Today’s Prince William Extra has an interesting piece on two proposed asphalt plants, “Bristow Residents Mobilize Against Asphalt Plants” (Note that the article was not yet on-line when this post went up.). The county’s planning commission approved these two plants for construction in the Bristow area on locations near Hornbaker Road, but the Prince William Board of County Supervisors (BOCS) has yet to consider the issue.
The PW Extra article begins breathlessly enough. We hear about a worried mother and her two small children with asthma. Nonetheless, by the time we reach the end of the article, we have to wonder what the fuss is about. Although an asphalt plant sounds like an awful thing to have for a neighbor, the emissions from the plants would actually amount to very little. A more likely problem would be the expected large volume of truck traffic. Yet that problem may be unavoidable. Since the land is already zoned for heavy industrial use, the land is already effectively zoned for a large amount of truck traffic.
So what is the rationale for opposing the two plants? The article mentions this website, www.bristowopposition.com. Based upon the material on this site, the only logical conclusion is to not build the asphalt plants. In fact, given the content of www.bristowopposition.com, we should not have any asphalt plants at all. Instead, we should be demanding that one of the companies mentioned in the PW Extra article shut down its plant in the Manassas Park area. Otherwise the plant will poison everyone anywhere near it.
On one page (here), www.bristowopposition.com states the following:
Please don’t be mislead by EPA standards. There are no safe limits for poisons!
The fact is that asphalt is made from naturally occurring product (see here and here). We make our roads with asphalt, and we waterproof the roofs of our houses with it. People have been using asphalt for centuries. So it is a little late to be getting in a panic over asphalt.
Of course, nobody should try breathing concentrated fumes off of hot asphalt. That will make you sick. Your lungs need relatively clean air, and the fumes off hot asphalt do not qualify as clean air. Just the same, there is no such thing as perfectly clean air. So nature has adapted our bodies to deal with minor imperfections. There are safe limits. To say otherwise about such a common product as asphalt is rank hysteria. Don’t people work with asphalt every day? Are these people all keeling over and dying from asphalt poisoning?
So what is the alternative? None of us want to live near a heavy industrial area. That is one reason why we have zoning laws. We do not want to buy our house and then have a slaughter house open next door. For similar reasons, it is appropriate to insist that any new asphalt plant be built in a properly zoned area. From all appearances, that is exactly what the companies building these proposed asphalt plants want to do; they want to build on appropriately zoned land. So it appears that the Planning Commission fulfilled its obligations. Nevertheless, their opposition is fierce.
GRR Land of Virginia, one of the two companies involved, wants to build its plant only a quarter mile from houses. Moreover, it is seeking a waiver from a 1989 proffer that prohibits asphalt plants on their property. So it is probably not too surprising that with all the publicity it has requested an “indefinite deferral” from the BOCS.
On the other hand, the other campany, Finley Asphalt and Sealing, wants to build a plant that is a mile from any housing or schools. Is that far enough away? If there are no safe limits for poisons, then the answer is no. Unfortunately, if we take that attitude, we will soon have nothing to eat. The trucks that bring our food to us will soon have no roads on which to drive.
Is the land appropriately zoned? If not, why not? What are we doing wrong?
What should worry us most about this situation is the total inability of our government to respond. Instead, what is overriding is the Not In My BackYard (NIMBY) response we all have when something like this comes up. It seems the only rules of this game is that there are no rules. That is not good for our general prosperity. Because we cannot get the politics right:
- Our cities sprawl.
- We cannot easily build new power plants.
- We are not building any new petroleum refineries.
- Heavy industry finds it more and more difficult to locate in the USA.
- Good jobs are going overseas.
Once one of the greatest advantages of the USA was the ease of doing business. No one needed to bribed. The laws were straightforward. We provided the world’s finest transportation and communication infrastructure. And best of all, we had a hard working and enthusiastic work force. Instead of NIMBYs, we had people who wanted jobs. Then we discovered pollution: chemical, noise, visual, and whatever else might be generally unpleasant.
Slowly, but surely, we are making it more and more unprofitable to do business in the USA. Unless we can get the politics right, we are well on our way to becoming a Third World banana republic. Then our children will still suffer man-made pollution. That is because even if we can still afford keep a roof over our heads and food on our tables we will still produce waste. If nobody wants that waste anywhere near their backyard, what will we do with it? How will we process it? Is it possible we will just tie ourselves up in knots? Let’s hope not. Even human waste has to be put some place.
Other Views and News
Stop the Asphalt Plants is another website set up by opponents.
Corey Stewart announces his opposition here.
Delegate Bob Marshall announced his opposition in an op-ed (here).
InsideNoVA (here and here) and the Gainesville Times (here) provided earlier stories on this issue.
Fox 5 News (here) and WUSA9 (here) provided coverage in May.
The Cartoons
Glad to see the powers-that-be against this. Our zoning sucks. We have heavy industrial areas right in our back yards–literally.
My younger child recently brought to my attention that kids were dragging stuff out of the industrial park that backs up to our townhouse loop. (I was wondering where she was getting all this wood, rugs, coils etc. which I ended up having to throw away. This made my not happy, as you can imagine.)
Some of the older kids are sneaking in and climbing all over trailers. To boot, one of the doors in an empty building is left wide open. Kids broke the windows and apparently go in there all the time.
Needless to say, I had a cow and a half and called the county.
