Oakwood Hills residents voice concern over proposed power plant

 

Bill is a former resident of the Oakwood Hills area.  And he thought this story would interest some blog followers.  To some degree it is a “not in my backyard” story but openness and transparency is what is being demanded by these citizens. That is a demand of local politics across the nation and the reason for the Illinois Open Meetings Act.

More than 120 citizens showed up at a village meeting, concerned that a $450 million power plant will be built in Oakwood Hills.

SEE the film clip by clicking on the following: http://abc7chicago.com/news/oakwood-hills-residents-voice-concern-over-proposed-power-plant-/295615/

By Stacey Baca

Thursday, September 04, 2014

OAKWOOD HILLS, Ill. (WLS) --

A controversial plan over a proposed power plant closed down Oakwood Hills' village government last month. On Thursday night, a village meeting had to be moved to Crystal Lake to a location big enough to handle the crowd.
Oakwood Hills is a village in McHenry County with just 2,000 people. More than 120 citizens showed up at the meeting, concerned that a $450 million power plant will be built in their community.
"We are not a bunch of thugs, bullies, liars and gossips - as we have been referred to - but are concerned residents of Oakwood Hills," said Rosie Riley, resident.
Although it's not on Thursday night's agenda, residents are concerned that the village will approve plans to build a massive power plant in this field. Transparency is an issue.
"Have you folks met? Have you met in secret? What have you done - created a police state for us?" said Regina Narusis, resident.
The issue has been so contentious that the village hall was shut down for nearly a month after board members reportedly received threats - an issue the police chief declined to talk about Thursday.
But the police presence was obvious as officers used hand-held detectors and checked bags - and residents are not finished fighting.
"It's been a black hole, we have no idea what is going on with the board, and that's probably what is driving most of the concern," said Ryan Noonan, who opposes the power plant.
The village president declined to talk to Eyewitness News Thursday night, and during the meeting, she did not address specific concerns about the power plant.
The village board is expected to take up the power plant issue next month.

Earlier Channel 7 coverage:  http://abc7chicago.com/news/oakwood-hills-village-hall-shut-down-by-personal-threats/245415/

http://abc7chicago.com/news/oakwood-hills-village-hall-re-opens-after-threats/283731/

9 Ohio, W.Va. residents sue DuPont Co. over cancer - Yahoo News

 

lawsuits, filed Oct. 8 and this week, are among about 50 such cases — including one alleging wrongful death — filed against DuPont since April, when a court-appointed science panel found probable links between exposure to perfluorooctanoic acid, also known as C8, and kidney cancer, testicular cancer and thyroid disease, among others.

DuPont, based in Wilmington, Del., uses C8 at its plant near Parkersburg, W.Va., on the Ohio line but plans to stop making and using the chemical by 2015. C8 is a key ingredient in Teflon, the coating used on cookware, clothing and other products.

The recent litigation is the latest in a yearslong battle between DuPont and residents of the Mid-Ohio Valley, in the heart of Appalachia along the Ohio River.

About 80,000 area residents filed a class-action lawsuit against the company in 2001. It resulted in a settlement in which DuPont agreed to pay as much as $343 million for residents' medical tests, the removal of as much C8 from the area's water supply as possible and a science panel's yearslong study into whether C8 causes disease in humans.

Read the entire article by clicking on following:  9 Ohio, W.Va. residents sue DuPont Co. over cancer - Yahoo News

Boone County Animal Control to close for cleanup

OSHA inspected the center, 1230 S. Appleton Road, on June 15 and cited it for several violations, including missing cover plates for electrical boxes, no documentation of annual inspections for fire extinguishers and an electrical outlet held in place with duct tape.

improper drainage in the kennel area and damage to walls, ceilings and other spaces — about $35,000 worth of immediate repairs

meantime, purchase offers will be accepted for the Appleton Road property, even though it’s not officially on the market, after an interested buyer approached the county.

 

Click on the following for more details:

Boone County Animal Control to close for cleanup - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

Land in downtown Algonquin could be contaminated

area. The village's water system is not affected, and no private wells are believed to be in the area

Surrounding the factory are a number of homes, as well as the Prairie Trail bike path

volatile organic compounds east of the abandoned Toastmaster factory on Washington Street.

Daily Herald | Land in downtown Algonquin could be contaminated

Northwest Herald | 28th plaintiff joins cancer lawsuits

28th plaintiff in the McCullom Lake brain cancer lawsuits

The lawsuits blame the cancers on decades of vinyl chloride air and groundwater pollution from neighboring manufacturers Rohm and Haas and Modine.

Modine settled in 2008, denying any culpability but agreeing to pay $1.4 million toward medical monitoring and $100,000 toward property value reimbursement. The 695 residents received vouchers for $2,020 apiece to pursue any screenings their doctors consider appropriate. Centegra Health System agreed earlier this year to offer significant discounts for MRIs funded under the settlement.

Rohm and Haas continues to fight the lawsuits in court.

Click on the following for the rest of the story:  Northwest Herald | 28th plaintiff joins cancer lawsuits