I am a retired South Portland teacher. Having taught at James Otis Kaler School I experienced firsthand the fumes coming from the oil tanks. The tanks are in close proximity to the school and next to the playgrounds, bordering them on two sides.
At the time (a period of seven years), I didn’t really think about the fumes. However, now knowing these fumes contain carcinogens, I am very concerned about the potential harm which they may cause. At this point we do not have enough data. It is imperative that we take advantage of the best technology for monitoring and capturing (up to 95 percent) of these emissions.
Kaler has students in pre-kindergarten through Grade 5. These students are among the most vulnerable of our residents. It is our job to protect them.
This is a statewide issue with tanks in Searsport, Bucksport and Hampden.
The state’s Environment and Natural Resources Committee is drafting a bill that will address the air quality issues created by these tanks in South Portland and other tanks around our state. If you have experiences concerning tank emissions, you can e-mail them at ENR@legislature.maine.gov.
Louisa Beckett
South Portland
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.