Official: WVa pesticide facility wouldn’t pass zoning muster

By JOHN RABY
Associated Press

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A county planning official in West Virginia says the proposed site of a toxic-spewing logging facility would violate a zoning ordinance. Allegheny Wood Products wants to build a fumigation facility in the town of Baker to treat logs prior to overseas shipment. Regulators plan to issue an air permit allowing the plant to emit nearly 10 tons of methyl bromide annually. But during a public hearing Thursday, Hardy County Planner Melissa Scott said the proposed location is zoned for agricultural purposes, not industrial. The pesticide’s use has been sharply limited in recent decades because it harms the ozone layer. It also can cause a variety of health problems.