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www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_3ghjAREQ0

Biocycle LLC, Land Application Permit Notice of Public Hearing
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Poe, Diane L <dpoe@idem.in.gov>
Attachments
9:22 AM (48 minutes ago)
to lisamglick@gmail.com, dsedalexander@icloud.com, brian.arnholt@gmail.com, jackiearnholt512@gmail.com, efdaxsom2@gmail.com, bumpbennett@hotmail.com, brockhangenp@gmail.com, cindaclark@gmail.com, melsclark@gmail.com, roger.d.clark@comcast.net, daily8_mg@att.net, soulwealth@gmail.com, b_dunfee@yahoo.com, bdurham26@gmail.com, evan@frankstreecare.com, gregemerick@comcast.net, frankemerson@comcast.net, wserfmeier@gmail.com, j.euler@comcast.net, afahey2@gmail.com, neferrill@sbcglobal.net, sferrill75@sbcglobal.net, levi.fischer1224@gmail.com, smfische@indiana.edu, jamgalle@comcast.net, tgerillo@pacificadvanced.com, haddadrw@harrisonlakeclub.com, hawkinslawncare82@yahoo.com, rachelle.henry@hotmail.com, c.hetisimer@yahoo.com, hoover.scotta@gmail.com, barbara.hubler@gmail.com, me, kamboss812@gmail.com, karson.kamman@nutrien.com, kentonkamman1@gmail.com, tykamman@gmail.com, jcfibbe@gmail.com, jkreutzjans@ceraland.org, paulalecher@gmail.com, cl4634@aol.com, dalinke9170@gmail.com, linkejk@gmail.com, blodestein2009@yahoo.com, notontheclock@gmail.com, emlukas@comcast.net, camperdan61@gmail.com, lovetamace614@gmail.com, jmengineering15@gmail.com, krmackey01@gmail.com, stacy_mcmullen@comcast.net, mcnealy92@hotmail.com, dnacct@gmail.com, kate.ohalloran@sbcglobal.net, jessica.l.ostergard@gmail.com, 15ottee@gmail.com, mao1s@live.com, mitchelpaswater@gmail.com, pelleyk@bcsc.k12.in.us, pjpeterson456@gmail.com, jmphilippsen@gmail.com, lsphrey@comcast.net, katelputnam@gmail.com, williamriche@live.com, ksnoddy77@gmail.com, darlenes@olympus.net, scheidt18@gmail.com, erinscheidt@yahoo.com, kscheidt1960@sbcglobal.net, kristen.scheidt@gmail.com, lcscheidt@yahoo.com, wrscheidt@corkliquors.com, tschroeder75@ymail.com, jason.schroer@gmail.com, schroerjm@gmail.com, smithfamily9837@gmail.com, bdshouse1948@gmail.com, kevin.l.smith@cummins.com, jstjohn1234@gmail.com, iusteiny@gmail.com, hdwilliamsco@sbcglobal.net, weichman@hsonline.net, greg.r.white@comcast.net, john@grammerlogistics.com, m.l.wilson@comcast.net

Attached is correspondence regarding the above property affecting Bartholomew, Decatur, Jackson, Jennings, Johnson, and Shelby Counties. A hardcopy will not be sent to you.



If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Stephanoff. Her contact information is in the last paragraph of the letter.





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Indiana Department of
Environmental Management



Diane Poe
OLQ Permits Branch Administrative Assistant

• (317) 232-4473 • dpoe@idem.IN.gov

Protecting Hoosiers and Our Environment

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Biocycle LLC, Land Application Permit Notice of Public Hearing
Inbox

Poe, Diane L <dpoe@idem.in.gov>

Attached is correspondence regarding the above property affecting Bartholomew, Decatur, Jackson, Jennings, Johnson, and Shelby Counties. A hardcopy will not be sent to you.

If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Stephanoff. Her contact information is in the last paragraph of the letter.


