Petition Demanding Priority of Public Safety and Health, Halt Permitting and Operations of the Rohnert Park, Somo Village/Resynergi Plastic Material Processing and Vaporizing Pyrolysis Facility

To:

Brad Baker, CEO, Somo Village
Brian Bauer, Co-founder, President and CEO, Resynergi
Rohnert Park City Council
Supervisor David Rabbitt and Sonoma County Board of Supervisors
Supervisor Lynda Hopkins, Chair Bay Area Air District Board of Directors
State Senator Chris Cabaldon 
Assemblymember Damon Connelly
Representative Mike Thompson
Governor Gavin Newsom
Executive Director and School Board, Credo High School
cc: City Councils of Santa Rosa, Cotati, Petaluma, Penngrove and Sebastopol 

From Citizens Demanding Prioritization of Public Safety and Health:

Homeowners of WillowGlen, Somo Village and other nearby Residential Communities
Parents and Students of Credo High School
Parents and Students of Monte Vista Elementary School
Students and Staff of Sonoma State University
Other Nearby Stakeholders

We, the undersigned, represent a deeply concerned segment of the Rohnert Park community and surrounding area that will be directly impacted by the operation of this proposed facility. This proposed facility is operating in a mostly residential area and within 500 feet of Credo High School. With the facility’s operations as proposed, our air quality will be negatively impacted. We also acknowledge the facility’s potential as a fire hazard and potential for malfunctioning. Both potentials would have severe safety and health ramifications due to the high toxicity of the plastic chemical materials being combusted in the vaporizing pyrolysis operations.

We strongly disapprove of the decision by City of Rohnert Park’s Planning Director who granted this project “administrative approval”. The City Council approved the Administrative Use Permit for this project on December 18, 2024. These actions allowed this project to bypass public hearings/notices which clearly demonstrates public health/safety was not prioritized while approving this project. This permitting action denied standard processes for timely and informed consent to the citizens who will be directly impacted by this facility. 

Our extreme concerns result from the extreme lack of public transparency, engagement and validified claims of safety from the project developers who plan to process 5 tons (10,000 pounds) of plastic material 24 hours per day, 7 days a week for 50 weeks a year. This proposed project has been in planning for many years yet there exists an extreme lack of public involvement and knowledge about this hazardous material handling facility planned for operation in a residential area and next door to a school.

We demand the following immediate actions:

1. Prioritize Public Health and Safety: Immediately cease all activity related to Somo Village/ Resynergi facility and any other plastic material processing and vaporizing pyrolysis at Somo Village.
2. Initiate a Comprehensive Public Review Process: Conduct a transparent and robust public review process, including public hearings, environmental impact reports (EIRs) with independent oversight, and opportunities for significant community engagement.
3. Full Transparency and Public Disclosure: Release all documents, permits, environmental assessments, and communications related to this project to the public immediately.
4. Take Accountability for Lack of Due Process: Provide a full explanation for why this project was permitted without public knowledge/input and hold accountable those responsible for this egregious oversight.

We urge you to accept the immense responsibility you hold to protect our collective health and well-being. Allowing a plastic chemical material vaporizing pyrolysis facility to operate in our residential areas and directly adjacent to a school is an unconscionable act that, until now, has prioritized private gain over public health. Failure to address our demands will be met with sustained and organized opposition.

Sincerely, 

The Undersigned

Additional Details
The proposed plastic material vaporizing pyrolysis facility will release toxic emissions, review “Draft Engineering Evaluation CA-002 Somo Village (Resynergi) Plant 203504 Permit Application #704470”.

Facility operations will result in emissions dispersed into the air we breathe with potential dire health consequences ranging from increased rates of asthma, bronchitis, other respiratory illnesses, long-term risks of cancer, birth defects, and neurological damage. Some of those being directly impacted:

Willow Glen and Other Residential Communities/Homeowners: Our homes are in direct proximity, placing our families directly at risk
Somo Village Businesses and Homeowners: Our homes and businesses are in direct proximity, placing us directly at risk
Credo High School Students, Families, Staff: Our children attend school mere steps from this proposed incinerator, putting their developing bodies at extreme risk during critical years of growth.
Monte Vista Elementary School Parents and Students: Our children attend school 820 meters from this proposed incinerator, putting their developing bodies at risk during critical years of growth.
Sonoma State University Students and Staff: Thousands of individuals learn and work within the immediate vicinity, facing daily exposure to harmful pollutants.
Other Nearby Stakeholders: Including other homeowners, apartment dwellers, businesses, commuters, and visitors to the area, who will unknowingly be subjected to these toxic emissions.