Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Fight continues against Rockwool in Jefferson County (WV)
WV MetroNews ^ | September 18, 2018 | Mike McCullough

Posted on 09/18/2018 6:03:06 PM PDT by buckalfa

RANSON, W.Va. — Concerned Residents against Rockwool organized a protest Tuesday at the Jefferson County Development Authority.

This comes just days after another group, known as Jefferson County Vision, filed a lawsuit against the authority for allowing the insulation plant to locate in Ranson. A Tuesday afternoon Jefferson County Development Authority meeting would have included the final reading of a water bond for Rockwool.

As opposition grew outside of their windows, the authority decided to table the motion. 35 people were on the list to speak with a few dozen more waiting outside. Those who oppose the facility cite a variety of concerns including air pollution.

“It’s like they’re spreading poison,” said resident Mary Reed. “What really ticks me off the most is that they’re building it across from North Jefferson Elementary School. Because I care about our children.”

The Granny Smith Lane site sits under a mile from the school. Rockwool announced plans for the facility in July 2017. Plans call for a $150 million plant, which will be used for manufacturing stone wool insulation. It will include two smoke stacks each about 213 feet tall, 460,000 square feet of space and could use between 100,000 and 125,000 gallons of water per day. The plant will employ roughly 150 people in positions ranging from production to management.

“With the turnout from the community, there’s obviously a broad set of concerns about what brought Rockwell here,” said Jefferson County Vision Board Member Chris Kinnan. “The legal structure of all these different interlocking deals and how those were formed. So it’s exciting today that there’s more time to analyze everything that’s going on. There’s more time for public input.”

Dr. Christine Wimer is an equine veterinarian specializing in immunology and applied molecular biology. She is concerned about Jefferson County’s equine industry and the negative impact pollutants from Rockwool could have on the horses.

“It’s something that we should preserve, it’s our history. One of the main things is they’re (Rockwell) going to emit particulate matter. Particulate matter is known to be very detrimental to horses, especially their performance. Even small amounts of inflammation that are subclinical can negatively affect the performance of horses.”

The site is approximately nine miles from the racetrack at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races and is surrounded by several horse farms.

“This is not something like people who are going to get cancer overtime,” said Christine Wimer. “This effect is hours to days from the time that stuff is in the air. So the horses will be affected immediately and the businesses will be affected slowly over time.”

Rockwool insists all proper testing and documentation has been completed to ensure minimal environmental impact to the region based on a sister facility in Mississippi. Rockwool said said in a previous statement, in part:

“ROCKWOOL obtained its Clean Air permit from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WV DEP) April 30, 2018 after meeting the requirements set forth by the Federal Clean Air Act as adopted by WV DEP. This included the submission of emissions data and the identification of the Best Achievable Control Technologies (BACT) that will be used to keep emissions below federal and state limits.”

Construction on the site is expected to be complete in the early part of 2020.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Health/Medicine; Local News; Society
KEYWORDS: insulation; jeffersoncounty; ranson; rockwool; westvirginia; wv
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021 next last
Some of the people in West Virginia must be bipolar. They will vote overwhelmingly for Trump and his MAGA agenda but will fight against companies that will bring much needed jobs to the state. Is rock wool a legitimate hazmat or these folks protesting just on the NIMBY principle.
1 posted on 09/18/2018 6:03:06 PM PDT by buckalfa
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: buckalfa

Get those jobs out of here! Send them to China, anywhere else!


2 posted on 09/18/2018 6:05:09 PM PDT by Steely Tom ([Seth Rich] == [the Democrat's John Dean])
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: buckalfa

Nimbys


3 posted on 09/18/2018 6:05:37 PM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: buckalfa

Wth is it rockwool or rockwell? They flip throughout the story.


4 posted on 09/18/2018 6:20:19 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man ( Gone Galt; Not averse to Going Bronson.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: buckalfa

I didn’t know that rockwool was still manufactured. Last time I saw it was over 30 years ago pulling it out of the walls of a 50 year old house for a remodel.


5 posted on 09/18/2018 6:24:56 PM PDT by TigersEye (This is the age of the death of reason.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Secret Agent Man

I believe the correct company is Rockwool.


6 posted on 09/18/2018 6:30:35 PM PDT by buckalfa (I was so much older then, but I'am younger than that now.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Steely Tom

The median income for a household in the town was $24,485, and the median income for a family was $30,676. Males had a median income of $26,719 versus $19,559 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,804. About 20.9% of families and 25.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.4% of those under age 18 and 14.5% of those age 65 or over.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranson,_West_Virginia


7 posted on 09/18/2018 6:52:22 PM PDT by DUMBGRUNT (So what!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: buckalfa

The only pollution danger here is the torrent of bullshit spewing from these idiot protesters.


