Alliance Metals and Rose Law Firm are working very hard at making us all believe that the smelter that they want to build is no big deal with regard to the environment and public health.  One of the ways they are trying to do this as of late is with this statement:

“There are six other facilities with the same approvals we are seeking in La Paz County.”

That statement is like saying that all automobiles in Arizona have an Arizona license plate so all of the automobiles in Arizona are the same.  NOT TRUE!

All Air Quality Control permits that are issued by ADEQ are not same. Each permit is created individually for each application.  Actually there are nine ADEQ issued Air Quality permits in the county and not six.  Five of them are Class I permits and four of them are Class II permits.  The permit that is being issued to Alliance Metals is Class II.  Only one of the permits rose to the level of requiring a public hearing like the one ADEQ held on Alliance Metals application.  That was Rose Acre Farms.  None of the facilities emit dioxins and furans.  None of the facilities have huge quantities of chlorine.  None of the facilities store or produce toxic salt cake.  None of the facilities are on a flood plain.

One of the permits is for the La Paz County land fill.  Five of the permits are for El Paso Natural gas pipeline stations.  One is for a North Baja gas pipeline station.  One is for Morgan Truck Body manufacturing in Ehrenberg.  And finally one is for Rose Acres Farms/Lone Cactus Egg Farm.  These are not the same as Alliance Metals permit will be.  Their operation will be the most impactful of any in the county with regard to the environment and public health.

“Alliance Metals will have substantially less emissions than the cotton gin which previously operated on the property”

This is yet another misleading statement as they continue to grasp at positive things to say about their operation.  The cotton gin has not been in operation for two decades!  Even when it was running it only ran during harvest season, not 24/7 like they plan with the smelter.  When it did run the emissions were particulate matter.  The particulate matter that they will be emitting will be aluminum particles.  Plus again, the cotton gin did not emit dioxins and furans or have huge amounts of chlorine or salt cake.  It’s just not an equal comparison.

They might try and convince us that their operation is just business as usual in La Paz County but the risks that their smelter present are unprecedented in the County.

Don’t be fooled.  We welcome Alliance Metals to La Paz County, but not in the proposed location.  If you agree that this is the wrong location please help us stop it by signing our petition.  Just click on the image below and it will take you to the petition.