Residents urge Rohnert Park to revoke Recynergy permit, citing health and zoning risks

Dozens of Rohnert Park residents pressed the City Council on Aug. 26 to halt and revoke an administrative permit for Recynergy, a company proposing a microwave‑based plastics pyrolysis operation in the Somo Village mixed‑use area, saying the facility should not be located near schools or homes.

"Protect us. Protect our health. Protect our safety," said Stephanie Lennox, who presented a petition she said contained 5,140 signatures opposing the project and described the operation as a "toxic plastic microwave incineration facility." Lennox and other residents told the council they believe the company’s description of the facility as a recycling operation mischaracterizes its activities and allowed it to obtain an administrative permit without the public review required for heavy‑industrial uses.

Speakers cited specific safety and technical concerns. Mike Pachetti said a health‑risk assessment he reviewed showed substantially higher cancer‑risk estimates at Credo High School than in surrounding neighborhoods; Pachetti cited figures as high as "112.8," which he said was unacceptable near a school. Parent Kirsten Van Eis said she "can't sleep at night anymore" and pleaded with officials to revoke the permit to protect children’s health.

Several commenters described the process and the facility’s prior record. Justin Flake, a parent, said the operation is "not recycling" but a form of oil and gas extraction and alleged that Recynergy had operated unpermitted units in Santa Rosa and received prior violations. Mike Bodley and others urged the council to initiate a formal revocation hearing, arguing the permit was granted on the basis of misleading information or in violation of permit conditions.

Technical concerns were raised in detail. Patrick Mundy, a Credo High School parent, described the company’s pyrolysis process as heating pelletized plastic with microwaves to roughly 800–1,000°F and said that up to about 25% of the process output could be non‑condensable flammable gases (methane, propane, butane). He warned that if oxygen enters the reaction chamber, ignition and explosion are likely and that such equipment belongs in a widely buffered heavy‑industrial zone rather than adjacent to schools and residences.

A safety trainer who identified herself as Colleen said she has consulted Chemical Safety Board, Cal/OSHA process safety experts and EPA contacts, and said those regulators have classified the hazards as "high in severity," warning that an accident could cause fire, injuries and long‑term contamination.

City officials responded that the matter is under active administrative review and that the company is not operating at present. The City Manager told the council that the city had imposed more than 20 conditions on Recynergy’s administrative permit, had issued a stop‑work order, and that, "if Recynergy does not comply with any of those conditions, then the permit will be revoked." The City Attorney added that revocation authority is limited while the use has not yet commenced and directed residents to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s upcoming public hearing on Oct. 3 as the forum where permitting decisions will be considered.

Council members offered no immediate vote on revocation. Several residents and speakers urged the council to place a revocation hearing on a future agenda; others asked the city to seek any legal remedies available now. Commenters also raised potential conflicts of interest and requested transparent disclosure of the permit review and enforcement timeline.

Next steps: the Bay Area Air Quality Management District has extended its comment period and will consider permit matters on Oct. 3; the city said it will continue an internal review of the permit conditions and will pursue revocation if the company fails to meet its permit obligations.