The Smelter Debate
California regulators have invited public comment on a long-awaited draft permit for the state’s only lead battery recycling facility. Residents near the Ecobat smelter in Los Angeles County have complained for years about uneven regulatory oversight and legacy lead pollution at the plant. This series examines key aspects of the permit and the permitting process.
About the only thing regulators, community groups and Ecobat agree on when it comes to lead pollution in the City of Industry is that the smelter generated lots of it over the years: Thousands of pounds from the stacks annually, reported to the federal government, then hundreds, then 26 pounds or fewer each year since 2009.
Where all that lead ended up and whether a smelter operating since 1959 can be held responsible for any of it are open questions.
Katie Butler, director of the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, said regulators aim to change that with Ecobat’s draft hazardous waste permit – on which public comment closes November 18 – and a potential investigation into lead that landed beyond its perimeter…