Ohio Residents Target Gore’s Broken Promise On Controversial Incinerator

The protest will focus on Al Gore’s pledge, made both
immediately before and immediately after the 1992 election, to
block the operation of the WTI incinerator in East Liverpool, Ohio.

¹ The incinerator, which releases highly toxic
substances into the air, is located just 400 yards from an
elementary school and 320 feet from the nearest home. Despite
Gore’s promise and the 130+ violations of WTI’s operating permit
since the facility opened, the incinerator continues to
operate.

In a letter delivered to Gore at the White House earlier this
week, the residents and activists said they are prepared to engage
in peaceful, non-violent civil disobedience to convince the
administration it must suspend operation of the facility and deny
WTI a renewal of its operating permit which expired in 1995.
²

“If anything were ever to happen to the children in the school
or neighborhood, we would never forgive ourselves had we not done
everything in our power to prevent it,” the letter said.

The groups expressed concern that the U.S. EPA Ombudsman’s
“expedited and independent” review of WTI’s permit, which the
Administration promised by mid-May, is only now about to be
released. However, the documentation gathered by the Ombudsman
contains more than enough evidence to require a shutdown of the
incinerator.
³ In addition, under Ohio law enacted in 1984, it
would be illegal to site the WTI incinerator at its current
location.

Activists and residents campaigning against the site are working
closely with the international environmental organization
Greenpeace which has run a long-standing campaign to eliminate
dioxin emissions and ban the incineration of hazardous wastes in
favor of safer alternatives.

“Every day that the incinerator operates is another day the risk
goes up for the people of East Liverpool. The Vice President must
use his influence to shut the WTI incinerator down,” said
Greenpeace campaigner Rick Hind. “Allowing it to operate is like
telling a drunk driver to stay on the road as long as he follows
the speed limit.”

EDITOR’S NOTES:

3. Audiotapes of Gore’s pledge made in
   East Liverpool are available upon request. Also available is a
   December 7, 1992 press release from the then Senator’s office
   stating that the Clinton/Gore administration would not allow test
   burns of the incinerator.
5. Residents letter available upon
   request.
7. Public documents of evidence available
   on file at Greenpeace.