!! "

" So I want to build a new house but that whole "plumbing the restroom" thing has got me down. I don't want to deal with that whole permitting thing. Never mind that it's illegal to build a house without a toilet. My family hates the smell of toilets and I want to do right by them. Furthermore, I absolutely hate having to pay the sewer/water costs every month. I've got a plan! I think I'll convince my neighbor to let me dispose of my waste at his house. I'll even put a quarter on my neighbor's toilet everytime I want to use the restroom or take a shower. That way I won't have to "deal" with the problem nor will I have to pay to dispose of my waste. My family will love me! I I won't even have to clean up after I'm done with it. A quarter should do. Nevermind that I haven't taken responsibility for what should be mine. Hey if the neighbor to my right won't do it. I'll convince my neighbor to the left since they're really poor and need the cash. "

" sludge is here to stay. the county can not "control the roads or hiways" it can not control what is built or not built in other countries.

we are choking with cowcrap now.

it was announced yesterday that orange county is reclaiming 70 millions gallons of waste water daily. yes. thats water from the sewers.

this water is being used for water drinking comsumption.

cities are not going to get smaller---we better find a way--to burn a lot more of the crap.

if not here, where ?

"

" Edward Bernays, one of the early pioneers of the public relations field stated, "Public Relations is a management function which tabulates public attitudes, defines the policies, procedures and interest of an organization followed by executing a program of action to earn public understanding and acceptance."

Liberty Energy just “tabulated public attitudes” and adjusted their message accordingly in order for the public to accept their project. People in Imperial Valley are sensitive to the fact that pollution does come across the border and environmental policies and enforcement isn’t always what it should be in Mexico. Therefore, Liberty pulled out an old PR trick out of their hat and stated that it would be built in Mexicali. Why not choose Tijuana? It is closer to San Diego and other coast cities. It would save on fuel costs.

It is time to pull the curtain back and not be deceived by the fire, smoke, and mirrors of public relation tactics. Because there is no place like home.
"

" Imperial County is probably the best place to dump Southern California sludge. The New River is already all sludge. I just don't like driving behind one of the sludge trucks bringing the stuff over here from the coast. "

" Thought about your dillusional comment and I pose a few questions, Joey. If in fact, Liberty 20 is a power plant, don't they have to apply for a permit/license with the State. As of today, they are not on the list of applications at the California Energy Commission, the agency charged with licensing true certified power plants. So many Union workers losing out? Where? How? This is nothing more a scene from the Wizard of Oz. "

" Smell of Money Farmerjoe. FYI- I am from here. Are you? This is my home. Will you be able to call this your home 10 years from now? If Liberty WAS going to build in MX, then why haven't they already? Unions? Name the union? Cite your sources. Are we fighting for sludge in the name of the Union? Really? Sounds like you're someone who settles for mediocrity. 20 questions- Have you served on the County Board? "

" I guess this guarantees the passage of Prop "X" which would ban sludge in Imperial county. "

" Bermudez, your full of the stuff. Liberty was going to build in MX, possibly your home? They decided to build here. At least they are going to send the worse of the offensive odors(July and August) up to the high noses in Palm Springs. S*** Haulers pass through daily, already, so you might as well try for the union jobs that they are giving away. That is the real backer here, folks. If the plant was built in Mexico, all of the the Unions would lose out. Think about it. Electrical Unions, Linemans Unions, PoleSitters Union, all of them need more influx of cash to give to your friend, Hillary. "

" "To each his own"-sludge, that is. "

" Another lie, it is not energy! It takes an energy source to burn it. Fluidized, Bubbling Gasifiers have never been documented to produce a positive net energy quanity. Some of you need to understand that they will make money off of the emission credits for being a polluting source, not by producing electricity. It's Energy Laudering! By the way, waste hauling drivers would never make it back over to this side if they cross into MEXICO. Too costly, too timely, and biosolids isn't covered under NAFTA! That Mexico thing was just a PR scam. "

" Another lie from the Wilson files…
“On Thursday, Nolan also said the most favorable uses for the two projects would be to use sludge from the Oxnard and Ventura areas for the Banning site and use waste from San Diego for the Niland plant.”

On 10/17/07, Ventura County Board of Supervisors adopted a policy to stop EXPORTING their sludge.

Ummmm…uh-oh… Perhaps we’ll need a truck not unlike the SNAP-ON tool type to house all those monkey wrenches.


"

" Who cares who’s sludge it is. It is energy and something we need. It is better to burn it and make electricity then just dump it in a land fill. "

" Just dump it all in the New River near the border. Then no one will notice any change and we will only have a lttle more sewage running through the IV. "

" wow--you dimwhits never cease to amaze me. this company threatened to move the plant to mexico. In mexico they would do it with less controll and the wind would push it over to us, anyway.

dont you people know that hundreds, if not thousand of trucks of sludge pass thru the valley ?

that sludged is used in yuma, arizona.

you are all about 20 years to late with your concerns.

