Double-digit percentages of odor complaints about McKinley Park neighborhood-based MAT Asphalt were not upheld during follow-up investigations, including nearly 40 percent of City of Chicago complaints that detected no odor, according to analysis of complaints data conducted by the McKinley Park News.
Two data sources from the City of Chicago and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) comprise lists of complaints submitted between 2018 and 2021 from addresses in the McKinley Park neighborhood: 197 complaints from Chicago Department of Public Health data, and 366 complaints sent to the IEPA.
These complaints have been cited in announced municipal and state inquiries about MAT Asphalt, including an August 2021 announcement from Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and a July 2022 suspension of City of Chicago asphalt contract bidding announced by Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
City of Chicago Complaints
For City of Chicago odor complaints, an investigator visits the site to make a determination, according to complaint data. For complaints submitted to the IEPA, an environmental engineer requests that day’s operational records and hourly production rate from the plant, records showed.
Publicly available City of Chicago complaint data, which includes the street address location of each complaint, show that environmental inspectors observed no odor in almost 40 percent of complaints.
Fraudulent Complaint
Of the 58 percent of City of Chicago complaints in which odor was observed, more than half were attributed to other factors, such as nearby asphalt loading, unloading, mixing and tarp coverage on trucks.
One fraudulently submitted complaint was discovered in City of Chicago complaint data.
Related: Read the Letter from the Editor “On the Trail of Environmental Fraud”
IEPA Complaints
For odor complaints submitted to the IEPA, more than 16 percent occurred when the MAT Asphalt plant was not operational. Follow-up inspection found plant operations to meet IEPA guidelines, including for odor, in 71 percent of complaints, according to IEPA records.
Odors were observed in nearly 6 percent of IEPA complaints, within which the agency noted seven instances of lapses of equipment at MAT Asphalt.
Distribution of Complaints
Complaints were mostly concentrated in a set number of addresses: For complaints submitted to the City of Chicago, more than 68 percent were filed from a single address on Pershing Road adjacent to MAT Asphalt. In 70 percent of these complaints from this location, city inspectors noted odors.
Although the IEPA did not provide reporting addresses in its complaint data, the agency provided information on the top locations reporting odor complaints.
Out of 366 odor complaints submitted to the IEPA, 148 complaint records, more than 40 percent, came from four addresses, the IEPA said. The most-reported address location tallied 60 complaints, the IEPA said, which is more than 16 percent of total complaints.
State of Illinois Investigation
Although an investigation was announced more than a year ago after a cadre of elected officials signed a letter demanding a response to MAT Asphalt odor complaints, the Illinois Attorney General’s office has released no updates or new information.
“Our investigation is ongoing in coordination with the IEPA,” said Drew Hill, deputy press secretary for the Illinois Attorney General.
The offices of U.S. senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, both of whom signed the letter to the attorney general requesting an investigation, did not reply to requests for comment or updates on the investigation.
Target of Protests
MAT Asphalt has been the site of frequent protests since its construction in 2018 in the historic Central Manufacturing District, which mostly lies within a Planned Manufacturing District the City of Chicago designates for heavy industry.
McKinley Park neighborhood protest group Neighbors for Environmental Justice has long advocated against MAT Asphalt, including demands for action from the Illinois State Attorney and City of Chicago because of the odor complaint data.
As previously reported here in the McKinley Park News, the group released correspondence from IEPA agents who stated how some complainants “are just doing it for fun.”
The group refused to comment or answer questions when contacted by this publication.
Halted Asphalt Contracts
Joe Haughey, plant manager at MAT Asphalt, said the suspended city contracts for asphalt negates $10 million in savings for City of Chicago taxpayers this year. The new emissions measures the city demands for next year’s re-bidding are already present at MAT Asphalt, he said.
“The … ‘stricter’ emission controls the city refers to for the re-bid virtually mirrors the current emissions controls MAT has in place,” Haughey said. This includes natural gas-fueled dryers, electric motor control, paved surfaces, a modern baghouse and an on-site water truck, he said.
Haughey noted that this year’s hot-mix asphalt for the City of Chicago will continue to be provided by its current vendor: a joint venture of Ogden Avenue Materials and Reliable Asphalt, which operates older equipment that will need to be retrofitted in order to meet the city’s new emissions standards, Haughey said.
Pending Permit
Issuance of the long-term operating permit for MAT Asphalt has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the IEPA has not yet announced a schedule for considering it, or any related community outreach.
“The [U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)] continues to work closely with IEPA and the city of Chicago to make sure that the facility is properly controlled and permitted appropriately,” said Eileen Deamer, acting press section supervisor for U.S. EPA Region 5.
Ed. Note: MAT Asphalt is a Sponsor of the McKinley Park News. For information about our operations and policies, see our About Us page and the Letter from the Editor "Building a Trustworthy News Business." For more about our coverage of MAT Asphalt, see the Letter from the Editor "Notes on Our Reporting about MAT Asphalt."
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