This Stinks
Lynyrd Skynyrd once sang, "Can't you smell that smell?" In my case, it depends on whether it's ethanol or cow manure.
My favorite part of going to a grocery store is enjoying the aromas in the spice aisle. I could spend 15 minutes there pretending to look for a certain elusive spice while breathing it all in and getting a cheap high.
When I catch a whiff of a certain shampoo, it reminds me of a girl I dated in high school. Gee, her hair smelled terrific.
On the other end of the aroma spectrum, I grew up on a farm that was populated by as many as 70 large bovines. Being there all of the time, I was used to the smell that was generated by these living methane factories and never noticed it. But boy, my friends sure did. However, now that I've been away from farm living for almost 30 years, I have rejoined the population that can recognize manure odors.
When I used to drive into Milwaukee on I-94, one of the things I looked forward to was the aroma emanating from the Red Star Yeast factory.
Heading toward downtown, not far after you passed County Stadium, the smell would hit you like a ton of bricks. It was strong and sweet, and I loved it. I still brace myself for it when I drive that stretch of the Interstate, only to come away disappointed.
I was reminded of that smell recently when I drove past the Renew Energy ethanol plant on Highway 26 near Jefferson. It wasn't nearly as pungent – a faint whiff, really – but it was there, and it was the same aroma I remembered so vividly from driving in Milwaukee.
That said, I wonder if I would love the smell so much if I had to live next door to it everyday. And that is one of the issues at the center of the dispute in Milton involving United Ethanol.
I live about two miles from the United Ethanol plant. On a few occasions (though none recently), I have smelled something in the air outside my house that I assumed was from the plant, but I can't be sure. It wasn't the same smell I experienced in Jefferson or Milwaukee. My wife says she can occasionally smell the plant when she's on Highway 26, but I don't. Nor have I smelled anything when I've driven closer to the plant on County M or Highway 59.
That doesn't mean that the odors aren't there, or that they aren't bothering people that are sensitive to them. It only means that they are not bothering me. One person's perfume is another person's poison. I'm apparently one of the lucky ones; I am hearing horror stories from people who believe emissions from the plant are greatly inflaming their respiratory issues. I have no reason to doubt them.
Complaints about the smell and emissions are at the heart of the latest round of angry comments regarding the plant at city government meetings. I read with interest about the public hearing held at the Milton Plan Commission meeting last week, a hearing that was determined to be a waste of time from a legal standpoint.
I served on the Milton Plan Commission for close to three years, joining the group right around the time a judge tossed out the original conditional use permit that was approved for United Ethanol. So when it came back around for a new vote, I was part of the approval process, and I voted in favor.
The meeting where we cast our votes was a fascinating lesson in civics. There was very vocal opposition to the plant, and the anti-ethanol group had distributed a lot of information to us stating their reasons for not wanting the plant to locate here. Armed with this information, Plan Commissioner David Ostrowski did his homework to determine if the concerns were valid. He did exhaustive research, placed phone calls to cities with plants to get their opinions, and what he found basically debunked each of the charges one by one. He was as well prepared as I have ever seen any local elected or appointed official. His work that day should serve as a model for others serving in city government.
So when it was revealed during the meeting last week that the plant did not have a valid conditional use permit to revoke, I was surprised. What the heck did we vote on three years ago, then? It took a little aided recall, but I remembered that we did in fact make ethanol production a permitted use rather than reissuing a conditional use permit. My recollection of voting on a conditional use permit was on a separate issue, for a carbon dioxide recovery facility at the plant.
When the reports starting coming in last year about United Ethanol's many violations, I felt betrayed and dismayed. When you represent the public and you vote to allow a company to do business in your city, you expect them to do what they said they were going to do. All through the process, UE said they would be a good neighbor to Milton. Getting dinged by the Department of Natural Resources for 170 permit violations out of 370 permit items is not being a good neighbor.
It would be easy at this point to say I regret my vote, but I don't. You weigh the facts and make a decision. If UE had operated in the manner that was presented to us, we wouldn't be having this conversation.
That said, UE maintains that they have fixed most of the problems and will fix the rest. I hope so. After everything that was done to roll out the red carpet for them, the citizens of Milton deserve better.
Sep 30, 2009 at 9:38 a.m.
Suggest removal
Nancy? It's Nascency
http://www.answers.com/nascent
That's ok, it was just a schoolboy error. My post from yesterday was not intended to get your knickers in a twist. And yes, I do agree with your last post.
Sep 29, 2009 at 9:08 p.m.
Suggest removal
Nancy,
Well, I guess I really stepped into a cow patty there! Thanks for all the clarifying links. I'll take your Yankee advice to heart and read up, I'd hate to be known on the JG illiterati boards as a nattering nabob of negativism.
My inarticulate point, was simply this: ethanol emissions contain high levels of known carcinogens. Discussions of whether the smell of these carcinogens are reminiscent of yeast, bread, etc., diminishes the danger of breathing in toxic chemicals. Or maybe that's fanatic talk?
