Asbestos Poses Health Risks Within Walls Of Old Power Plant

By Gordon HopkinsDue to loose asbestos inside the City of Fairbury’s now defunct power plant, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has recommended all city workers wear respirators inside the building. While the municipal power plant is no longer in operation, there is a control room that is still in use. The city expects to phase out use of that control room within two years. Until that happens, city workers will still need access to the power plant building.Fairbury’s Code Enforcement officer, Daniel Lufkin reached out to DHHS and asked for recommendations. At one point, the city considered constructing a plastic hallway to the control room. The distance between the outside door and the control room is approximately 25 feet.In an email dated June 26, 2023, Lufkin advised Fairbury Mayor Spencer Brown, “He (a representative of DHHS) said because the control room is accessed so little, he is ok with the power guys just using a respirator to access.” Industrial Engineering SolutionsLast year, the city sold equipment from the power plant to a company called Industrial Engineering Solutions (IES). The purchase included three turbines, three condensers, three generators and one air compressor.Although asbestos was not specifically mentioned in the contract between the city and IES, the company agreed to remediate the asbestos. Nathan Francis, Fairbury’s Electric Line Superintendent, emailed James Daniels, owner of IES, on August 15, 2022, “James, I know we discussed asbestos with you, what if some of it may be attached to the boiler or pipes going around the turbine. What do you do about that part?”“Yes that is fine not a big deal,” Daniels responded the same day. “And any asbestos has to be hazmatted that is around the turbine ring, we are responsible for that.”Mayor Brown blames IES for the current situation. He recently told FJN, “Asbestos was disturbed during the demo process.” Mayor Brown accused IES of not living up to the contract. The agreed-upon purchase price for the equipment was $120,000. Thus far, the city has received only a $12,000 down-payment. Also included in the contract was the removal of a oil storage tank.FJN has obtained a copy of a demand letter sent to IES by City Attorney Kurth Brashear of Rembolt, Ludtke LLP, dated January 10, 2023, which states in part, “IES did not decommission the oil storage tank, leaving oil in the tank, leaving same uncovered and posing an environmental hazard, disturbing asbestos during its initial work on the storage tank, and leaving asbestos in an unremediated state.” Among the demands made in the letter is for IES to, “Fully remediate the asbestos disturbed by IES personnel during its earlier work on the oil storage tank.”Since that letter was sent, the city hired another company to drain and dismantle the tank.The city is also seeking a grant through the EPA to remediate the asbestos in the power plant. The Dangers of AsbestosBecause asbestos is highly resistant to heat and corrosion, it is commonly used in a variety of commercial products and construction, such as insulation and fireproofing materials.However, according to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), “Exposure to asbestos increases your risk of developing lung disease.”

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