Lawsuit challenges NY's permit process for planned Micron facility
full story published on Times Union by Alexander MacDougall (gift article).
According to the lawsuit, filed by the groups Neighbors for a Better Micron and Jobs to Move America, the department issued the air permit for the Micron project despite acknowledging that it was inconsistent with the state’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act that regulates greenhouse gas emissions. The department justified the Micron project, despite the inconsistency, by saying it served “national security interests,” a description the lawsuit described as “vague.”
The lawsuit also scrutinized the wastewater discharge permit issued to the existing Oak Orchard Wastewater Treatment Plant in Onondoga County, undergoing more than $1 billion in upgrades to support the Micron facility. The permit was issued despite the identification of 40 different “forever chemicals” present in the industrial wastewater and a dearth of detail on how the company intends to address any potential negative health impacts of the chemicals.
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