I'm generally against any pollution, whether created by Bovines or Fat Cats. I agree with your concern over noxious lakes of agricultural sewage; perhaps we can agree that there are numerous issues that our elected officials and attentive committee members need to act on?
Anyway, I'm off for a spot of the Queen's best and a few cucumber sandwiches. Cheerio!
Sep 29, 2009 at 6:15 p.m.
Suggest removal
Ghost, your comments in this blog are misplaced spam. You came to the wrong place to preach your sermon. People WERE talking about the smells not cancer causing VOC's. Your message is tainted with misinformation. While attempting to tell us all that we are confusing smells and toxic chemicals, you incorrectly added to your list of misleading statements by preaching this incorrect bit of trash:
"Manure, while not altogether unpleasant to those who grew up in WI, is just a smell. No one gets cancer from smelling it. But, ethanol emissions, are cancer causing. Do you see the difference?"
Educate yourself through erudition rather than attempt to mischaracterize our comments or intended meanings. teach us. Read this http://ohioline.osu.edu/aex-fact/pdf/odo... or if you need the words cached so that they jump out at you, go here to see the same article http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:tgnk...
Need more?
http://www.epa.gov/agstar/resources/man_...
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/pages/c...
http://www.nasdonline.org/document/1298/...
I had to look into your past comments to see where you were coming from. While reading your comments on the story, "On Phantom permit baffles commission" (see: OPTION 5 http://gazettextra.com/news/2009/sep/23/... ) posted on September 25 at 10:50 p.m., you incorrectly imply the City, County, or State have any power over the railroad. Crying over the article Mr. Lyke writes is the equivalent of whining that Saturday Night Live pokes fun of serious political issues. If you do not like it, stay in the blog you were over posting in prior to stumbling on this. You can force feed people information, or you can talk so they may listen prior to discounting you as a fanatical. I may not disagree with all that you have to say, but your condescending tone stands in the way. Erudite? The pompously incorrect use of the word tells me you do not know what it means, or you hail from across the pond. I can only assume you meant you use the outdated form of the word to criticize the people posting in the JG blogs. Is your computer you use to post to the Gazette located in your glass house?
Sep 29, 2009 at 5:12 p.m.
Suggest removal
1) How many Milton residents are now working at the ethanol plant? I recall promises of jobs creation.
2) How many "out-of-town" employees have moved to Milton since being hired? I recall promises of more property-tax-paying residents.
Many lies were told, I think.
Sep 29, 2009 at 10:55 a.m.
Suggest removal
In case you missed it at the bottom of GhostofGoodrich's post...
"Citizens should forward complaints to the DNR and the Regional EPA air quality officer:
800-621-8431. 9:00 am - 4:30 pm Central time.
If you smell it; call the plant, leave the time, date, place where you smelled it."
Sep 28, 2009 at 8:31 p.m.
Suggest removal
h0rselvngrl: I am not really complaining that much, I just wanted to point out that there are many different smells out there that not everyone appreciates. The mint is one that does in deed give me a headache...maybe because I am allergic to it. However my point was that no matter where you go/live there will be smells that bother someone.
*
I for one love the fresh country air. In fact I help out at a farm and I appreciate all that farmers do. But there are times that the smells do get a bit overwhelming, and I am sure that is the case with any/all farms/businesses. Heck I usually love the smell of McDonald's...but there are some days it just turns my stomach. My point is that we do have to live with it, or as my family always said grin & bear it.
Sep 28, 2009 at 8:24 p.m.
Suggest removal
Lyke's article is a pretty watered down folksy take on a serious issue. Considering he was in the thick of the decision making process, its pretty amazing that he can be so cavalier in passing blame off. Elected city reps and committee members are there to protect and preserve the living conditions of their community. Lyke obviously didn’t take much stock in paying attention during, or after this shambles.
Why can't Lyke and JG posters realize that the people aren't complaining about the smell? They are complaining about the cancer causing VOCs that are present in the emission clouds, which often happen to stink? Ethanol is not beer, yeast, or your fifteen year old crushes strawberry shortcake shampoo. It is made of many nasty, Volatile Organic Compounds, many of which are known carcinogens. Manure, while not altogether unpleasant to those who grew up in WI, is just a smell. No one gets cancer from smelling it. But, ethanol emissions, are cancer causing. Do you see the difference?
The DNR has yet to release just what sort of monitoring they are conducting to assess the level of VOCs being released from the plant. Instead of rushing out when it smells bad (which is no indication of pollution - many VOCs aren't detectable by the nose alone).
The DNR needs to state: 1. How they are monitoring the daily air quality from the plant. 2. If UE is self-monitoring, considering their past disregard for the rule of law, real monitoring efforts need to be put into place. 3. If the UE monitoring is only being done by calculations (they just plug in their #'s for operational capacity and use a formula to estimate rather than truly measuring the actual output) real, tamper proof monitors need to be installed. 4. Community members who are concerned, should be provided with information on how they can implement citizen monitoring techniques; preferably with DNR provided air sensors. Real numbers as to the type and volume of VOCs and all pollutants need to be shared with the community.
