Clean Environment in Curwensville, PA--Citizens for a Clean Curwensville

A Video Record of Curwensville Area Presentations Pertaining to Economic and Community Development

This page is devoted to open, honest and transparent government and public leadership and as to those hard-working folks who cannot make every public meeting but do have interest in what is happening regarding development of their town. While all content here thus far has been recorded and presented by Sam Ettaro, this does not imply the purpose of presenting only one viewpoint. In fact, this is an effort to use today's digital technologies to present all sides of every issue. If you have video content to post or would like us to come to your event to record it or even to record you espousing your viewpoint, please contact us. All viewpoints are welcome and encouraged for this is how a community can make the best decisions possible, by exploring all sides of any issue. Written and recorded commentary is also welcome and encouraged as this serves as a form of open public debate.

All we are asking is that the complete picture be offered to the people of Curwensville regarding our direction and options. That is just basic decency. Our elected officials and those entrusted with our development such as economic development corporations and other business associations and groups have a direct responsibility to make certain that complex matters are fully, openly and honestly explained to the people of Curwensville. This includes the negatives and the positives of any project. Please read the content of this page and watch the videos that present various subjects then decide for yourself and in the future demand full disclosure of the facts on both sides of any issue that is crucial to our future and personal well-being.

DATE & NOTES	PRESENTATION & VIDEO

May 6th, 2008	Curwensville Borough Planning Commission Meeting
Mark Curulla, Curwensville Planning Commission and Aaron Keirn, Planning Commission engineer look out for the best interests of Curwensville at the 5/5/2008 meeting of the Curwensville Planning Commission. Sunnyside presented plans and addressed issues presented by Keirn. Attorney for Sunnyside asked for approval of plans regardless of needed changes. Mark Curulla held firm saying he would not approve any plans to the Borough Council until they are FINAL. Aaron Keirn said he is acting in the best interest of the borough and will thoroughly review further submissions before giving a final approval to any plans. No plans were approved and Sunnyside will be in contact with the Planning Commission when they've made all recommended changes to their plans. No local permits for building or land use can be issued without final plans approved by the Curwensville Planning Commission, Curwensville Borough Council and the Curwensville Zoning and Hearing Board.	Sunnyside Ethanol, LLC comes to ask our Planning Commission to push through their plans based on a provisional agreement. Local Planning official and contracted Borough engineer stick to their guns.
Citizens for a Clean Curwensville would like to thank Mark Curulla and Aaron Keirn for insisting on perfection and a FINAL plan before giving approval. IF we get stuck with this DEP Title V "major source" of pollution smack in the middle of our town at least we know someone is working to get us the best situation possible. Thank you Mr. Curulla and Mr. Keirn.

April 14, 2008	Curwensville Borough Council Meeting
Some points to consider Recently we as a group and me as an individual have come under attack by several high-profile members of our community. We've been called 'purveyors of fear", "environmentalist extremists", "profits of doom", (-should be prophets by the way) and accused of all sorts of general nastiness by these folks and others saying that we're personally demonizing them and not sticking to the issues. It's an amazing spectacle. Beyond the name-calling, we've been accused of attacking some of these folks and other public figures, being irrational and extremist but yet, in all of these efforts put forth by our detractors to demonize us, call us names and generally try to discredit our efforts, they do not directly address our concerns or answer the questions we're raising. It's amazing how we get attacked like this and our issues ignored while being accused of doing just what our opposition is in fact doing to us. What a world....	More Comment at Curwensville Borough Council Regarding Sunnyside Ethanol This video speaks for itself. The public comment section at the beginning is most interesting as two concerned citizens are talked over while a supporter of the plant is given due respect and not interrupted. Also, please note the very end of the meeting video which highlights the submission of a local clean-air ordinance and a call for more public meetings. This was done at the end of the meeting during "new business".

