The No Burn Broome Campaign for Health and Environmental Protection
In Endicott, Broome County, NY, a community-led campaign achieved a remarkable victory against the construction of a battery-burning facility, illustrating the power of collective action in the fight for environmental justice. The No Burn Broome campaign’s success in defeating a proposal for a lithium-ion battery recycling facility holds a profound significance for a community that had previously endured a decades-long legacy of pollution. Beyond this local triumph, this success also carries profound significance in the broader struggle to foster a just energy transition.
SungEel MCC Americas, a joint South Korean and American company, proposed to build a lithium-ion battery recycling plant at 801 Clark Street in conjunction with a battery storage facility on South Franklin Street — close to a residential community, Union Endicott Schools, a grocery store, a pharmacy, churches, restaurants, baseball fields, and a park. The SungEel facility proposed to burn spent lithium-ion batteries from electric vehicles and power packs from phones and other electronic devices.
Despite community opposition, New York state was prepared to invest $1.75 million into the project to set up in the former IBM complex in Endicott, Broome County. The Empire State Development (ESD) intended to finance a project with taxpayers’ money that promised little to no financial gain to the people of Endicott. The extracted valuable metals and much of the profit would have left the country, ultimately benefiting SungEel and a handful of investors.
The facility would have processed 1 ton of lithium-ion batteries per hour, 12 hours a day, using incineration to recover expensive metals, such as cobalt and nickel, in the fly ash. This ash would have then been transported to South Korea for further processing. According to a Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives report, ash, air emissions, and toxic wastewater from incinerators pollute the ecosystem and harm human health.
On March 30, 2020, the state issued an Air State Facility Permit to SungEel MCC Americas, outlining that the battery-burning facility would be “permitted” to emit at least four known carcinogens and other toxins. Though the Science Team of the No Burn Broome campaign was not included in the air permit process, they did reveal that the project may release Per- and Polyfluorinated Substances (PFAS), commonly referred to as “forever chemicals,” into the atmosphere. The No Burn Broome team revealed that SungEel failed to disclose toxic PFAS in its air permit application. The No Burn Broome Science Team also determined that the facility could emit other toxic substances, including dioxins, furans, hydrogen fluoride, toxic metals, nanoparticles, and more.
The Village of Endicott had historically suffered negative health impacts due to decades of industrial pollution from the former IBM complex. IBM, which employed a large workforce in Endicott, had discharged enormous amounts of Trichloroethylene (TCE) into the ground. This blatant pollution established the town as one of the most prominent examples of vapor intrusion, a phenomenon where volatile chemicals migrate from deep underground into the indoor air of buildings, primarily affecting residential homes. Endicott had already experienced a disproportionate incidence of cancer, and the SungEel plant would have been authorized to emit carcinogenic chemicals and pollutants.
At the risk of being subjected to another polluting facility’s environmental and health impacts, Broome County residents rallied behind Paul Connett’s passionate call to action against the battery-burning facility. His expertise as a retired chemistry professor and his years of dedication to environmental campaigning enabled him to galvanize communities across the region to block the plant from being built.
Despite the Endicott Village mayor’s discouraging comment about the proposal being a “done deal” early on, local residents who allied themselves under the No Burn Broome campaign didn’t give up; they fought back by organizing rallies and protests, speaking at a public hearing, and writing to political leaders and the Board of Trustees. The organizers also formed a science group that found out about the PFAS releases and spread the word through social media and by placing signs of opposition throughout the village. This campaign was a successful organizing model that brought together people of all ages and walks of life, as well as experts from many fields. Their online anti-incineration petition was signed by 4,500 supporters, and the Facebook group has 2,000 anti-incinerator followers.
“Other than the atrocious location of the facility, the thing that stands out in my mind is that bearing in mind the health risks involved, just how little science was offered by the company. They claimed to have operated a facility in Korea for eight years and yet had only ONE dioxin measurement, with no third-party oversight. Even so, the NY Department of Environment Conservation (DEC) accepted this without requiring any further analysis! That was clear evidence in my mind that there was a political push behind this project,” said Dr. Paul Connett, Professor Emeritus in Environmental Chemistry at St. Lawrence University.
On February 1, 2021, No Burn Broome succeeded in blocking the controversial recycling law first passed on May 7, 2020. Thanks to a momentous turnout, 113 participants (primarily community members) were present, with an overwhelming 41 out of 42 people advocating for the repeal of the law known as “A Local Law Prohibiting Recycling Facilities in Industrial Zones,” which was ultimately rescinded by Endicott’s Board of Trustees.
No Burn Broome’s victory stands as an inspiring example for future environmental justice fights driven by the relentless organizing efforts of Endicott residents. As we navigate the complexities of this transition, particularly with the imminent end-of-life phase for batteries, it is imperative that we remain vigilant against industry practices that disguise burning as recycling. This win demonstrates the impact of collective action in preserving the fundamental human right to clean air and ensuring our energy transition is rooted in justice.
Timeline of key events
9/27/2018 — Empire State Development announces $1.75 Million to build a new lithium-ion battery recycling facility in Endicott, Broome County.
3/30/2020 — Permit granted by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
5/7/2020 — 57 anti-incinerator residents spoke against it at a public hearing on recycling law.
9/2/2020 — Press Conference on Updated Position Paper by No Burn Broome.
9/16/2020 — The No Burn Broome Science team revealed that nearly all of the batteries that will be processed in the facility contain PFAS and called on the DEC to revoke SungEel’s Air permit.
2/1/2021 — Recycling law was rescinded by the Board of Trustees.