Bryan County could halt nickel refinery property sale if contamination found

RICHMOND HILL, Ga. (WTOC) - The sale of property eyed for a proposed nickel refinery could be halted if the site is contaminated, according to the Bryan County attorney.

The Bryan County Board of Commissioners held a specially called meeting Tuesday afternoon, less than 24 hours after Westwin Elements held a town hall meeting about its controversial nickel refinery project. During the town hall, Westwin CEO KaLeigh Long said the proposed site for the refinery, the abandoned Caesarstone quartz manufacturing facility, is contaminated with toxic waste, including arsenic and silica dust. Long said Westwin would carry out environmental remediation of the site.

In the specially called meeting, County Attorney Aaron Kappler told commissioners the contamination statements raised new legal concerns, including whether the site could qualify as a public nuisance under state law.

“Those are new facts, new circumstances and new allegations that have not been yet brought to this board, me, or anybody else within the Bryan County administration,” Kappler said.

He said if the board approved it, he, county officials, and City of Richmond Hill officials could investigate whether the old Caesarstone property was contaminated.

If the site is found to be contaminated, the county could file a lawsuit and halt the sale of the property until the site was cleaned up.

“That property is not going to be transferred or sold until it’s remediated. That’s the law. And that’s how it’s going to work until it’s cleared that there’s no environmental contaminants on that site,” Kappler said.

Contamination findings would effectively halt the nickel refinery project until environmental remediation is complete.

The Board of Commissioners voted 5-0 to give the county attorney, Bryan County staff and Richmond Hill staff the authority to start an investigation. District 1 Commissioner Alex Floyd abstained from the vote, saying he works for the company that monitors wells on the Caesarstone site.

City council joins investigation

At a separate Richmond Hill City Council meeting, residents raised concerns about the city’s role in zoning and permitting, since the property sits inside city limits.

Aaron Kappler presented the same proposition to the council, which voted unanimously to move forward. Mayor Kristi Cox then directed zoning and planning representatives to examine the zoning and permitting issue further.

“The fight’s not over. Either way we have to do some cleanup, whether it’s Westwin or the building itself, but I think it’s a step in the right direction,” said Amber Pindell, a Richmond Hill resident.

“We’re not just going to sit idly by and let them make decisions that are impactful in our lives. We need to have a voice.”

Project background

The vote came after weeks of controversy surrounding the Westwin Elements nickel refinery project. The company first publicly appeared in Bryan County in January, presenting signatures of residents that company spokespeople say are in favor of bringing the refinery to Richmond Hill.

After that meeting, Westwin Elements sent Bryan County Commission Chairman Carter Infinger a cease-and-desist for bringing up multiple federal lawsuits the company is part of. WTOC Investigates discovered Richmond Hill and Bryan County Development Authority officials have signed non-disclosure agreements with Westwin.

Both Richmond Hill city and Bryan County officials said more information will be released in a joint statement within 24 hours.