The agreement between Safety-Kleen Systems Inc. and Citizens for Healthy Growth (“Group, firm make a deal,” Denton Record-Chronicle, May 31) was the positive result of a process that began in 2004.

That process was initiated and sustained by many Denton residents who had concerns that were not addressed by Safety-Kleen’s hazardous-waste permit. The permit does not consider the possible impacts of a large fire or explosion on those people living and working within a half mile of the facility. 

As Paul Odum of the Working Group on Community Right-to-Know (www.crtk.org) states in a The Dallas Morning News article, “Toxic neighbors” (June 1), “People need to know about dangers that can affect them where they live, work and go to school.”

Without public information there can be no precautions taken and no preparations made for oc­currences that could have devastating effects on people who could have been prepared had they known what to do, when to do it and how to do it. 

What does the community need to know? 

It needs to know that chemical spills, fires and explosions do happen. It needs to know that Safety-Kleen has procedures for dealing with on-site accidents. And, the community needs to know what to do in the case of an accident that has consequences beyond Safety-Kleen’s property line. 

Safety-Kleen has shown that it wants to be a good and responsible neighbor by extending its area of concern beyond its own boun­daries to those people living and working within a half mile of the facility. They will receive yearly updates from the company re­garding what to do in the case of an accident that could harm them. 

Safety-Kleen has detailed plans for the evacuation of its em­ployees in the case of an uncontrollable emergency.

Citizens for Healthy Growth has urged Denton Emergency Management officials to devise an evacuation scenario in the event of such an uncontrollable emergency for those residents and businesses and churches within the 1/2-mile radius of the facility. Those residents need to know about the plan before an event occurs. And plans should be in place for housebound residents and residents with physical disabilities. 

(The city has recently activated a citywide CodeRED emergency notification telephone system. Register for the free service by going to the city’s Web site, www.cityofdenton.com, and clicking on the CodeRED box. If you do not use a computer, call the city of Denton Office of Emergency Management at 940-349-8889.) 

The city also needs to look at zoning issues that could allow the future development of dangerous industries in any area that is increasingly residential.

Demographics change and zoning regulations should reflect those changes for the protection of both residential and industrial development. 

The most recent U.S. Census (2000) indicates that there were almost 2,000 people living within a mile of the area where Safety-Kleen is located and 31,000 within a 3-mile radius.

The new Census numbers in 2010 are not going to show any drop in population given the new housing developments in the area like Lake View Estates and Prom­inence Square. 

With those numbers in mind, Citizens for Healthy Growth will continue to assess the potential dangers of the possible addition of a rail spur and 96,000 more gallons of hazardous waste storage at Safety-Kleen. The dangers posed by the delivery and shipment of toxic and volatile chemicals by rail are serious and well documented. 

Safety-Kleen, as part of the agreement with Citizens for Heal­thy Growth, will not apply for the authorization to construct the spur for a period of not less than two years following the is­suance and renewal of its current permit.