Indiana Department of
Environmental Management

Diane Poe
OLQ Permits Branch Administrative Assistant

• (317) 232-4473 • dpoe@idem.IN.gov

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management, Solid Waste Permits Section
will be holding a Public Meeting/Hearing on April 17, 2024, from 6 to 8 PM at CERA
Sports Corporation in the Sports Center Building
3989 South 525 East, Columbus, IN.
The purpose of said meeting/hearing is to allow public input regarding the notification to
construct and operate a storage structure (for the storage of biosolids and industrial
waste products) and the application for the land application of blended biosolids and/or
industrial waste products submitted by Biocycle LLC on December 21, 2023. At said
hearing, all interested parties may submit written or oral statements to the Hearing
Officer for consideration.
The Land Application permit application was available and open for public comment
from December 29, 2023, through January 28, 2024.
The applications and additional information are available online via IDEM’s Virtual File
Cabinet (VFC) at: vfc.idem.in.gov/. These documents can be found by selecting
the “Solid Waste Program ID” in the “Quick Search” field (in the upper right-hand corner
of the page) then enter the permit number, 000915.
If you need reasonable accommodations to participate in the public meeting/hearing,
please contact IDEM's Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator at:
Indiana Department of Environmental Management
Attn: ESI Coordinator
100 North Senate Ave-Room 034
Indianapolis, IN 46204-2251
(317) 233-4088
ESI@idem.IN.gov
Please provide a minimum of 24 hours’ notice, if possible. Speech and hearing-impaired
callers may contact the agency via the Indiana Relay Service at 1-800-743-3333.
Procedures for the Formulation of Final Determination
A. Comment Period
Comments not previously submitted by mail, e-mail, or at the public hearing must
be submitted such that they are received by April 19, 2024. Submit comments to
one of the following addresses:
bstephan@idem.in.gov (preferred) or
Indiana Department of Environmental Management
Office of Land Quality
Solid Waste Permits Section
attn: Brenda Stephanoff
100 North Senate Avenue, IGCN 1154
Indianapolis, IN 46204-2251

A decision will be made soon after the hearing transcript is received by IDEM.
Comments submitted after April 19, may not be considered due to a final
decision being made.
B. Notice of Final Determination
Notice of final determination and response to comments will be made to persons
who are identified as potentially affected by the issuance of a permit and those
who have submitted comments or concerns. Anyone who has not already
requested notice may do so at the hearing or by submitting a request to the Solid
Waste Permits Section as indicated above.
Feel free to bring the foregoing to the attention of persons whom you know would
be interested in this matter.

Greensburg IN City Board of Works Mtg. 3/12/24

VIDEO:

PART 1 OF 1 :

youtu.be/PKFf4UQOGec

AGENDA ITEMS:
Approve Minutes
Washington Township Fire Contract
Monthly Update on Municipal Complex Project
GPD K9 Status
New Hire Interviews for Fire Dept.
Sewer leak adjustment
South Vine Street project
update Equipment building and concrete quotes
Approval of RFP's for Phase 4 of Park Road
Tree City Total Solar Eclipse update
East Trail - USI Change Order #1.
Approval of Claims
Adjourn

Controversial PFAS definition change left out of Indiana bill that now heads to governor’s desk


www.therepublic.com/2024/03/10/controversial-pfas-definition-change-left-out-of-indiana-bill-that-now-heads-to-governors-desk/

Indiana bill cutting protections from toxic forever chemicals gets resurrected
Story by Sarah Bowman, Indianapolis Star • 20h



A bill that would change the definition of toxic forever chemicals in Indiana and thus put Hoosiers at risk, according to experts, has been resurrected at the last hour. Language from House Bill 1399 — which died in in a Senate committee last week — has now been amended into a new bill.

www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/indiana-bill-cutting-protections-from-toxic-forever-chemicals-gets-resurrected/ar-BB1jrlYG

Please take action today and call your representatives, especially your Senators! This dangerous bill HB 1329 (the PFAs Chemical bill) has resurfaced and they are trying to add the language to a sewage bill. Please read the emails below for more details from Nancy Moldenhauer and Chris Chyung.

CALL 317-232-9400 for your Indiana State Senator

and 317-232-9600 for your Representative.

Greensburg IN City Water Board Mtg. 3/5/24

VIDEO:

Part 1 of 1 :

youtu.be/6ELvvDrfnC8

Agenda Items :

Approve Minutes
Darren Burkhart Update
CCR Approval
​HACH Contract
Water Plant Driveway Sealant
Mayors Issues
Adjourn

I hope our legislators for Indiana will take note of this following article.

Texas farmers claim company sold them PFAS-contaminated sludge that killed livestock
Two ranches also allege biosolids with ‘forever chemicals’ ruined crops, polluted drinking water and left their properties worthless

Tom Perkins
Fri 1 Mar 2024 06.00 EST
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A Texas county has launched a first-of-its-kind criminal investigation into waste management giant Synagro over PFAS-contaminated sewage sludge it is selling to Texas farmers as a cheap alternative to fertilizer.

Drinking from water fountain<br>Girl drinking on water fountain outdoor close up
At least 60% of US population may face ‘forever chemicals’ in tap water, tests suggest
Read more
Two small Texas ranches at the center of that case have also filed a federal lawsuit against Synagro, alleging the company knew its sludge was contaminated but still sold it. Sludge spread on a nearby field sickened the farmers, killed livestock, polluted drinking water, contaminated beef later sold to the public and left their properties worthless, the complaint alleges.

The PFAS levels independent testing found on the farm were “shockingly high”, said Kyla Bennett, policy director for the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (Peer) non-profit, which is assisting in the analyses.

The farms’ drinking water was found to be contaminated at levels over 65m times higher than the federal health advisory for PFOS, one kind of PFAS compound, a Guardian calculation indicates, and affected meat was as much as 250,000 times above safe levels, the lawsuit alleges.

The complaint alleges the families will likely have to abandon their ranches from which they sell livestock.

“It’s devastating and terrifying,” said Mary Whittle, an attorney representing the farmers. “They have developed these properties to be the center of their world … and this is how they make their money.”


PFAS are a class of around 15,000 compounds that are dubbed “forever chemicals” because they don’t naturally break down, and accumulate in the human body and environment. The chemicals are linked to a range of serious health problems like cancer, liver disease, kidney issues, high cholesterol, birth defects and decreased immunity.

Sewage sludge is produced when wastewater treatment plants clean sewer system water. Disposal of the industrial waste is highly expensive, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) allows it to be spread on cropland as “biosolid” fertilizer because it is also rich in plant nutrients.

Regulators in Maine and Michigan have found PFAS in every sample they have tested, as did a 2001 federal review of the nation’s sewage sludge. Crops can absorb the chemicals from the soil, and the chemicals also can end up in dairy, beef, and other agricultural products at levels the EPA states are dangerous to humans.

In recent years, biosolids have sickened farmers, destroyed their livelihoods and contaminated food across the nation. Maine became the first state to ban biosolids after it found highly contaminated crops or water on at least 73 farms where sludge had been spread. The state recently established a $70m fund to bail out affected farmers.

The sludge spread near the Grandview, Texas, farms came from the city of Fort Worth’s wastewater treatment facility, about 30 miles north. Sludge was spread on a crop field across the street from the plaintiffs’ farms in late 2022, and the highly mobile chemicals migrated to their properties, the suit alleges.

Soon after, virtually all fish died in a pond from which the family ate what it caught. Testing showed catfish with PFOS levels in their blood as high as 74,000 parts per trillion (ppt) for PFOS – a level 30,000 times above the dosage at which humans may get sick from consuming.

Around 10 cows and several horses on one farm have died without explanation since the sludge was spread. Testing of a stillborn calf liver found levels as high as 613,000 ppt.

Among other health issues farmers say they have experienced since the sludge was spread are high blood pressure, respiratory problems, cardiac issues, generalized pain and skin irritations, and one farmer grew a mass on her thoracic spine that threatens to leave her paralyzed.

Testing of drinking water in the two properties’ wells found levels as high as 268 ppt, far above the .004 ppt EPA health advisory level for PFOS.

Results from testing of the farmers’ blood has yet to be returned.

criminal case may prove difficult because there are very few laws regarding sludge – the EPA only requires monitoring for nine heavy metals. Meanwhile, there are still no legal limits in place for PFAS in food and water.

Johnson county investigator Dana Ames said poisoning food, drinking water or the environment with unregulated substances can still be a criminal act.

“If you knowingly do something that is causing contamination and harm to animal and human health, that has potential criminal liability written on it all day long,” Ames said.

The civil lawsuit will hinge on what Synagro knew, or should have known, about PFAS in its sludge. In company literature, Synagro has acknowledged the “potential of unwanted substances”, like PFAS, and last year partnered with a company to attempt to eliminate the chemicals from its products, the lawsuit alleges.

Synagro did not respond to requests for comment.

The company also should know about the issue because the problem is being tackled by regulators and lawmakers, Whittle said. The EPA has begun to investigate the practice’s safety, and Peer has filed a federal lawsuit alleging the agency has not taken swift enough action.

It is “not a state secret” that there is PFAS in all sewage sludge and regulators are examining the issue, Whittle said.

“When there’s no regulation, and there hasn’t been a lawsuit to hold them to account, they are going to continue poisoning people by selling this product that they know has a problem,” she said. “This is just the tip of the iceberg.”

This story was amended on 1 March 2024. The previous version stated that testing of drinking water in two properties’ wells found levels as high as 268,000 parts per trillion. That number has been corrected to 268 ppt.

Betsy Reed

Editor, Guardian US