Iowa residents debate GPC company's air quality

MUSCATINE - To some, it's "the smell of money."

Or so they say.

But that doesn't sit well with some Muscatine residents, particularly those in the Southend, who say Grain Processing Corp. needs to do something about its emissions. For its part, GPC says it is taking a proactive approach to air quality, but the project could take a few years to complete.

Not only does the smell permeate homes in the area, some residents say debris from the company's emission stacks lands on their property, causing a nuisance.

"It's not so much that that I'm worried about the smell, but if large particles can get through their filtration system, obviously the smaller stuff can, too," said Jesse Locey, 26, a Kansas Street resident for three years.

Locey and his girlfriend, Miranda Livezey, 26, want GPC to use better filtration systems because their two sons, ages 7 and 1, play outside two blocks away from the corn-processing plant.

They collected a brown dust that they say often falls on their property. Testing of the dust at the University of Iowa Hygienic Laboratory indicated that it was corn particles, but the source of the particles cannot be confirmed.

"I am worried about what exactly my boys are breathing in," Locey said.

GPC officials say the corn wet-milling process separates the different parts of the kernel so they can be used in different applications and products. One output of the processed corn kernel is a dry feed, which is used in animal feed. Feed dust can inadvertently be emitted through the drying equipment into the air. When this happens, GPC is required to notify the Iowa Department of Natural Resources of the event and its remediation.

Muscatine has the highest average pollution level for PM2.5 (fine particulate matter) in the state, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. A small area, near the PM2.5 monitor at Garfield Elementary School at 1409 Wisconsin St., blocks away from GPC, is considered in attainment at this time. But once data for 2009 is confirmed, the area likely will not be in attainment, according to DNR preliminary reports.

PM2.5 is small enough that it can pass through and into the respiratory system, where it can remain in the lung tissue. It causes respiratory problems and can lead to death.

Muscatine also ranks high in production of sulfur dioxide emissions and PM10, a larger-particle emission that is also regulated.

"Some days it's worse than others and it often depends on the direction the wind blows," Locey said. "I understand that manufacturing creates emissions, but I'd like to see more preventative, proactive measures."

GPC is not the only contributor in Muscatine and environment plays a large role. But the Environmental Protection Agency expects to issue regulations in the future when a regulation plan is developed.

GPC implemented a voluntary air-quality control strategy in August 2008, which will take years and a lot of money to apply. According to the company's original plan submitted to the DNR, GPC will add filtering bag houses, lengthen stacks and install some new equipment. The multi-phase project could be completed by 2014.

"GPC has voluntarily moved forward to address the changes in emissions regulations even though they are not yet finalized," the company said in a written statement. "GPC is currently in the early phase of a multi-year project which includes a significant commitment to improve air quality. The IDNR has been informed of our project and supports our proactive approach to addressing air quality."

According to reports filed at the DNR Environmental Services Division in Washington, Iowa, GPC was not reporting periods of excess emissions as it should on multiple occasions in 2009.

There is also concern that GPC has been exempting instances of excess emissions by using unqualified explanations as a blanket excuse for exceeding opacity standards. The DNR has been looking into GPC's control equipment (multiclones) to determine if it is sufficient to control particulate emissions.

Though GPC says it's taking a proactive approach, Jim McGraw of the DNR Air Quality Bureau said GPC has had several issues.

"There have been numerous excedances of the standard over a three-year time period ... That means there's probably a problem there," McGraw said. "We can use visible particulate matter as an indicator that there may be problems with how that part of the equipment at the facility is operating."

McGraw did not personally examine the visible particles found by families in the Southend.

In December 2009 the EPA executed a search warrant at GPC. The criminal division has not released information about the investigation. The company said Wednesday that it cannot comment other than to say it is fully cooperating with the EPA.

The DNR will be investigating local sources of PM2.5 and other emissions in order to pinpoint which companies and other sources are adding to the high levels reported at the air-quality monitor at Garfield School. They will also be examining sulfur dioxide and other emissions to protect human health.

Eleanore Cubbage, 82, lives in the 1300 block of Kansas Street near GPC. She said pollution is a fact of life and that she doesn't believe the emissions will change.

"I've lived right here since 1948 and it hasn't bothered me," she said of GPC's emissions. "You can't do anything without pollution; if you start your car you'll have pollution. We have to have the businesses."

Around the corner on Miles Avenue lives Lupe DeLeon, 34, and his girlfriend, Kara Carlton, 31. They aren't as forgiving as Cubbage.

"There are some nights we can't even sit in our backyard," DeLeon said. "It's just a huge problem. There have been days that the pollution is so bad you can't see in traffic. You can't see across the street."

Because DeLeon has upper respiratory health issues he often can't open the windows unless the wind blows GPC emissions away from his home.

"What falls on our house is brown and sometimes black and it's hard to wash off," DeLeon said. "It can be very bad and I want it to change."

GPC said it remains committed to the environment.

"With the majority of GPC's raw materials coming from agriculture, GPC has a clear interest in ensuring an environment that is conducive to producing high-quality products from our primary raw material: corn," the company stated.

-The Associated Press