County Council Meeting: Speak Out About Metal Shredder

Urgent action is required to try to put a Moratorium on Heavy Industrial activity that will impact Residential areas! The proposed Metal Shredding Facility (which has purchased the land from Lehigh Cement) will impact not only the 4 adjacent neighborhoods (Birchwood, Alderwood,  and Chartwell) with dust, heavy metal contaminants and volatile organic compounds carried by the prevailing winds but also much of downtown Bellingham. The proposed truck route that will carry metal to and from the pile on the downtown waterfront is proposed to be 4-5 trucks an hour up Bennett and across Bakerview to I5 and then down State or Holly to Cornwall. As well, it will be noisy, operating 24/7, and large explosive smoke and fire events are apparently common at such facilities. https://bellingham.savethewaterfront.org/metal-shredder.../

The County Council has stepped up and has started the process for a Moratorium on Heavy Industrial Land near Residential areas. ABC Recycling is putting everything into stopping the County Council, so their industrial metal shredder can be installed. This is a whole city and county issue. If you are angry or scared or frustrated about the Metal Pile at the downtown waterfront, then you are about the Metal Shredder too. The two projects go hand in hand, and we must all fight them both.

The vote happens on October 24th. Here is what you can do now!

1)      Right away, email and call the County Council. Their emails and phone numbers can be found here or at the bottom. Email this week, and email next. They need to hear from you! https://bellingham.savethewaterfront.org/email-and-call.../

BE GENTLE AND POLITE. THEY ARE UNDER INCREDIBLE PRESSURE FROM BOTH SIDES.

2)      Plan to speak at the upcoming October 10th meeting of the County Council. 311 Grand Avenue – 6:00 pm – October 10^th

3)      Zoom access to speak – If you can’t speak in person. https://www.whatcomcounty.us/3415/Participate-in-Virtual-Council-Meetings
 

3)  Come en masse on October 24th to stand in solidarity against the dangers of the Metal Shredder, and speak if you are able.