BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is requiring Goodyear to resubmit its air permit application for its Niagara Falls facility after determining the current submission is incomplete.
In a letter sent to Goodyear just days ago, obtained by the 7 News I-Team, the DEC stated the application "does not contain sufficient emission calculations, data and examples." The DEC also noted that calculations the company used for emission factors don't demonstrate how Goodyear arrived at these numbers.
WATCH: Why is the Goodyear permit considered incomplete?
The company now has until next Thursday to update its application as required by an agreement reached in January. Under that agreement, Goodyear was fined $15,000 by the DEC. These fines are over two different violations that pertain to the emission of chemicals from the Niagara Falls plant. It's part of a consent order, signed by the general manager at the Goodyear plant and the DEC's regional director.
This development comes as part of our ongoing 7 News I-Team investigative series "Getting Poisoned," which examines emissions of Ortho-Toluidine, a cancer-causing chemical, from the Goodyear plant.
State mapping shows the facility is emitting this chemical at up to seven times the current standard. Ortho-Toluidine causes bladder cancer, in some cases, when inhaled or absorbed through the skin.
The DEC describes this mapping as a "worst case scenario," though the agency could not provide evidence supporting this characterization.
"DEC routinely issues notices of incomplete application to applicants to ensure complete applications meeting all state requirements are available for staff to write a permit and for public review," a DEC spokesperson said.
Goodyear responded that it will provide "the requested information and will meet the timeline established in its agreement with the DEC."
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