Update for April

So the smell goes on day after day week after week... Its now mid April. The good news is that TDEC decided to put a tester in sullivan farms entrance. This goes on every few days and tests for 24 hours straight. From the emails it seems that what they are trying to do is decide if it a health hazard and a quality of life issue, or just a quality of life issue. Either way, its definitley a quality of life issue!

This is now the main contact within TDEC if you smell it. Please contact him when you smell this odor.

Mark A. Brown


Field Office Manager

Tennessee Air Pollution Control Division

Nashville, Tennessee

(615)-687-7029
 
 
AFTER HOURS there is someone on call please call him after 5pm.
 
Ray Stubbelfield
 
 615-218-9402 (5:00pm until 8:00pm, Monday through Friday)
 
It is important that each person calls EVERY time they smell it to ensure TDEC and Franklin understand the severity of the issue and number of families it is effecting.

Update after Holidays

Ok so now that the holidays are past us I needed to give this a little bit more attention.  I want to give everyone an update on the meetings I have had over the last month and the contact information for each so you may contact them with concerns as well.  I encourage everyone to contact these individuals and make your voice be heard.  Everyone on this list is now aware of the issue if they were not before...everyone on this list is receptive to complaints and have all expressed concern about what is going on here in south Franklin.

Mike Skinner, Alderman – (615)595-1501 michael.skinnner@franklintn.gov

Quincy Styke, Deputy Director TDEC-APC – quincy.styke@tn.gov
Jackie Waynick, Air Monitoring Engineer TDEC-APC – Jackie.Waynick@tn.gov
James Purvis, Environmental Engineer Region IV (EPA) – james.purvis@epamail.epa.gov
Robert Taylor, Epidemiologist, Tennessee Health Department – (615)532-8482 robert.v.taylor@tn.gov
David Borowski, Epidemiologist, Tennessee Health Department
Senator Johnson (Letter and Meeting)
Congressman Blackburn (Letter and Meeting)
Representative Casada (Letter and Meeting)
Mayor John Schroer, Franklin, TN
City of Franklin, code enforcement
HOA President, Sullivan Farms, Brian Benda (615)335-4515
Linda O’neal, Executive Director, TN commission on Children and Youth – (615)741-2633 linda.oneal@tn.gov


I have talked to more individuals but may not have gathered their contact information...please contact me if you have any trouble getting ahold of anyone...

Need to step up the pressure

We all need to step up the pressure on the city of Franklin.  I was specifically told by the code enforcement agent that "TDEC is handling" which is not the case at all.  TDEC officially states that they do not enforce odor nuisance and it is in the jurisdiction of the City and specifically the City Attorney to do something about it.  We need to put pressure on the City to do something about this or I dont see anything but litigation coming out of this situation.

Please go to the City of Franklin website and submit a request every single time you smell the odor:

http://dynamicportal.franklin-gov.com/DP1/Metroplex/Franklin/customerservice/selectbyservno.asp

Here is an example of what I write within the body of the service request.

"I want to report an odor nuisance under the Chapter 1, Section 13-102 and Chapter 1 Section 13-106 of City of Franklin code. Odor Nuisance within Sullivan Farms Subdivision coming from Superior Essex. Very strong phenolic odor at the moment and I am unable to go outside. TDEC is not handling the odor issue this is specificially a city issue."

New EPA Emmisions numbers

Anyone there? Sometimes I feel like I am the only one looking at this stuff...If you are wondering why the odor has increased over last 2 years just look at the facts...

Fugitive air emissions are all releases to air that are not released through a confined air stream. Fugitive emissions include equipment leaks, evaporative losses from surface impoundments and spills, and releases from building ventilation systems.

Here are Superior Essex most current numbers of Phenol fugitive emmissions:

Year On-site Fugitive Air (lbs)
1998 28746
1999 11487
2000 568
2001 857
2002 3696
2003 1340
2004 1540
2005 1230
2006 16364
2007 14469
2008 15671

Full list of chemicals released can be found here:
http://www.epa.gov/cgi-bin/broker?zipcode=37064&submit2=Go&view=ZPFA&trilib=TRIQ0&sort=_VIEW_&sort_fmt=1&state=&city=&spc=&zipcode=12345&zipsrch=yes&chemical=_ALL_&industry=ALL&year=2008&tab_rpt=1&fld=TRIID&fld=RELLBY&fld=TSFDSP&_service=oiaa&_program=xp_tri.sasmacr.tristart.macro

Please write your legislators

Here are the email and addresses of your legislators...I have both emailed and written letters to all and have recieved feedback. I will post the responses soon

Senator Jack Johnson http://www.johnsontnsenate.com/
10A Legislative PlazaNashville, TN 37243
(O) 615-741-2495(F) 615-253-0321
sen.jack.johnson@legislature.state.tn.us

Congressman Blackburn http://blackburn.house.gov/
City Hall Mall
109 3rd Avenue South
Suite 117 Franklin, TN 37064
615-591-516

Representative Casada http://www.glencasada.com/
4893 Bethesda-Duplex Road
College Grove, TN 37046
Phone (615) 595-8759
rep.glen.casada@legislature.state.tn.us

Need Depositions on Superior Essex effects!!