April 1, 2008	Curwensville Rotary Club Dinner/Meetng
Sam Ettaro gives a rather informal presentation on the following subjects and more in a whirlwind after-dinner talk: Creating jobs and inviting industry that is clean and not as polluting as we've allowed Investing in our community by identifying and helping local entrepreneurs. . Options for a digital media and IT-based business cluster and incubator program. Creating opportunity that would actually address the "brain drain" by focusing on development of businesses that young people are interested in. The value of digital media to educate and market rural communities. The Sunnyside Ethanol project and why the allowable pollution for this plant is almost 6 times that of the plant being built in Clearfield.	Curwensville Rotary Club Hears About Clean Economic Development Options Special thanks to our hosts for the evening and the Rotary members who were very pleasant and welcoming of new ideas. "You don't just get entrepreneurs to start up businesses...I don't think that's an answer." ~John Wright, Curwensville Development Corporation This video contains a very interesting exchange between Ettaro and Mr. John Wright, President of the Curwensville Development Corporation which brings to light some rather important issues regarding the direction and mindset of our current leadership.
POINTS BROUGHT UP ABOUT OUR SITUATION: Our tax-base is shrinking at a dramatic rate. The majority of our population is older and suffering from ill health due to the poor decisions to let heavy polluters in here in the past. Our youth are running from here and not coming back. Less than 30% of the families of Curwensville have kids under 18. RESPONSE FROM JOHN WRIGHT: *"It's been that way for 50 years."* Exactly. That's the point. The overall situation in Curwensville now is due to the decisions that have been made over the past 50 years. You know a tree by the fruit it bears, right? We must look at our situation and how things have 'always been' and get to work at doing them differently. That's the first step at fixing our problem. Being able to admit when you are wrong is the first step in healing and moving forward. To get the tree of Curwensville to produce healthy new growth that will bring forth abundant fruit we must prune the "that's how it's always been" way of thinking. That's the first step. But the video gets even more interesting..... Watch the entire piece, of course, but just as an example take note here of timecode 33.51 in particular where Mr. Wright points out that one of the largest co-generation plants in the area is in downtown State College and tries to use this as a means to justify the co-generation plant coming along with the Sunnyside Ethanol plant. What he doesn't tell you, and it wasn't found out until the next day, is that the plant he's referring burns 7,500 tons/year of coal and the Sunnyside plant will burn over 250,000 tons/year of waste-coal. Apples to oranges. So next time you hear proponents of the plant use examples from outside our area to justify the Sunnyside project, challenge them to prove they are making a rational and logical comparison. A point-by-point rebuttal on the points utilized by Mr. Wright is forthcoming on our Blog which will allow direct public comment.

March 17, 2008	Curwensville School Board Meeting
Some points to consider The School Board held a special meeting with Sunnyside Ethanol in May of 2006. FROM THE MINUTES: "A two hour presentation was given by representatives from the Sunnyside Ethanol C. on facts pertaining to the plant they plan to build on the former Howe's Leather Co. site adjacent to the elementary and high school buildings. Board members expressed some concerns about the safety of our pupils with a plant so close to the school. Larry Johnson, Production Ag Alliances LLC out of Minnesota said the company must meet or exceed all state DEP requirements for air pollution, water usage and waste water discharges. Noise pollution will be monitored as well as chemical storage according to OSHA, hazmat and insurance guidelines. Three things that attracted them to this area are waste coal, access to the river, and the availability o the railroad. Truck traffic will be kept to a minimum by the use of rail cars to bring waste coal to the plant. Tanker railroad cars will transport the finished products to wholesalers in Philadelphia, New York and Albany. By products of the ethanol production are CO2 and distiller's grain. CO2 is used in the beverage industry and for dry ice. Distiller's grain is used as a high quality feed for farm animals." "They would like two school board members to visit an ethanol plant in operation. Cheryl Johnston said she personally contacted the mayor of Stanley, Wisconsin about the ethanol plant located in that town. She received very positive feedback from him." CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON THIS APPLES to ORANGES COMPARISON	Curwensville Borough Council Member asks School Board to Reconsider Their Position on the Sunnyside Ethanol Project. Points to Consider As You Watch: <>Mr. Ettaro was asked by a board member earlier in the week who expressed concern over the plant to contact the Board President and get on the agenda to make a presentation. This request was denied and Ettaro was invited to come and speak during 'pubic comment', to not expect input from the board, and to limit the presentation to five minutes. <>Ettaro presents information regarding health hazards to the board that they did not have back in 2006. <>Ettaro did express to the Board President afterwards that he thought it odd that they would give Sunnyside a full two-hours to present their side, but a local elected official and dad of a little girl who goes to the Curwensville school comes in with information they did not have before wanting to present to the board and he is put into public comment at the end of the meeting and given 5 minutes. <>No questions, commentary, requests for more information were issued by any board members and no correspondence was issued by any members as a follow-up.

