Below is the letter written to the Chicago Tribune, which appeared, in part, in the newspaper on October 16, 2008. In their paper, the Tribune deleted the last 2 paragraphs of my letter.
To the Editor:
I am proud to be president of A. Finkl & Sons, a specialty steel company that has called Chicago home for more than 100 years. For all of my 17 years at Finkl, my wife and I have lived within one mile of our plant, raising our 13-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son in the community in which I work.
The Tribune's recent article, "Chicago's Toxic Air" grossly mischaracterizes the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) data and irresponsibly distorts the facts.
The article states, "People living in Chicago and nearby suburbs face some of the highest risks in the nation for cancer, lung disease and other health problems linked to toxic chemicals pouring from smokestacks, according to a Tribune analysis of federal data."
Surely the reporter read the disclaimer on the EPA Web site, which states "(the model) provides a screening-level perspective for relative comparisons of chemical releases and other waste management activities. This tool does not evaluate risk to individuals, nor does it provide a detailed or quantitative assessment of risk (e.g., excess cases of cancer)."
Since the EPA states you cannot use the information in the way you did, we respectfully request you provide us with your "analysis of federal data" used to reach the conclusions in the article.
For the record, A. Finkl & Sons, as a steel manufacturer operating in the United States, is governed by some of the strictest standards in the world for emissions. Finkl operates under a permit granted by the EPA requiring us to operate below mandated levels of emissions. In addition, we are required by law to report our emissions to the EPA and the agency is free to inspect our plant at any time. The fact is that Finkl is in full compliance.
Finkl has always taken its responsibility to the community very seriously. We established the "Forging a Fresher America" program in 1990, long before "carbon footprint" became a household phrase. The company has planted more than six million trees, more than offsetting all of the carbon dioxide emissions of our operations. We intend to plant an additional four million trees in the next five years-not because we are required to do so, but because we believe it is the right thing to do. We have also contributed to many, many environmental and educational concerns.
Perhaps most disturbing is the article's implication that Finkl is moving to the south side of Chicago to pollute in a predominately African-American community. Are you serious?
Finkl is building a new plant to provide a more modern and efficient facility with capacity to expand and compete in the global marketplace. Without a new facility, the company will not survive. We have several options to locate the plant outside of Chicago, in the U.S. and in Canada.
In Chicago, our option is the old Verson site on 93rd Street, a plant that has been closed for more than a decade. If our proposed relocation proceeds in Chicago, which we strongly prefer, rather than in another location, we will become proud members of the Burnside, Pullman and Calumet Heights communities. Our company will bring "head-of-household" jobs, economic development and community benefits. We will continue to support local environmental, education, and beautification programs as we have at our current location.
The Chicago Tribune owes A. Finkl & Sons an apology for irresponsible reporting. You also owe the residents of Burnside community an apology for misrepresenting the facts and using scare tactics to promote your newspaper the first day of its "relaunch".
This is not the responsible journalism readers expect from the once-respected Chicago Tribune.
Joe Curci