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Old 11-15-2010, 08:13 PM
 
Location: Wellsville, Glurt County
2,845 posts, read 10,476,361 times
Reputation: 1417

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Quote:
Originally Posted by kevink1955 View Post
I think that "smoke" is more steam (water vapor) than smoke. At least thats what it looks like every time I have gone by it.
I can't remember where, but I know I've read that the stuff coming out of the big stacks is purely steam.

Quote:
Originally Posted by I_Love_LI_but View Post
I was surprised to see the problems in the other plants too considering how their NY plant is supposed to be THE model for the industry. I have no idea how or why, but I guess like many corporate execs, if someone running a particular location thought they could get away with something and profit by it, they tried it. However, once caught, you have to own up to it.

No. I am not aware that they have taken back the "Star" award from the "Hempstead" facility or that OSHA has disciplined them in any manner. OSHA's website enforcement inspection search only goes back 5 years, so there's a gap from 1994 to 2005 when it comes to available information. I searched for Covanta from 11/15/2005 through 11/15/2010 and 17 hits came up ... none of them at this NY plant.
From my 2 minutes of Google-ing just now:

Covanta did not build the Town of Hempstead plant. It was built by a company called American REF-Fuel that owned or operated another 11 incinerators in the Northeast US before it was acquired by Covanta in 2005. Additionally, it appears that Covanta isn't really an energy company per-se, but more like a holding company for several smaller, formerly independent energy companies across the US. In other words, whatever happens at their locations in Detroit or Connecticut has nothing to do with the East Garden City plant. Those other incinerators were built by entirely different companies and run by entirely different people. The only thing they share is a name.
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Old 11-15-2010, 09:56 PM
 
Location: Nassau, Long Island, NY
16,408 posts, read 33,195,343 times
Reputation: 7338
Quote:
Originally Posted by sean sean sean sean View Post
I can't remember where, but I know I've read that the stuff coming out of the big stacks is purely steam.



From my 2 minutes of Google-ing just now:

Covanta did not build the Town of Hempstead plant. It was built by a company called American REF-Fuel that owned or operated another 11 incinerators in the Northeast US before it was acquired by Covanta in 2005. Additionally, it appears that Covanta isn't really an energy company per-se, but more like a holding company for several smaller, formerly independent energy companies across the US. In other words, whatever happens at their locations in Detroit or Connecticut has nothing to do with the East Garden City plant. Those other incinerators were built by entirely different companies and run by entirely different people. The only thing they share is a name.
Thanks! So in the case of the "great" OSHA stuff ... Covanta is just coasting on someone else's achievement. Well that makes sense in that Covanta has problems elsewhere ... I hope that here on LI they are "coasting along" following the manual written by the REAL achievers to the letter ...
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Old 11-16-2010, 09:20 AM
 
231 posts, read 957,662 times
Reputation: 135
Went there for a field trip in HS science class - It is steam. I remember it was the first question someone asked.
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Old 11-16-2010, 09:36 AM
 
1,144 posts, read 2,659,860 times
Reputation: 510
Quote:
Originally Posted by I_Love_LI_but View Post
Thanks! So in the case of the "great" OSHA stuff ... Covanta is just coasting on someone else's achievement. Well that makes sense in that Covanta has problems elsewhere ... I hope that here on LI they are "coasting along" following the manual written by the REAL achievers to the letter ...
I remember when I first moved here (2004) some other name being on the plant.

If Covanta bought the company then they have every right to coast on that achievement. (it comes with the company) We can count our blessings when something works well, and the new corporate leaders stay with the plan (an hopefully implement it elsewhere) Often times it is the opposite. A new corporate owner insists on bringing in their own way, and down hill it goes.
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Old 11-22-2010, 06:26 PM
 
110 posts, read 348,158 times
Reputation: 27
Quote:
Originally Posted by sean sean sean sean View Post
I can't remember where, but I know I've read that the stuff coming out of the big stacks is purely steam.



From my 2 minutes of Google-ing just now:

Covanta did not build the Town of Hempstead plant. It was built by a company called American REF-Fuel that owned or operated another 11 incinerators in the Northeast US before it was acquired by Covanta in 2005. Additionally, it appears that Covanta isn't really an energy company per-se, but more like a holding company for several smaller, formerly independent energy companies across the US. In other words, whatever happens at their locations in Detroit or Connecticut has nothing to do with the East Garden City plant. Those other incinerators were built by entirely different companies and run by entirely different people. The only thing they share is a name.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Buckthedog View Post
I remember when I first moved here (2004) some other name being on the plant.

If Covanta bought the company then they have every right to coast on that achievement. (it comes with the company) We can count our blessings when something works well, and the new corporate leaders stay with the plan (an hopefully implement it elsewhere) Often times it is the opposite. A new corporate owner insists on bringing in their own way, and down hill it goes.
I have been driving past that plant for the past 6 years (lived here for 29) and never knew they changed the name. I really need to start paying attention!
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Old 11-22-2010, 06:39 PM
 
Location: Northwestern Michigan
939 posts, read 2,672,342 times
Reputation: 411
The emissions are steam. If it was smoke, you think it would keep operating???


Quote:
Originally Posted by cokatie View Post
I don't know if anyone else has noticed it, but that Covanta plant seems to emit some serious amount of smoke out of its two stacks. Last night, coming back to LI, I honestly thought the place was on fire due to the extreme amount of smoke. On blue-sky clear days, it seems to only be the tall one letting loose - but on extremely cloudy days like today they seem to take advantage of it and have all burners firing.

I did a google search on them, but did not notice any complaints from locals having to live with that on a daily basis. Does anyone have any information on the plant and how they seem to get away with these high emissions?
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Old 10-01-2011, 08:22 AM
 
1 posts, read 2,037 times
Reputation: 10
Burning at high temperatures concentrates toxic substances, including cancer-causing dioxins, lead, arsenic and mercury. Some of this rises in minute particles from the smokestack, and later lodges in the lungs.
Despite the claims of the industry that filtering systems minimize the impact of burning on air quality, sulfur from incinerators contributes to acid rain, and nitrogen oxides cause breathing problems and trigger asthma attacks.
The more efficient the filters, the more toxic the ash left after burning, which must be transported to landfills, where its poison may leach into the water supply.
Moreover, to be profitable, incinerators need a large and continuous supply of garbage, so they become competitors for the metal, glass, paper, wood and plastic targeted by recycling programs. Since recycling holds the promise of green jobs for residents of communities like ours, incinerators are double injury.
When millions of dollars in government subsidies and contracts are at stake, political payoffs are inevitable. The Hempstead incinerator that Covanta points to as a model of what it has built in the city was born in cronyism, its path to approval greased by Senator Alfonse D’Amato and his Republican machine after the developer hired the senator’s brother Armand as a lobbyist.
So it’s important to let elected officials and regulatory agencies know that we’re watching them, and we expect them to safeguard us, not the profits of Sam Zell, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and the other big stockholders in Covanta.
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Old 03-27-2013, 11:44 PM
 
1 posts, read 1,795 times
Reputation: 10
Tonight there was an odor on the meadowbrook perhaps at 11 pm near Coliseum exit.... the odor continued as I drove past Nassau County Community College. I just hope that the plant is well maintained and all of its equipment is calibrated and working properly. I would like to think that someone is looking over their shoulder, taking samples and testing rigorously. How would we know if something goes wrong?
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Old 03-30-2013, 10:20 AM
 
1,082 posts, read 2,755,469 times
Reputation: 549
Quote:
Originally Posted by Air Breather View Post
Tonight there was an odor on the meadowbrook perhaps at 11 pm near Coliseum exit.... the odor continued as I drove past Nassau County Community College. I just hope that the plant is well maintained and all of its equipment is calibrated and working properly. I would like to think that someone is looking over their shoulder, taking samples and testing rigorously. How would we know if something goes wrong?
Good luck on that. The NYS DEC is responsible for air sampling and testing. Generally, the results are very political (as in your politicians do not want you know exactly what you're breathing in) so the DEC is not very forthcoming with the data. There are a couple of situations in Suffolk County where air sampling was done and the DEC will not release the results.
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