Wheelabrator Saugus should be held accountable to following the same NOx standard as each and every other incinerator in the Commonwealth. Wheelabrator is the oldest incinerator in the country, and is extremely close to many people's homes, people whose families were there long before Wheelabrator was in operation. Wheelabrator has recently requested to purchase emission credits from other incinerators that follow the improved NOx standards set by the MA DEP. Meaning that they are "up to standards" but continue to release toxins into the air we breathe in our community of Saugus, Lynn and Revere. 

NOx is Nitrogen Oxide a poisonous gas that has direct and indirect effects on human health. It can cause breathing problems, headaches, chronically reduce lung function, and cause eye irritation. This gas is emitted from the Wheelabrator Saugus facility in close proximity, thousands of community members within just 1/2 a mile, burdened with long term exposure.  

Article 97 of the Massachusetts Constitution states, "The people shall have the right to clean air and water, freedom from excessive or unnecessary noise, and the natural, scenic, historic and aesthetic qualities of their environment..." We, the people of Saugus, Lynn, and Revere, deserve the same right to clean air as other residents in the Commonwealth, which is why we are asking the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and the Saugus Board of Health, to hold Wheelabrator accountable to ensure that they are not emitting higher levels of toxins than other incinerators in Massachusetts.

The DEP is in charge of protecting our communities environment and the people of the Commonwealth from companies that pollute our air and water. As citizens of Massachusetts we ask the DEP to do their job and require Wheelabrator to meet the new standards, and do not condone their wanting to bend the rules because it may be costly for them as a company, but instead think about the health for the people in our community.