The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality is hosting a public hearing Thursday in the city of Benson — south of Tucson. This will be one of the last public events held by the agency about an aluminum plant that’s proposed there.
A company called Dynamic Aluminum is asking ADEQ to grant an air permit for the roughly 200-acre plant where aluminum would be processed and sent to the company’s mill in Ohio to be turned into recycled goods.
Opponents of the project say it will pump toxic emissions into the air and also threaten groundwater, which sustains homes and feeds the San Pedro River.
A petition asking ADEQ to reject the project has garnered almost 2,500 signatures. ADEQ’s public comment portal — which closes Thursday — has gotten dozens of responses raising concerns about air quality and the impact the project will have on the river.
A spokesperson with ADEQ says it will consider all public input and the EPA will also assess the plan later on.
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The visit comes ahead of a mandated six-year review of the trade pact between the United States, Mexico and Canada this summer. -
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