"

" I guess the county board of supervisors and this newspaper are finally seeing WHAT MOST SANE people already know: this sludge plant will benefit everyone else except the Imperial Valley. Now, please IV Press, quit standing in the way of progress by supporting the polluters. "

" More political rhetoric by Gary Wyatt. He is trying to impress the residents of Imperial Cpunty he is straddling the fence and can go either way when in fact he is a supportor of Liberty Energy. It is time Wyatt be replaced. "

" This is no revelation. Nolan, CEO of Liberty, has said that sludge would be trucked in from places all over southern California, San Diego being included. Moreover, it may not even be limited to that once the plant is in operation.

“Word that Liberty Energy’s proposed waste-to-energy plant north of Niland could be run primarily off San Diego “sludge” throws a “monkey wrench” into the project, Imperial County Supervisor Gary Wyatt said.” “MONKEY WRENCH”—Come on! He knew all along. Does running for reelection have anything to do with this statement?

Wyatt stated, “if the plan was to use San Diego sludge, the project would have been better suited being placed in the Southend of the Imperial Valley.” This was originally proposed in the Southend of the Valley and the people there opposed it. People wrote letters to the Board of Supervisors [look at BofS records for March ‘06] and the city of Imperial passed a resolution against the importation of sewage sludge at that time. Wyatt contradicts himself, in the very same IV Press article (August 26,2006) in which it states, “Soon after Liberty Energy pulled the project, Wyatt approached the company and suggested it consider another site” it also states “The waste would come from Los Angeles, San Diego and Orange counties.” However, it is on record that he opposed the first site (in the southend of the Valley) even when he knew the fact that San Diego sewage waste would be included. In the same article it mentions, “Soon after Liberty Energy pulled the project, Wyatt approached the company and suggested it consider another site.” Moreover, a few days later in the IV Press the same thing is mentioned (August 30, 2006). “But as soon as that project died, Supervisor Gary Wyatt approached the company about relocating the facility, which began a new process to find a site.”

Sir Winston Churchill can sum up what IV Residents have faced, by just a very small percentage of the population that would like the Valley to become a dumping ground for sewage waste, in their pursuit to uncover the truth and educate the public and county officials.…."Truth is incontrovertible, malice may attack it and ignorance may deride it, but, in the end, there it is."

Vote YES on Measure X to stop the importation of sewage sludge from ALL counties.
"

" I don't think it matters where it comes from, it's wrong. To each, their own. Why is it now a "monkey wrench?" The whole project has been straight out of a zoo from the get go. So suddenly there are "more" impacts just because it's not going to be isolated to the Northend. WE are Imperial Valley. Each and every one of us who live, work, and breathe here. This new "news" is the tip of the iceberg in mis and disinformation on Liberty's part. "No cow manure, yes cow manure, industrial waste, no industrial waste. Yes we monitor, no we don't." It's indicative of the lies that have yet to be uncovered. IV, do your homework. Hopefully, we won't have to look back and say "damn, we should have known back then." C'mon Imperial Valley, vote yes on X and help us say STOP the insanity. This sludge project will drastically affect quality of life in Imperial Valley. Once it's here and it gets burned 24/7, it will destroy the Imperial Valley. Liberty destroyed Kern and San Joaquin Valleys and now they're planning to destroy our Valley. Do us favor, Liberty, bow out gracefully. "

" This entire article sounds like this sludge plant is a done deal. What about the people who have to live here and breathe the emissions? I thought the people were going to vote on Measure W and decide if we the taxpayers want this sludge plant. Or is this another one of those deals like the Gold Fields dump site that was decided years before it was presented to the populace?
This article makes it sound like Liberty Energy and the county supervisors are just going through the motions of proposing this sludge plant to the Imperial County voters, however, they're going to shove it down our throats, literally.
I have not seen one political sign on the roadway opposing Measure W. I guess they already have a judge ready to rule Measure W unconstitutional.
Any you wonder why people fail to vote. "

" There,s still plenty of open land around the City of San Diego's Metro BioSolids Center/Miramar Landfill area just south of Miramar Naval Air Station. They also have the North City Sewage Plant built there afew years ago. Why can't they build this plant there and save on the transportation costs? Are they too good for their own waste? "

" sludge is being trucked from san diego and la areas for years and noboby bitched about trucks run i-8 hy 86, 111,115 and 78 all the time driving thru iv to yuma if you can't see them you can smell them check out all tarped trucks coming down the hill "

" My recollection is that the plant location was promoted as being on the edge of the valley so the impacts would be minimal. Now it is being brought to light that the trucks hauling the sludge may be driving through the main portion of the valley. Yet this was never publicized before! "