March 10, 2008	Curwensville Borough Council Public Meeting
Another clear illustration as to why we need to have a fair, honest, open debate that fully represents all sides of this contentious issue. Please watch this video to the right recorded at the March 10th, 2008 Curwensville Borough Council Meeting. There are several interesting things to take note of here as you watch: VP of the Curwensville Development Corporation speaking at the urging of Councilman Dave McNaul, bumping a concerned citizen who came early and signed up for public comment. Jeff Gate's use of a now-classic "apples to oranges" comparison regarding the school board member that called 'some town' and was satisfied with the answer they received from the mayor. Councilman Fred Sopic's repeated assertions that he explored all angles and ins and outs fully as far back as over 5 years ago.	Locals Address Curwensville Borough Council-Curwensville Development Corporation VP Given Floor Over Waiting Concerned Citizen QUESTION: The DEP didn't issue their final air permit pollution numbers until spring 2007. Why would Curwensville Development Corporation and previous Borough Council fully endorse and welcome the Sunnyside project well before the final determination on allowable pollution was issued?

March 10, 2008	Curwensville Borough Council Public Meeting

Why We Need Balanced Public Meetings Please watch this video to the right recorded at the March 10th, 2008 Curwensville Borough Council Meeting. This is the first portion of the meeting and features Rick DeCesar and Eric Wallace of Sunnyside Ethanol, LLC (mother company Consus) discussing their project and offering updates to Council. The meeting then continues into public comment wherein retired chemistry teacher Malcom Barnes expresses his concerns over this proposed project. Please take note of how the reporter from a local TV station filmed Sunnyside's reps speaking then followed them into the hall where he interviewed them. (off camera) At no time afterward did the reporter come back into the room to report on the concerned citizen's comments or to learn more about opposing viewpoints from concerned Council Member Ettaro who actually called the station to let them know of the meeting in the first place. A lengthy debate ensued and the reporter caught none of it.	Sunnyside's side reported on by the local TV news, concerned citizen opposition not. QUESTION: Why was only Sunnyside's side presented to the public by this station and an informed concerned citizen not? This illustrates the need for a truly-balanced open public debate which offers both sides of the issue. Borough Council should sponsor and support such an effort to encourage honest, open and well-balanced information to the public.

Summer 2007	DEP public meeting in Clearfield concerning ethanol facilities
Please watch this video below recorded at a public meeting in Clearfield last fall and listen as the gentleman who permitted both the Clearfield Plant and the Proposed Curwensville Plant as he explains how these published "allowable" pollution numbers are NOT based on "human health standards" directly and that DEP does not consider "cumulative pollution" effects on projects like this... As you watch this video, remember that this proposed plant plans to burn dirty waste-coal, which will produce some very bad pollution numbers. Overall, the Sunnyside plant has been permitted to produce almost 6 times the total pollution of the plant currently being built in Clearfield. Ask yourself why our school is not objecting? Ask yourself why our leadership seems to find this acceptable? Is the health of our children worth 5 times less than those in Clearfield? (Download PDF Comparison Spreadsheet HERE)	How often have you heard "Sure there will be pollution, but the DEP says it's safe and that's good enough for me!"