Good news! The NH Department of Environmental Services (DES) is receiving $7,640,000 this year to address PFAS contamination in our water. Bad news, PFAS and other chemicals also spread through the air, harming lungs and causing cancer. Our DES carefully follows federal rules monitoring air quality, but many are limited and outdated. (Large companies like St. Gobain and Casella Waste Management choose to locate in NH, where standards are looser.) DES knows it can do more, yet holds to minimal federal standards. Currently, DES is working on air permits to allow increased pollution from Turnkey Landfill’s expansion, accepting 1.4-1.5 million more tons of waste annually. This facility is a major source for toxic substances. People living nearby smell the pollution, and every breath brings Turnkey emissions into their lungs and bloodstream.

The new permit monitors only formaldehyde and methane, not another 100 toxic air pollutants, including PFAS, that it is capable of monitoring; doesn’t provide adequate provisions for monitoring or upgrading to “Best Available Technology;” doesn’t provide for reliable low-cost monitors to measure pollutants such as particulates, that travel to surrounding communities; doesn’t include recent standards set for diesel emissions, although trucking will increase by 3,000 weekly trips. (Truck emissions can now be limited with an upgrade installation.) DES has the knowledge and legal authority to protect our air. Will they, and the governor they serve, insist on their right to maintain minimal, outdated standards? Email DES Air Division to protect our air, not permit pollution.

Susan Richman

Durham

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