The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has agreed to keep the process of converting shredded tires into energy by heating the tire scraps in a chamber without oxygen a secret.

On Monday, the Ohio EPA responded to SOBE Thermal Energy Systems owner David Ferro's request that the plans submitted for the permit to operate the tire decompensation at elevated temperatures facility could be kept from the public as a trade secret.

Ohio Revised Code defines trade secret information as "...information ... known only to certain individuals within a commercial concern ... which has commercial value, and ... provides a business advantage over competitors who do not know or use it."

In the request, SOBE maintained that the company derived "independent economic
value from the production information and, if the information were obtained by competitors, it would reveal valuable information about SOBE's production process, thus providing the company's competitors with an inappropriate financial advantage."

The Ohio EPA agreed with Ferro's request, noting it would keep his March 2023 filing information confidential.

A seven-page document for the company's schema control loop, the air permit piping and instrumentation piping component description including purpose, preamble, and control mechanism; air permit support information and control principles for plant safety and emission control were completely redacted, citing the information as a trade secret. 

Here is the redacted file:


An unredacted version was filed with the Ohio EPA on March 31, 2023.

Concerned citizens against the plant's operations continue voicing their concerns.

"The disturbing part, is that our government agencies are captured," Susie Beierdorfer of Youngstown said, "and they're not working for the health of the community or to protect the environment."

They added that the process now being hidden will make it more difficult to stop it. 

"Now we're being told that the process is secret that makes it even more difficult for us to figure out, is this something that's truly safe for our community?" Tom Hetrick said. 

SOBE's CEO Dave Ferro has maintained that the technology is safe and beneficial. 

21 News reached out for comment from Ferro but he said he was unavailable Friday. 

Youngstown Mayor Tito Brown issued a statement. He said, "Clearly we are disappointed in the lack of transparency considering the numerous concerns raised by residents and the city. While we are evaluating our options on this particular EPA decision, our position on the moratorium has not changed."