I am going to be meeting with our state senator Jack Johnson and need to gather as many depositions as possible to make my case stronger. If you feel as though you want to let him know how it has effected your quality of life than please participate. This is for anyone no matter where you live in Franklin...if it has effected you please write.

Please send me a deposition that includes the following:

- Name
- Effects
- What you would like to see done
- Reprocussions if it is not fixed

All of these are optional of course and they are just suggestions but I am trying to make as much "noise" as possible so the stronger case we have and the more people get on board the better the result.

When you are done please send the deposition to: concernedfamiliesfranklin@gmail.com

I will be gathering them up and bringing them with me to my meeting (hasn't been scheduled yet but will post when I get a date).

Introduction

I am starting this blog because I am a concerned Father, Husband and Citizen of Franklin, TN. If you live in South Franklin you have definately smelled the obnoxious odor coming from the Superior Essex plant on Southeast Parkway. Or even if you have been to Target, Kroger or even True Value you may have smelled the odor. I have heard first hand the odor described as "band-aids" or "burning wire" and even "sweet tar."

All of the information I will put on this blog will be fact based and not based on personal opinion unless it is specified. My goal is to inform you as my neighbor and just as a fellow human being. If you are informed you may be more likely to take action to protect your family as I have chosen to do. I am not going to deny that there is a problem nor am I going to deny that there is an odor because I dont want to smell it anymore.

I understand that it will effect not only property values but internal pride that you may have made a mistake moving here. Those two issues can be changed but only by action and the more people get behind this the more pressure we put on legislators the more change we will see with Superior Essex. Its easy to say that the "others" will take care of it and even easier to believe that it will be fixed without action. Superior Essex is an international giant that isnt in the business of spending money if it isnt going to make them money so fixing this problem is last on their list.

We have been told that Superior Essex wants to be a "good neighbor" but I know if my neighbor was blowing obnoxious odor towards my house with a fan daily and even on holidays I would be pissed and probably do something about it. We have also heard that they are investing all this money ($1M us dollars) to upgrade the ventalation and reduce odors but similar cases of air quality issues costs a company around the $15M range.

I am going to leave you with some facts in this introduction that may get you interested in reading more of the information on this page.

- Superior Essex has been operating on an expired Title V permit since 2003 and they use chemicals found to be carcinogenic. (http://www.williamsonherald.com/home?id=66128)

- The Essex Group Inc., which owns Superior Essex, a wire-making plant in Franklin, paid the state of Indiana $44,900 in fines for violations at its plants there — including a $25,000 fine for once violating the state's air regulations. (http://article.wn.com/view/2009/11/02/Indiana_fined_Essex_for_pollution/)

- Electronic air-sampling and meteorological equipment will be installed first at nearby Moore Elementary School and then at Winstead Elementary School by state Department of Environment and Conservation crews. (http://www.tennessean.com/article/20091206/COUNTY090101/912060336/State-will-test-air-downwind-from-Superior-Essex-plant)

- In 2006 according to EPA records, release of chemicals seen below increased dramatically. Below are just 2 of the most dangerous chemicals being released:

[Phenol] +15,134 lbs of Fugitive Emissions (1,230 lbs (2005); 16,364 lbs (2006))

[N-Methyl -2-Pyrrolidone] +8,646 lbs of Fugitive Emissions (4796 lbs (2005); 13,442 lbs (2006))
(http://iaspub.epa.gov/enviro/tris_control.tris_print?tris_id=37064SSXGR120SE)

- Essex reported the release of 9,447 pounds of phenol, a hazardous substance that when emitted into the air is characterized as having a distinct, sickeningly sweet and tarry odor. Superior Essex also released several other volatile organic compounds or VOCs, known to have toxic health effects on humans and the environment (http://www.williamsonherald.com/home?id=66195)

-Chemicals released by Superior Essex include Phenol, Trimethylbenzene, Dimethylphenol, copper, Cresol, Cumene, Ethylbenzene, Butyl Alcohol, Pyrrolidone, and Xylene. (http://iaspub.epa.gov/enviro/tris_control.tris_print?tris_id=37064SSXGR120SE)

So follow if you wish but at least look at the information I am providing first before leaving or deciding not to act.