To the editor:
What do Athens County residents want for our future? We are confident that a majority wish for a healthy prosperity, the kind of prosperity that lifts all, without sacrificing human or environmental health in the short or long term. Does the leadership of Athens County keep our vision in mind when making recent economic plans? It would appear not.
Athens County Port Authority, established in 1995 by Athens County Commissioners to attract businesses including manufacturing, has entered negotiations with a Canadian firm, CCC Plastics. There is a pending lease agreement for CCC Plastics to establish a plastics manufacturing operation in The Plains, on the former Poston Plant site, aka the industrial park.
The Port Authority asked every question it thought it needed to about jobs, investment etc., but some of the most important questions were not even asked: How will this manufacturing operation impact the ongoing crisis of plastic pollution, which gravely endangers human health? Plastic pollution is impacting our air, water, and soil to such a degree that the foods and water we consume are now tainted with microplastics, and plastic contamination of human placentas is ubiquitous. The human brain, stomach, lungs, bones, and breast milk have all been studied recently and found to be contaminated with microplastics. Plastic contamination of human tissue has increased significantly over the last 20 years.
The colored pellets CCC Plastics wants to manufacture in Athens County are a small part of a powerful industry whose products contribute hazardous chemicals throughout their life cycle, including as plastic waste. Plastics litter and pollute all areas of the globe, and our oceans now contain six times as much plastic as plankton.
One of the charges of the Port Authority, in addition to attracting new business and industry of economic benefit to Athens County is to “secure the interest, support, and participation of the residents of the Authority and the surrounding area in the activities and development of the Authority’s facilities.“ It is clear to us that the Port Authority did not consult or “secure the interest of” county residents while negotiating this contract. The Port Authority ignored all sustainability plans in the county, which clearly promote developing strategic initiatives with business plans, while demonstrating environmental stewardship and social responsibility. Here is our county’s sustainability roadmap.
Athens County has spent money and brainpower to prioritize the intertwined social and economic interests of our region. Accessible education and healthcare, people-and place-based businesses, robust renewable energy, and outdoor recreation can help build local prosperity, and an innovative, union-friendly, zero-waste industry would be a healthy addition to this mix. Why would Athens County instead welcome one of the most polluting industries in the world into our community?
The Athens County Commissioners have agreed to host a community forum on the subject of the Port Authority’s lease to CCC Plastics. All are invited to attend Tuesday, Aug. 4 from 6-8 pm, in the Plains Intermediate School auditorium.
Roxanne Groff, former Athens County Commissioner
Christine Hughes, Athens business owner