High Mercury levels? It was a typo!

Montenay Charleston announced for the first time that a clerical error occurred when reporting their recent mercury emission numbers from the Energy Recovery Facility that it operates to recover energy from Charleston County's municipal waste stream. That reporting error led to the erroneous belief that the facility was one of the state's top five mercury polluters.

"A clerk made a typo when reporting our mercury emissions data to DHEC," said facility manager Lee Bazzle. "The data is based upon a complex formula, and when submitted was .05, when it should have been .005. The DHEC data was based on the data we provided. In November 2007, a story based on the incorrectly reported numbers placed us as a top five mercury emitter-all because of a data-entry error." DHEC confirms that the elevated emission levels in the recent report were a result of clerical error.

A reporter's call from The Post & Courier caught the management team off guard, as they were not yet aware of the clerical error. As a result, they assumed the reporter was asking questions about their usual emission levels- levels they knew were well within their permitted limits, in fact 68% lower than required by the EPA.

"We should have advised The Post & Courier of our reporting error as soon as we realized it," said Bazzle, "but I'm afraid we didn't appreciate the significance of the incorrect information and the concern it would cause the public. We take our responsibility for environmental compliance very seriously. Considering the incorrect information is still causing a negative perception of the facility, we've launched a pro-active initiative to address the concerns the clerical error caused. The truth is that we are a very green company, and a world wide leader in environmental solutions."

The waste-to-energy process utilized by Montenay actually generates ZERO mercury emissions. The ONLY mercury emissions from the Facility are the result of residents disposing of items containing mercury in their household trash- things like lithium batteries, computers, electronic equipment, wall thermostats, thermometers, and fluorescent light bulbs. The management team at Montenay is seeking to coordinate with CharlestonCounty officials to expand the existing County program to educate the public on the need for residents to take mercury products to one of eight convenience centers located throughout the county.

About Montenay Operations

Montenay has operated for more than 20 years in an industrial corridor near the old Navy Base. The facility receives solid waste from municipalities, then burns it to create energy, which powers the entire operation and generates an additional 10 mega-watt-hours of power for local use-enough to power 7,000 to 10,000 homes. This process of energy generation produces significantly less emissions than traditional fossil fuel powered plants, and dramatically reduces the need for space at a traditional landfill. The EPA, in fact, has stated that waste-to-energy facilities like Montenay produce electricity "with less environmental impact than almost any other source of electricity."

Although the Facility is located within an area zoned industrial by the City of North Charleston, the company is working to address concerns expressed by families who live near the industrial corridor regarding noise and odor. The facility itself produces virtually no odor, but the trucks delivering the household waste do. This issue should be eliminated upon the completion of a new port-access road that will create new access to the facility for truck traffic on primary roads.

Montenay currently reduces approximately 230,000 tons of solid waste per year by a volume of 90%. This reduces the volume of waste bound for the Bees Ferry Landfill with a benefit of energy production. Even the ash generated by Montenay is beneficial, as it is used as daily cover at Bees Ferry, and reduces the daily need to mine and purchase soil as cover material.