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Criminal charges have been laid against Bovar Waste Management (formerly Chem-Security Alberta Ltd.), which operates the hazardous waste and PCB treatment facility near Swan Hills (Northwest of Edmonton). The charges primarily concern an incident in October when PCBs, dioxins and furans were accidentally vented to the atmosphere over an eight-hour period. The charges also concern two other PCB leaks which occurred earlier last year which allegedly went unreported. The October release has forced the indefinite closure of the facility's PCB transformer furnace and has triggered a private lawsuit from the local First Nations band. A range of other occurrences has recently come to light, including PCB spills, a chemical fire, and alleged explosions at the plant. Alberta's Environment Minister Ty Lund has said he may pull the operating license of the facility if Boyar cannot prove it can operate the facility safely, and has slapped an Enforcement Order on the plant which will force a detailed audit of its operations.
The Alberta press has covered the situation extensively, partly because these problems are occurring at a facility subsidized by Alberta taxpayers to the tune of half-a-billion dollars, and partly because some say the government delayed releasing any bad news during the period when it transferred its ownership of the plant to Bovar. Originally, the Swan Hills plant was the cornerstone of the Alberta Special Waste Management System, a centrally-planned scheme designed to protect the public interest by disposing of wastes safely. The government shared management of the system through a crown corporation (recently wound down). The plant was supposed to treat only Alberta hazardous waste, PCBs, and large quantities of oil-field wastes whose required destruction was proposed under draft regulations. Alberta's deal with the private operator guaranteed the company a profit no matter what amount of waste the plant received.
When industry lobby efforts led the government to drop its plans to mandate the destruction of oil-field wastes, the economic assumptions for the plant were undermined. Its rocking kilns proved to be the wrong equipment for the high-strength hazardous wastes the plant began receiving, and the government's losses mounted.
In spite of this, the government made further investments in the plant, including construction of a large rotary kiln and other equipment. Costs spiralled, yet...