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Editor, News-Register:
I am writing in response to the story in the Sunday News-Register about the residents in Dilles Bottom being concerned about their homes. After reading this article, I decided it was time I voiced my opinion on the matter. I have been against the proposed cracker plant from the beginning. Mainly because the only good thing it will bring to the valley is the few jobs it will create, which will not even equal the employment of one of our coal mines. The other things it is expected to bring to the valley are 348 tons of nitrogen oxides, 1,012 tons of carbon monoxide, 21 tons of sulfur oxides, 522 tons of ammonia and 2.24 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalents. This is what the Pennsylvania Shell cracker plant is expected to release, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Agency, and we can expect the same from the PTT Global cracker plant. The smell alone will be enough to drive off any nearby residents, tourists, or new residents to the area.
I have talked to several different people about the proposed cracker plant, and almost every one of them is against the cracker plant. The people here in the valley want clean jobs. We want clean air and clean water to drink. We want to be able to raise our kids in a healthy environment without cancer-causing pollutants. We want to be able to grow our crops without contaminants on them. If the Belmont County commissioners would listen to the people once in awhile, they would realize this is what we want.
Another thing in the article, which caught my eye, was the question of using the right of eminent domain. This way of acquiring or stealing property has become quite popular lately. Although PTT Global wants to buy the residents homes outright, they will resort to eminent domain if need be. This is not right and needs to be fixed. The eminent domain laws need to be revised to only pertain to the government and highways. I do not believe this law was ever intended to be used in the manner that it is being used today.
In closing, I would just like to say that we the people of the Ohio Valley need to stand up for what we want and voice our opinions. We need to start writing petitions, staging marches, or at least writing our representatives about things we care about. A wise person once told me, If you don't stand up for yourself, then you get run over.
Lynn Saffell
Bellaire