The DNR has obviously failed in their leadership to protect Milton and Janesville residents from enforcing the Clean Air Act. Plants in Jefferson, and Monroe have also caused citizen complaints that have gone mostly unreported and not addressed by the DNR. Citizens should forward complaints to the DNR and the Regional EPA air quality officer:
800-621-8431. 9:00 am - 4:30 pm Central time (312-886-2395 for callers outside IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, and WI)
United Ethanol, city officials, and erudite Gazette posters have dismissed the number of citizen complaints. Let your voice be heard. If you smell it; call the plant, leave the time, date, place where you smelled it. The DNR is not interested; contact the EPA directly. They've already fined and forced 12 ethanol plants in Minnesota into compliance. Let's not be 2nd fiddle to our neighbors to the West.
Sep 28, 2009 at 4:58 p.m.
Suggest removal
Twerp-->Are you even serious about the mint? Come on!? Mint is not going to "go away". If you do not like it, take a different way. ;)
*****
I love how people can constantly complain about farming smells, and not realize that without farmers, we wouldn't have a TON of things.
*****
Back to the subject at hand.......I used to drive on 26 everyday to work, and when I would hit 26 to 59 it was a pretty strong smell. I feel sorry for those who have to put it up with it on a daily basis.
Sep 28, 2009 at 4:43 p.m.
Suggest removal
If you are talking about bad smells,how about smelling the Hormel plant, or even better the Kikoman plant in Walworth (I hate that soy sauce smell). Or if you think about it how about the mint that grows along cty hwy J in LaPrairie township? Now that is a strong smell and gives me a headache.
Sep 28, 2009 at 4:19 p.m.
Suggest removal
I can smell a hint of a yeast-like aroma from time to time, but in my opinion it is just enough of a pleasing smell that conjures up thoughts of a bakery. I am saddened when I smell that only to find my brain 'times out' trying to think of where the nearest place to get a great donut is. Aside from that I can side with people that have a stronger sense of smell than I. My spouse has a extremely strong sniffer, and despite driving around the area, could not smell anything. That doesn't mean the smells are always present, or that to some people they are too strong.
I can say that the 4 times I smelled a extremely strong smell that was not your average bakery smell, was on Highway 26 also. I drove closer to see if it was stronger nearer the plant, but it was non-existent. The smell did not smell like burning or even that yeasty smell I like. It was more chemical laden and obnoxiously sweet. The first thing the came to mind is a meth lab.
I don't know how the Counsel and residents can be up in arms over this when they have resorted to just complaining to each other about the manure smell in Milton Junction. Where are the complaints for that? Why are there no charges for the rancid cow poo smell that permeates the entire western half of the town? The City of Milton will not bite the hand that feeds it. This plant will pay $400,000 in taxes this year. Janesville's cash cow, the landfill, had issues with smell also. They added steps to capture the gases to reduce it, but on some days the residents just have to live with it. Same with the cat food producer in Jefferson, and McCain's onion ring production plant in Fort Atkinson. The bottom line is the homes in the area will just have to live with it. The property in that area will be known for the smells that are present, and the values will drop. Just as the homes in the area between Milton Ave. and the landfill have done. Guess they should have gone to the original hearings to protest. Wait, nevermind.
Sep 28, 2009 at 9:32 a.m.
Suggest removal
I do truly sympathize with those who were so unlucky as to have this "thing" built next to them.
On another note, I drive by the UE plant at night occasionally and am amazed that (so far as I know) the locals have not complained about its unnecessarily garish and excessive lighting. That aspect, too, could have been done much better and with more sensitivity to those who live nearby.
Sep 28, 2009 at 5:23 a.m.
Suggest removal
shoulda, coulda, woulda…
The deal between the City and UE should not been signed, sealed, and delivered in secret!
This entire mess could have been prevented if Judge Dillon had suspended construction when the validity of the original conditional use permit was first challenged.
We would not still be talking about this fiasco if the City of Milton had listened to its citizens!
ww
Sep 27, 2009 at 7:40 p.m.
Suggest removal
"the citizens of Milton deserve better."
Yes they do. And they realized that. But they were in between elections at the time.
The elected representatives did not listen to the citizens.
Shame on them for that.
Sep 27, 2009 at 1:02 p.m.
Suggest removal
The citizens of Milton should have known from the beginning that this new ethanol initiative is doing more harm than good. The plant should never have been built. Should it concern the average citizen that since 2006 the USA has imported more food than it produced? How does burning food fit into that? How does burning food fit with the fact that over one billion people are hungry? Why don't we get ethanol from Brazil, which is much cheaper than what is produced here? It's all political, and it all hurts us.
Before you post a comment, consider this:
Note: GazetteXtra.com does not condone or review every comment. Read more in our User Policy AgreementPost Comment
Commenting requires registration.