TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — More than 200 people packed a town hall hosted in Benson with Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes. All but a few of them stood in solidarity against a proposed aluminum recycling plant that Aluminum Dynamics is planning on building near Highway 80 and Seventh Street.
“We aren’t anti-industry. We are for responsible industry,” Misty Bloom said.
She’s the cofounder and president of the group Health Over Wealth Benson that is against the project. The group is suing the City of Benson’s Planning and Zoning Commission over the project.
“We’re really hoping to just overturn that conditional use permit, the variances,” Bloom said.
About thirty people talked directly to the crowd and Mayes about the project, many including Bloom voicing their concerns over pollutants they feel like the plant could emit.
“That could go into your lungs. It’s small enough to penetrate the lungs and bloodstream and it’s just not good for Benson this close. The proximity is what we have a problem with,” Bloom said.
A lot of what Mayes talked about directly to the audience was about nuisance laws the project could potentially violate.
“Environmental toxins that might come into the air and come out of the plant from the smelting of the aluminum cans,” Mayes said to KGUN reporter Andrew Christiansen.
People living in Benson like Brendan Tammetta are also worried about the potential plant’s water usage.
“There’s no water to begin with out here. There are a lot of ranchers that depend on the water for their cattle, their other livestock,” Tammetta said.
Water usage is another potential nuisance Mayes said she’s worried about.
“The possible drawdown of the water in the valley and the impacts to the San Pedro River,” she commented to Christiansen.
However, even though he is worried about the water and environmental issues, Hoyt Johnson, who lives in Benson, said the project will bring jobs to the area that will economically benefit Benson.
“Could generate potentially another 350 jobs within the community through the service industry, through the other things that happen, retail, and all the other aspects of the community,” Johnson said.
The water and pollutants issues, Mayes said, warrants a nuisance investigation and she is considering action.
Mayes’ environmental protection unit, she said, will gather information from state and federal agencies and talk about the information that she got from the community at the town hall. She said she’s going to see if the audience’s information lines up with the law. Later on she said she could decide whether a nuisance lawsuit is on the table.
In order for this project to go through, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality still has to approve a permit for it.
“I don’t know how you could walk away from this town hall and not be very concerned for this community,” Mayes said.
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Andrew Christiansen is a reporter for KGUN 9. Before joining the team, Andrew reported in Corpus Christi, Texas for KRIS6 News, Action 10 News and guest reported in Spanish for Telemundo Corpus Christi. Share your story ideas with Andrew by emailing andrew.christiansen@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, or Twitter.
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