Waynesboro: Still no word on the DEQ follow-up hearing on Northrop Grumman

We found out last week that the Virginia DEQ does plan to hold a follow-up public hearing on the request of Northrop Grumman for a permit that would allow the company to release 24.9 tons of hazardous pollutants annually into the air over Waynesboro.

What we were told by a DEQ spokesperson was that the notice of the public hearing would be posted “on the calendar on our website, in a local newspaper, and on the Virginia Regulatory Town Hall.”

I got this note by email from the spokesperson on July 29.

Eleven days later, no notice on the calendar on the DEQ website – which, oddly, doesn’t even have the notice for our July 23 public hearing at Waynesboro High School in its archives.

The local newspaper notice might as well involve the use of an airplane dragging a banner flying over the city in the middle of the night – the local “newspaper,” The News Virginian, has, according to the Virginia Press Association, has a print circulation of 692, a fraction of the city’s population of 23,951.

Nothing, either, about this upcoming meeting on the Virginia Regulatory Town Hall.

Though, credit there, the Virginia Regulatory Town Hall site does at least list our July 23 public hearing in its archives.

A company with an $81.2 billion market cap wants to be able to cut corners on its emissions controls, polluting our air and water forevermore, and it sure does feel like the DEQ wants to keep all of that on the down low.

Suggestion for the DEQ folks: it’s not a public hearing if the public isn’t made aware that it’s happening.

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ICYMI: Northrop Grumman air permit request

• Northrop Grumman announces plans for $200M manufacturing facility in Waynesboro
• Waynesboro: DEQ needs to grant extension on Northrup Grumman SOP
• Waynesboro: DEQ to set public hearing on Northrup Grumman permit request
• Waynesboro: DEQ sets public hearing on Northrop Grumman permit request
• Locals gave Virginia DEQ an earful on Northrop Grumman permit request
• Waynesboro: DEQ says it’s OK for Northrop Grumman to pollute our environment

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