Illinois Pollution Control Board

Public Comment File

Case PCB 2006-184

100 W

. Randolph Street, Suite 11-500

Chicago, IL 60601

To the Public Comment File, Case 2006-184

:

I understand that the original May 17`" deadline for IPCB's ruling on Peoria Disposal

Company's appeal was extended in anticipation of a so-called "global settlement"

between Peoria County and Peoria Disposal Company

.

Peoria County's local siting act requires and encourages public participation

. The

hearings, testimony and public comment from last spring evinced an extraordinary degree

of public interest and generated unprecedented participation by the citizens of Peoria

County.

Peter W. Offutt, Ph.D.

V

PO Box 222

Mossville IL 61552-0222

April 6, 2007

R

CLERK'S

E C EIOFFICEV

E D

APR 0 9 2007

Pollution

STATE OF

Control

ILLINOISBoard

Clearly, any legitimate global settlement must also include meaningful public

participation

. Nonetheless, the public has been barred from participating in this so-called

global settlement, which has been pursued in secret meetings between Peoria County

Staff and Peoria Disposal Company and in a series of executive sessions of the Peoria

County Board conducted out of public view under the veil of "ongoing litigation."

In addition to there having been no public meetings, there is no information being made

available to the general public regarding this purported "global settlement

." What

information is available off the record does nothing to indicate that what the Peoria

County Board had found unsafe, unnecessary and incompatible is now safe, necessary or

compatible .

I pray that your deliberations on this matter not be influenced by a perception that there is

anything global about the back-room deal being negotiated out of public view

.

Yours very truly,