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Resident warns of health, safety risks if Brightmark plant locates near Thomaston
Summary
During public comment at the Jan. 14 Upson County Board of Commissioners meeting, resident Kathy Huey urged commissioners to block Brightmark from building an advanced recycling facility near Thomaston, citing safety incidents and alleged pollution at a Brightmark facility in Ashley, Indiana.
Kathy Huey, a Thomaston resident, urged the Upson County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 14 to deny any move that would allow Brightmark to build an advanced plastics-recycling plant near Thomaston, saying the technology and the company’s track record put workers and residents at risk.
Huey said Brightmark’s processes employ high-temperature pyrolysis and cited academic work and former-employee accounts she said link that approach to hazardous byproducts, including dioxins and furans. She described reported incidents at a Brightmark facility in Ashley, Indiana, including an oil spill and at least one major fire, and said a former employee had sued claiming lung damage from plastic dust.
“The health and welfare of the people that live here is priceless,” Huey said. She warned that a large plant in Upson County would be far bigger than the Ashley facility and said a single fire or accident ‘‘could wipe out infrastructure, businesses, injure and or kill livestock, and possibly irreversibly damage the health of the people in this region.’’
Huey called the company’s public marketing ‘‘gaslighting’’ and urged commissioners not to allow Brightmark to locate in Thomaston.
The remarks came during the meeting’s public comment period; commissioners did not take a formal vote or issue a response to her request during the meeting.
The transcript of Huey’s remarks cites several technical sources and an on-site former employee as the basis for her concerns. Huey characterized the risks as both immediate (fires, spills) and long-term (toxic compounds she said could be generated by pyrolysis), and she repeatedly framed public health as the primary consideration.
No county staff presentation, vendor proposal, permitting item, or formal planning agenda item related to Brightmark appeared on the Jan. 14 agenda, and the commission did not vote on any Brightmark-related permit or contract during the meeting.
Huey’s full comments were entered into the public record during the meeting’s public-comment portion.
