Irvine has started a new legal framework to make All American Asphalt (AAA) move its plant to another location outside the city. The facility is the largest volatile organic compound producer in Irvine. It has long been a core part of community grievances, as natives fear asphalt production-related noxious odors are a public health threat.
The matter was discussed in a behind-closed-doors session before the public council meeting. Despite that, Mayor of Irvine Farrah Khan has addressed the matter and added that the city council would tell staffers to look for a legal settlement with that facility.
Khan stated that the council told its staffers in a recent closed session to seek an agreement over the lawsuit of the city against the company. The legal settlement would necessitate All American Asphalt to move to another place outside the city as well as stop operations and asphalt storage at its existing location.
As for Khan, until that relocation, the city told All American Asphalt to implement mitigation steps to keep an eye on and limit odors and emissions from not only onsite operations but also trucks that travel from and to the location. The Council has also directed its staffers to pursue the terms of settlement with the company expeditiously and cautiously. Khan stated that further details about the agreement would come in the weeks ahead.
The topic of the plant regulation has long been a matter of debate for several people who reside in North Irvine. The city has restricted truck routes, mandated that trucks be insured, imposed fines and taken other measures to address public health concerns.
As per Non-Toxic Neighborhoods founder and North Irvine native Kim Konte, there are still odors despite the steps. Konte fears whether Irvine faces a form of health crisis. She has talked to Irvine Weekly many times about the matter related to All American Asphalt. She reckons that her own life has turned into the start of a film regarding an environmental disaster.
In a recent message to Irvine Weekly, Konte described the city’s move to get All American Asphalt relocated as an action that makes it more likely to do so. However, she questioned the relocation timeline and demanded an emergency court injunction.
As for Konte, the optics related to the announcement of Mayor Khan is that Irvine is finally acting to reach the correct side of the crisis. Konte wrote that it is unfortunate that Khan did not add a timeline and that her announcement should have come three years before. As per Konte, anything that stops short of being an emergency court injunction is just a delaying strategy.
Konte stated that children in Irvine cannot keep getting exposed to group 1 carcinogens, the non-compliant and largest pollutant in the US city. Konte described the exposure to those cancer-inducing substances as irreversible and cumulative. Konte demands swift action from Mayor Khan, besides the injunction against the company to stop production instantly until it becomes compliant. Konte wondered what the point of the so-called Clean Air Act (CAA) is if the government does not enforce it. As for Konte, access to safe air for children has to be a fundamental human right and not a luxury.
Some people who live in Irvine did not know that All American Asphalt even existed before buying property. Other Irvine residents claim that their kids always complain of unpleasant odor, even as they are outdoors during school hours.
Three years ago, the facility was mentioned in hundreds of foul odor complaints from Irvine residents. They voiced their frustrations about the complexity of reporting these odor situations to the South Coast Air Quality Management District. South Coast AQMD requires odor grievances from three households, within 60 minutes, to send its staff to look into those after hours.
Describing the odor as being similar to burnt rubber and asphalt-type smell, residents stated that it causes headaches and is most evident between midnight and 07:00 am. As for South Coast AQMD, it is an after-hours period.
Last December, Senate Member Dave Min talked to the Weekly after Irvine city requested his help with making strict legislation about the asphalt manufacturing industry. Alternatively, Min explained that the changes would make more disruptions as compared to foul odor.
Min told Irvine Weekly that changing its law would necessitate Irvine city to deeply explore some of the issues about the right asphalt concentration. Min also said that it would take time to change the law and that Irvine could not merely target the AAA plant.
