Muncie Residents Demand Public Meeting on Exide's Permit & Toxic Pollution

Exide Technologies has filed an application with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management to renew their Operating Permit at their plant located at 2601 West Mt. Pleasant Blvd. in Muncie.

Hundreds of residents, neighbors & merchants are concerned about Exide’s long history of excessive pollution, violations and fines in Muncie. Since 1989, Exide has released 227,275 pounds of toxic pollutants- including dangerous lead, sulfuric acid and arsenic- into the air and water in Muncie.

If approved, this Operating Permit will allow Exide to continue to emit 474.5 tons (949,000 pounds) of toxic pollutants in Muncie PER YEAR, including 4.86 tons (9,720 pounds) of lead. This will negatively impact local homes, businesses, residents' health, our environment and wildlife.

We deserve to know more about this important public health and safety issue, including:

• The negative impacts these emissions have on surrounding homes and residents’ health and safety?
• Are any soil tests or impact studies on Exide’s emissions going to be required?
• What regulations and air and water monitoring technology and controls will be in place to protect Muncie residents from these toxic emissions?
• Can new or additional monitoring and safety devices be required like the WESP filtration device Exide’s competitor RSR has in their Indianapolis plant to significantly reduce harmful emissions?
• How often will the plant be inspected to ensure compliance (right now Exide only self-reports to the State once every three years!)?
• What measures and penalties are in place should Exide- as has occurred several times at their Muncie plant- exceed emissions or be found in non-compliance?

These questions and more are why residents have demanded that the Indiana Department of Environmental Management hold a public meeting on Exide’s permit.

Exide needs to be held accountable for their long history of bad practices and a public meeting where we can ask questions and learn more about what can be done to better protect our families from their decades of toxic emissions is a good start.

For more information or to get involved, like/follow this issue on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/protectmuncie/) or send an email to ProtectMuncie@gmail.com