The Cupertino Courier

Tire-burning group ofÞcially disbands

By Pam Marino

The Kaiser Tire Burning Communications Group officially called it quits last week after the cement company said it would not pursue a permit to burn tires in the near future.

"The group agrees to disband in light of Kaiser's decision to not proceed with TDF (Tire Derived Fuel) at this time" was the official statement the group released to the public at its final meeting Sept. 30.

The communications group included representatives from school districts, city government, employee labor groups, homeowners associations and citizen groups, all invited by Kaiser. Monthly meetings, which were sometimes emotional, started in April. The purpose of the group was to review the facts surrounding a test burn of tire chips in late 1995 and early 1996 in Kaiser's kiln.

Plant operations manager Stewart Smith said a public forum might take place either Nov. 18 or 19. Kaiser officials plan to sponsor public forums on a regular basis to foster better relations with the company's Cupertino neighbors, Smith said.

The consultant hired by Kaiser to facilitate the communication group meetings, Kendall Smeeth of CH2MHill, said a binder filled with meeting summaries and information presented to the group by Kaiser and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) will be available to the public around Oct. 30.

A letter from technical subcommittee members Steve Sparks, City Councilman Don Burnett and Sierra Club representative Julia Bott suggested that based on the evidence presented by Kaiser and the BAAQMD, it was not possible to precisely determine whether there was a serious health risk to residents from burning tires in the company's cement kiln at the end of Stevens Creek Boulevard.

They pointed out that Kaiser officials had promised early on that they would not pursue a BAAQMD permit if it could be definitely shown there was a health risk to the public. The evidence showed there may be an increase in some carcinogens and particulates. There was also a decrease in some pollutants, but the experts said there was no way to determine whether the decrease in those pollutants offset the increase in other areas.

John Mracek, a spokesman for West Valley Citizens Air Watch, the group that has opposed tire burning at Kaiser, said the group is "pleased, but not surprised that the tech committee came to the same conclusion we did, that cancer risks and particulates go up."

Smeeth said the binder will be available at City Hall, the Cupertino Library and the Quinlan Community Center.

Smith said he didn't know when the company may again pursue a permit. "If we reconsider, we will have an open discussion with the public."

Smith said he "does not have a problem" with making lobbying efforts public, adding that Kaiser is not directly involved in lobbying at this time.

Mracek of Air Watch said the group intends to fight tire burning in Sacramento, where currently the California Integrated Waste Management Board, part of the California Environmental Protection Agency, is considering supporting tire burning as a way to eliminate used tires. A contingent of Air Watch members are traveling to Sacramento on Oct. 22 to speak at a board meeting.

Originally, Air Watch had a representative at the communications group meetings. But the group pulled out, charging that the meetings were biased toward Kaiser and tire burning. Members continued to attend meetings as observers, however.

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