The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has announced it will host a combined public meeting and hearing regarding the Title V Operating Permit for Reworld Plymouth on Tuesday, May 21st at 6:00 p.m. at Davenport Elementary School located at 1 East Oak Street in Norristown. Reworld Plymouth is the waste to energy facility located across Alan Wood Road from Ikea in Conshohocken (Plymouth Township). It was previously known as Covanta Plymouth. Covanta rebranded as Reworld in April 2024.
The Title V Operating permit falls under the Clean Air Act. You can learn more about that here.
The plant experienced several several malfunctions over the past few years. In 2021, the company agreed to pay a $218,393 civil penalty in connection to 2019 and 2020 violations.
Many local municipalities utilize the facility to depose of their trash including Conshohocken, West Conshohocken, and Plymouth Township. Whitemarsh decided in 2019 to no longer utilize the facility and send its trash to be landfilled.
From the announcement:
The Reworld Plymouth consists of two municipal waste combustors (MWC) designed to combust 600 tons per day of municipal solid waste (MSW) to produce steam and to generate electricity which is exported to the power grid. MSW is more commonly known as trash or garbage which consists of everyday items we use and then throw away, such as product packaging, furniture, clothing, bottles, food scraps, newspapers, appliances, paint, and batteries. This comes from our homes, schools, hospitals, and businesses.
The community is invited to ask questions and receive answers from DEP’s program staff. Following the meeting, a public hearing will be held to receive oral and written testimony regarding Reworld’s Title V Operating Permit, a legally enforceable document designed to provide the road map for compliance of a facility by identifying measures required to control air pollution. The application generally requires the applicant to describe the processes and products of the facility, identify significant emissions and sources, provide a description of air pollution control equipment, identify state and federal requirements, and provide a description of methods used to ensure compliance with regulations.
The facility is in an environmental justice (EJ) area; therefore, DEP is following its EJ Enhanced Public Participation Policy. The policy was created to increase engagement in EJ areas and ensure the community can participate and be involved in a meaningful manner throughout the permitting process when an existing facility expands its operations.
Those who wish to offer testimony at the public hearing should register with Juan Serrat, Program Coordinator, at 484-250-5818 or by email to jserratgon@pa.gov. Registration is not required simply to attend the meeting. Persons with a disability, or that require translation services, who wish to attend the hearing and require auxiliary aid, service, or other accommodations to participate in the proceedings should call through the Pennsylvania AT&T Relay Service at 1-800-654-5984 (TDD) to discuss how DEP may accommodate their needs.
Written comments of any length will be accepted until May 31, 2024 and should be sent to Ms. Janine Tulloch-Reid, P.E. by email at ra-epseroaqpubcom@pa.gov, or by mail or hand-delivered to DEP’s Southeast Regional Office, 2 East Main Street, Norristown, PA 19401. All comments, whether verbally during the hearing or submitted in writing, carry equal weight and consideration. DEP will prepare a comment and response document, after the public comment period closes, responding to all public comments received orally at the hearing and in writing prior to the deadline.
You can find the full announcement here.