Phil Heron wrote some ‘by the numbers’ describing his
thoughts on Camden Iron’s decision to leave Eddystone. Here are a few numbers he did not
mention.
0-jobs created had Eddystone accepted the scrap yard. The union jobs were moved from one
plant to another. As a result, no
new jobs would have been created.
35%-the asthma rate in Eddystone, Chester, Crum Lynne, and
Ridley Park, as compared to 24.3% for all of Delaware County
37.3%-the chronic health condition rate in adults in
Eddystone, Chester, Crum Lynne, and Ridley Park, as opposed to 25.6% in
Delaware County
9.24-the TONS of particulate emissions that would have been
allowed by CIM, according to their DEP permits; particulate emissions often
contain asthma triggers and cancer causing chemicals.
9000-the horse power of CIM’s proposed shredder, the largest
car shredder in the world.
1.5-the number of miles away that residents felt vibrations from
an 8000 HP shredder in Elkhart, IN
4+-the number of years Eddystone has gone without a tax
increase or a decrease in services.
I guess we did not needed the tax dollars, did we?
10-approximate percent raise of the Borough Manager/Treasurer in those
same years.
247.5 million- In 2002, the amount of dollars Exelon successfully
appealed to reduce its tax bill to Eddystone and Ridley School District. Its tax bill decreased from $300
million to $52.5 million. Had CIM
come, how long do you think it would have taken them before they appealed to have
their tax assessment reduced?
2-the number of tax assessments reduced by Ridley School
District, just in March 2012, according to their website
12+-the number of years it took CIM to move, ending up in a
Camden, a city that once wanted them to leave
4-the number of communities or activist groups who fought to
keep them out of their towns over the course of the last decade
0-the number of Eddystone Council members who voted against
the scrap yard
7-the number of Eddystone Council members who signed a
letter in 2010 to the PPRA stating their concern with the project; this letter
played a role in the loss of the 31 million dollar grant
31 million-the amount of state tax dollars saved by
scrapping this project
150-the measurement in feet to the nearest playground from
the entrance of the facility where more than 500 diesel emitting trucks would
drive by each and every day
3rd-the percentile of Eddystone School’s air
quality, ranking it worse than 120,000 other schools
80%-the number of Delaware County’s worst polluters located
along the Industrial Highway
17-the number of months it took CIM to get DEP permits in PA
as a result of Eddystone’s question of their best available technology.
4-the number of months it took CIM to get DEP permits in NJ
1-the united community that stood up, fought city hall, and
won