NORTHUMBERLAND – Northumberland Mayor Danny Berard has heard the many concerns brewing recently about the pending Encina Circular Manufacturing Facility in Point Township. He now as similar, and possibly even more questions, about the project.
“Encina’s website…they’re not forthcoming as to how all of this is gonna work…they’re just saying what they’re gonna do,” Berard said.
On Tuesday’s On The Mark, Berard also expressed concerns about the financial stability of Encina and construction for the plant, calling it ‘a start-up company.’ He also expressed traffic concerns, saying about 100-200 trucks would come down Route 11 per day to the facility, along with rail transportation.
Berard’s biggest concern is the 2.5 million gallons of water that would be used every day from the Susquehanna River, “They’re going to superheat that water to melt the plastic. One third of it will be discharged and evaporated. The other two-thirds will be brought back into the river after it has been purified. So my thought of that is the micro plastics will never be purified.”
DRIVE, the region’s economic development entity, owns the 101-acre site. Executive Director Jennifer Wakeman says protecting the environment ‘has been at the forefront of every conversation’ with Encina starting in 2021 when they narrowed their site election. She says Encina is also going through a’ rigorous permitting process’ with DEP and other agencies to ensure the facility meets or exceeds the requirements.
You can hear more from Berard on the WKOK.com Podcast Page or wherever you listen to podcasts. Encina officials will address these concerns on WKOK’s On The Mark Thursday at 8:30 a.m. They also have some project FAQ’s posted on their website.