The last thing we need is more industry in our area. Please, PWC, put it somewhere else where it won’t poison us or become safety hazards.
kgotthardt — Sounds like the immediate problem you are describing is the absence of a decent fence and good security.
Consider what this episode illustrates. If enough people scream bloody murder, won’t the powers that be suddenly decide that they are against that particular murder too? Will that stop all the other bloody murders? Of course not.
Do we have a well thought out policy to properly zone heavy industrial facilities? If we have one, our leaders have not made that policy obvious. Since the asphalt makers are just trying to make a living (like the rest of us), what is the point in getting mad at them? What we lack is a sensible policy, and that is just as much our fault as it is their fault.
Instead of doing their job, the people we have put in charge of our Federal, State, and local governments busy themselves trying to do everybody else’s job. For example, when we need them thinking about national defense, Federal officials want to do health care and education. And State officials, when they should be worrying regional transportation systems, stick their noses education and in zoning issues.
So we end up with stupid problems. Instead of using our zoning laws to actually figure out where we want heavy industry to locate, the Board of County Supervisors uses the system to collect proffer money. Instead of being relatively fixed, the borders of the various areas that the county has zoned are flexible. Just bring money. That is because the BOCS uses the zoning system to tax developers, not to actually zone property for its intended purpose.
Why does it work that way? The rules for this crazy system come out of Richmond. Ask your state senator and your delegate.
“Why does it work that way? The rules for this crazy system come out of Richmond.”
Yes, Richmond is responsible for the crazy rules that govern zoning but you can not lay the onus on General Assembly. The rules may appear crazy (and some legitimately are) but the random application of those rules by the BOCS and more particularly the Planning Office is where the real craziness exists. I say craziness whereas others might suggest words like corruption, incompetence and conflicts of interest.
Finding the real source of the problem requires looking no further than the desks of the head of the planning office, the chief of long range planning, the former County Exec. and several supervisors.
I once took a management course. One of the things I learned was that most subordinates try to do a good job. Therefore, before I blame my subordinate, I should reconsider my own flawed incentives and instructions.
With respect to zoning laws, do the the instructions and incentives coming out of Richmond make sense. When we consider the role of proffers, I doubt it. We all know that politicians are always desperate for more revenue to spend. So if the choice is between revenue and sensible zoning restrictions, what will win? More revenue or sensible zoning restrictions?
The “abuse” of the proffer system is a circumstance largely endemic to counties such as PWC. It is viewed as a means to correct errors in judgement and a lack of consistent long range planning. A review of the vastly disparate monetary contributions listed in the proffer schedules published by urban and rural counties gives a telling indication of where the onus lies. That notwithstanding, the problem in PWC is exacerbated by professional staff.
Mom – Notice that you used the words “largely endemic to counties.” What you have done is admitted the problem is systemic.
If I were to build an automobile with badly designed steering and brake system, what would happen? If I managed somehow to sell a large number of these cars, the drivers of these cars would have a relatively large number of accidents, wouldn’t they? Would you blame the drivers? Would the workers on the assembly line be at fault? Would the designer be at fault?
To some extent the drivers and the workers on the assembly line would be at fault. However, to fix the underlying problem, we would have to correct the design. Any other attempt to correct the problem would be almost futile.
I think a better analogy would be building complex automobiles capable operating at 300mph, nothing wrong with the vehicles, just the operators when they exceed their own limitations.
Mom – That is the sort of problem we have now — except in reverse. Private industry can design and build lots of marvelous cars. Our government, unfortunately, cannot properly design and build a road network adequate for all these vehicles. So we often sit in traffic jams.
What is the problem with the way we build roads? Again it is a matter of instructions and incentives. Instead of paying tolls (i.e., hanging onto our money until the roads are built), we just give politicians and hope for the best. Human nature, being what it is, that sort system does not work very well.
Consider that the Founders understood and appreciated the limitations of men. So they favored limited government and devised a system of checks and balances. In our day, unfortunately, it seems we expect far too much from our leaders. Moreover, we no longer insist that our leaders abide by the Constitution, that system of checks of balances. So at all levels of government we are seeing a confused mess that reeks of corruption.
Speak for yourself, I dont expect far too much from our leaders, simply some measure of competence and accountability. I do inist they abide by the Constitution and our system of checks and balances, that’s why our elected officials hate to see me coming their way, although not nearly as much as the bureaucrats do.
Mom – Read what you wrote.
OFL, I’m not mad at the asphalt company–yet. If they choose to come here without listening to how residents resent them, then I WILL be mad at them, though. I don’t think it’s good for a company to move in where they aren’t wanted.
There are places they can move where the residents won’t make such a stink (punny). So find these places and go there. Stop building industry in my back yard, thank you very much.
And BOCS, focus on proffers for parks, schools and roads. Zoning should be able to take care of this stuff. Let them!
I DO expect my local government to focus on our county. It seems sometimes they would prefer to cater to the whims of groups angry with the Federal Government. Same goes for our state leaders. Please don’t waste our tax dollars writing policy that the Feds should write. Sure, advocate if you want, but stick to local law.
Have you heard the saying, “All government is local”? It’s true. Fix your own back yards and the rest will follow through your example and advocacy.
“I say craziness whereas others might suggest words like corruption, incompetence and conflicts of interest.” I believe I have used those very words, Mom.
BTW, I never blame the “worker bees.” The worker bees in government can only do what the “powers that be” tell them they can do.