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'Green' Excellence Award to Intel Questionned |
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Written by Jeff Radford
Corrales Comment
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Friday, 12 October 2007 |
Intel’s worthiness to have received an award for environmental
excellence has come under fire recently in a running e-mail dialog for
the Intel-sponsored Community Environmental Working Group (CEWG).
Set up by Intel in the aftermath of the 2004 Corrales Air Toxics study,
the group has met monthly in Rio Rancho to explore ways that the
microchip giant could reduce its pollution. The group has been chaired
since it began by clean air advocate John Bartlit of Los Alamos.
Bartlit has been repeatedly condemned by some members of Corrales
Residents for Clean Air and Water (CRCAW) for defending Intel and
making excuses for its shortcomings. He especially came under attack
when it was learned that Bartlit had participated in the selection of
Intel for the N.M. Environment Department’s (NMED) Green Zia Award in
2001.
At that time, homeowners near Intel had been reporting serious
illnesses associated with Intel’s chemical emissions for nearly a
decade.
The microchip manufacturer had also been slapped with notices of
violations of its air permit, and was fined $40,000 in 1994. (See
Corrales Comment Vol.XII, No. 24, February 5, 1994 “Intel Pays $40,000
Pollution Fine 2 Days After ‘Thank You’ Bash.”)
Intel has violated its air pollution permit numerous times since then.
Each time that Intel continues production when its air pollution
control equipment is not operating constitutes a technical violation of
the permit issued by the N.M. Environment Department. (See Corrales
Comment Vol.XXV, No. 20, December 9, 2006 “Shutdown of Intel Pollution
Control Equipment Investigated.”)
Such downtime for Intel’s incinerators and acid gas scrubbers occurs with some frequency.
Nevertheless, Intel’s Rio Rancho operations won the N.M. Environment
Department’s highest award for environmental health and safety
improvements at ceremonies October 17, 2001.
Intel was one of 24 New Mexico companies winning “Green Zia” awards
presented by the governor, but the microchip maker became the first
recipient of an award at the “excellence” level.
The propriety of having Bartlit on the CEWG was questioned in a series of e-mails for the group this fall.
Joining the dialog last month was a former judge and examiner for the
Green Zia awards, Lena Hakim, who said the 2001 award to Intel was the
most controversial ever handed out.
“I have been an examiner for the Green Zia since its inception,
and Intel was the most controversial award, as they had very little
physical proof of P2 [pollution prevention],” Hakim wrote on
September 10.
“Their application [for the excellence award] was written very well. I
have examined Los Alamos National Laboratories, General Electric,
McKinley paper and many other applications, but Intel was the most
controversial of all because they had few physical examples of P2
efforts.”
Hakim said she had also reported abuses of the Green Zia program to the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “but they have taken no action.”
Writing for The Santa Fe Reporter this summer, Hakim explained why she
had become disenchanted with the Green Zia program. “Green Zia was
supposed to be about assisting companies in becoming more sustainable,
and instead the types of corporations which apply do it to clean up
their reputations rather than seriously commit to green changes.
“The Excellence level should be reserved only to blatantly obvious
green companies who are providing absolute sustainable ways to conduct
business.
“It was a mistake, in my humble opinion, to grant Excellence to Intel.
It takes away from the worthy Excellence award of the Durango-McKinley
paper Company. I believe most people in New Mexico were disgusted when
NMED gave Intel an Excellence.”
One of those receiving the e-mailings, Fred Marsh, former spokesman for
CRCAW, called for Bartlit to resign. “We have always said Intel’s Green
Zia awards were just an unearned and shameless payoff from New Mexico
politicians who want continued access to Intel’s deep pockets. Our
assertions have now been confirmed by a Green Zia judge and inspector.
“Yet Mr. Bartlit continues to staunchly defend Intel’s sham Green Zia
award in his chosen role as an Intel cheerleader. The honorable course
of action for Mr. Bartlit would now be to resign his CEWG position, to
be replaced by someone who could provide CEWG with the unbiased
leadership it deserves.”
In early September, after Intel’s 2001 Green Zia award became a hot
topic on the CEWG list serve, Bartlit responded. “The N.M. Green Zia
Program for environmental improvement is patterned after the Baldrige
National Quality Program for business improvement. The heart of the
programs, the core value, is continuous improvement. Good enough is
never good enough. Merely meeting rules is never the end-goal.
“Companies in the Green Zia Program pursue continuous environmental
improvement. Progress is measured in lower emissions and lower use of
natural resources. Needless to say, I am a strong believer in these
goals.
“Intel is a successful participant in the Green Zia Awards Program. The
awards given at all levels require a corporate commitment to continuous
improvement. The awards also require continuing evidence of improving.
I support Green Zia and its principles. The ideas are vital additions
to regulation alone. I look for the principles to yield further
improvements at Intel and elsewhere in the state.”
At the September CEWG meeting, Intel officials announced intentions to
install a different kind of incinerator (thermal oxidizers) which would
reduce equipment downtime when volatile organic compounds pour
into the air unabated.
These and other changes to Intel’s operations above Corrales will be
presented at a public meeting in the Community Center (next to the
Corrales Senior Center) October 15, 6-8 p.m.
Intel’s Teresa Fleming said the company will seek a revision of its air
pollution permit by the end of this month. She said it would be a
“technical revision” not requiring a public hearing.
Fleming and Sarah Chavez gave a brief update on operational changes
going on at Intel. They reported that no production is taking place in
Fab 11, and that tools there are being disconnected for removal.
In the newer Fab 11X, however, production is still going strong, and
tools using newer technology there will be started in the
July-September 2008 time frame.
“With the shutdown of Fab 11, we will no longer run production levels
as high as in past years,” Chavez said, adding that production levels
are expected to stay relatively low through early 2011.
She reported that emissions of federally regulated Hazardous Air
Pollutants (HAPs) and State-regulated Toxic Air Pollutants (TAPs)
should decrease slightly during 2008-2010, as Intel ceases production
of the eight-inch microchip wafers and shifts to the larger units. |
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