8 posted on 09/18/2018 7:01:34 PM PDT by NorthMountain (... the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DUMBGRUNT

That a precise way of saying WE NEED JOBS in WV.


9 posted on 09/18/2018 7:02:31 PM PDT by NorthMountain (... the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: NorthMountain

I wonder how many of those protesters were shipped in.


10 posted on 09/18/2018 7:12:28 PM PDT by fella ("As it was before Noah so shall it be again,")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: fella
Jefferson County contains Shepherdstown, home of Shepherd University ... which, as you might expect, has more than its share of brainless leftists.

The idjits might be local ...

11 posted on 09/18/2018 7:19:03 PM PDT by NorthMountain (... the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: NorthMountain
"The idjits might be local ..."

Also keep in mind that the DC swampcrats are also spilling over into Jefferson County, WV.

12 posted on 09/18/2018 7:33:21 PM PDT by buckalfa (I was so much older then, but I'am younger than that now.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: TigersEye; All
The new form of mineral wool or rockwool is Roxul and other brands. It is not asbestos and I have not heard any health problems. It comes in 4-foot batts, rigid boards, or loose that can be blown in. Fireproof, holds its shape if it gets wet, good sound absorber, as insulation it is 3.8-4.3 R per inch.

We put it in the interior walls of our bathroom and you can barely hear the toilet flush or the shower on full blast. Easy to install. Home Depot usually caries it in single packs of 12 batts, enough to do a 8x8 area.

13 posted on 09/18/2018 8:36:26 PM PDT by Right Wing Assault (Kill-googl,TWITR,FACBK,NYT,WaPo,Hlywd,CNN,NFL,BLM,CAIR,Antifa,SPLC,ESPN,NPR,NBA)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: TigersEye

I didn’t know that rockwool was still manufactured. Last time I saw it was over 30 years ago pulling it out of the walls of a 50 year old house for a remodel.

Still available and very good insulation. Roxsul is one brand name. The material has better soundproofing quality than fiberglass and it is both water repellent and fireproof.

Checkout this demo video on a box of chocolate insulated from fire using Roxsul... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34SJUQRZGP8


14 posted on 09/18/2018 8:41:14 PM PDT by Flick Lives
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Flick Lives

Nobody has yet to describe what “rockwool” is composed from and of.

If it is not an asbestos rock, is it similar in molecular structure (as asbestos is not a metallic material) or how is it different, and safe re particulate matter? Does the Rockwool plant in Mississippi have the latest form of scrubbers and filters (that have to be approved by the EPA under the Clean Air Act)?

Locating any plant like this near a school is not really a good idea. Further out should work for any safety considerations.

We need more information on the subject.


15 posted on 09/18/2018 11:04:11 PM PDT by MadMax, the Grinning Reaper
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Berosus; Bockscar; cardinal4; ColdOne; Convert from ECUSA; ...
Dr. Christine Wimer is an equine veterinarian... “It’s something that we should preserve, it’s our history. One of the main things is they’re (Rockwell) going to emit particulate matter. Particulate matter is known to be very detrimental to horses, especially their performance. Even small amounts of inflammation that are subclinical can negatively affect the performance of horses.”
IOW, hypochondria by proxy is a real disorder.

16 posted on 09/18/2018 11:47:04 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (www.tapatalk.com/groups/godsgravesglyphs/, forum.darwincentral.org, www.gopbriefingroom.com)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: MadMax, the Grinning Reaper

Nobody has yet to describe what “rockwool” is composed from and of.

Rockwool is composed of basalt and chalk, melted at high temperature and then blown to aerate it much like cotton candy. Think of it as manmade aerated lava.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-r8hzxzm4As


17 posted on 09/19/2018 5:07:58 AM PDT by Flick Lives
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: Flick Lives; Right Wing Assault

Thank you both for the info on rockwool. I had only seen it in remodels of older structures and presumed that fiberglass had replaced it.


18 posted on 09/19/2018 12:47:44 PM PDT by TigersEye (This is the age of the death of reason.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: Flick Lives
That was interesting too. Never knew what rockwool was made of.

Here's another great use for it if you're into gardening. It's a bit high-tech for me, I like gardening outdoors in soil, but fascinating. Lots of produce being grown this way now.

Rockwool Hydroponics Propagation and Transplanting Complete Guide

19 posted on 09/19/2018 1:11:46 PM PDT by TigersEye (This is the age of the death of reason.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: TigersEye

That’s pretty wild. It’s wall insulation and it’s a hydroponic base for plants!


20 posted on 09/19/2018 2:14:44 PM PDT by Flick Lives
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson