News from City Hall

City Communications Office

City of Kansas City, Mo.

http://www.kcmo.org

CONTACT: Mary Charles, city communications officer, (816) 513-1356

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb. 27, 2010

U.S. Department of Energy public hearing set for March 2

Draft Mercury Storage Environmental Impact Statement to be discussed

City of Kansas City, Mo., residents will have the opportunity to express their opinions regarding the location of an elemental mercury storage facility during a public hearing on Tuesday, March 2. The public hearing on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Draft Mercury Storage Environmental Impact Statement will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Courtyard by Marriott, 500 E. 105th St., Kansas City, Mo.

The Kansas City Plant at Bannister Road has been one of seven locations under consideration by the Department of Energy to locate a long-term management and storage facility for more than 10,000 metric tons of elemental mercury, a toxic metal.

On July 9, 2009, the City Council unanimously adopted a resolution expressing its strong opposition to the Department Of Energy’s consideration of the Bannister Road Kansas City Plant as a possible location for the facility. In addition, at the Department of Energy’s Public Scoping meeting in Kansas City on July 23, 2009, City Council members and area residents expressed their concerns regarding the consideration of the Bannister Road facility due to the site’s proximity to residential areas and the negative impact upon anticipated economic development in the area.

The City was informed in January that the Department of Energy had identified a facility near Andrews, Texas as the preferred location for the storage facility. In its Draft Environmental Impact Statement, filed with the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy provided information related to the seven locations under consideration for the storage facility, including the Kansas City site. The agency identified the Waste Control Specialists facility near Andrews, Texas as its “Preferred Alternative.”

On Feb. 11, the City Council adopted a resolution expressing support for the Department of Energy’s identification of the Texas facility as the preferred site for the mercury storage facility. The resolution has been sent to the Department Of Energy, all members of the Kansas City Congressional delegation, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon and the director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

The March 2 public hearing on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement will begin with an open house where the public can sign up to present oral comments, review information materials, and speak informally with technical staff and Department of Energy officials. After a presentation by the Department of Energy, questions will be addressed, followed by oral comments from the public. Comments will be recorded by a court reporter and will become part of the public record for the Environmental Impact Statement, and information provided may be published in the Final Environmental Impact Statement. Residents requiring special accommodations to participate in the public hearing should call (301) 353-8314.

The public comment period extends through March 30, and oral and written comments received during this period will be given equal consideration in finalizing the Environmental Impact Statement. Comments may be submitted at the public hearing or by submitting written comments to:

David Levenstein, document manager

Office of Environmental Compliance (EM–41)

U.S. Department of Energy

Post Office Box 2612

Germantown, MD 20874

Toll-free Fax: 877-274-5462

Submit e-mail online: www.mercurystorageeis.com.

The Draft Environmental Impact Statement, including an extensive executive summary, is available online at www.mercurystorageeis.com, and a review copy is available at the Blue Ridge Branch of the Mid-Continent Public Library, 9253 Blue Ridge Blvd., in Kansas City.

For more information regarding this issue, contact Dennis Murphey, chief environmental officer, City of Kansas City, Mo., Office of Environmental Quality, (816) 513-3459.

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