As pushback and community meetings continue, West Lafayette’s mayor defends neighborhood questions while standing by SK hynix’s $3.87B plans ahead of a city council zoning vote
Great interview, Dave and Mayor Easter. To continue adding information for conversation, here are some recent research findings about issues at other SK Hynix plants from the last 16 years.
Times change, of course, so do companies. For better and for worse. Regulations change, too. Under the current administrations at both the Federal and State level, regulations appear to be relaxing and not becoming more stringent.
Hitching environmental safety to current regulations does not guarantee future security and safety.
Broken down into specifics, the company [SK Hynix] made economic and social contributions worth 5.04 trillion won and 765.1 billion won respectively last year. But they were offset by its negative environmental impact of 825.8 billion won during the same period.
The company pledged to minimize its negative environmental impact by preemptively developing more power-efficient and high-performance products. Even if the company's environmental impact remains the same, the negative impact fell by 21 percent from the previous year due to its efforts to develop power-efficient products and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the company said.
Three workers died from suffocation while working in a ventilation duct at the plant construction site of memory chip maker SK hynix Inc. southeast of Seoul, firefighters said Thursday.
This is the third time in less than 10 months that a gas leak led to casualties at a SK hynix chip plant. It was only in March that a gas leak occurred at the same plant, injuring 13 workers.
By Miyoung Kim SEOUL (Reuters) - SK Hynix Inc expects to resume production of memory chips at its Wuxi, China, plant shortly, the South Korean chipmaker said on Wednesday, adding that a fire at the facility caused one minor injury but did not cripple critical equipment. Hynix said the fire raged for more than an hour.
The fire started at around 0750 GMT during chip equipment installation and was extinguished in less than two hours, the company said. The incident caused one minor injury, it said, adding that it is still assessing exact damages. Park said photographs showing towering clouds of black, billowing smoke that circulated among blogs and news websites made the fire appear worse than it actually was. "While there are some pictures of the fab surrounded by large dark smoke being circulated, please be informed that the damage is not as severe as it seems," Park said. "The smoke was created because the fire was concentrated in the air purification facilities that are linked to the rooftop of the fab."
A total of 164 companies including some of the nation’s largest electronics, chemicals, automotive and food makers were found to have dumped waste water tainted with toxic materials, the Environmental Ministry said Wednesday.
They include Ssangyong Motor, Dongsuh Food, Harim, Taekwang Industrial, CJ Cheil Jedang, Lotte Chilsung Beverage, Hyundai Oilbank, Hansol Paper, Lotte Chemical, Hanhwa Chemical, _SK Hynix_, Hyundai Steel, OCI, Kia Motors, Samsung Electronics and LG Chem.
In 2009, South Korean scientists tested a total of 10 random samples taken from drums of photoresists at a Samsung plant and an SK Hynix plant. Because concern then focused on leukemia, the photoresists were tested only for toxins related to that disease. Of the two samples that contained the highest concentrations, one came from SK Hynix, the other from Samsung.
Although both Samsung and SK Hynix continue to deny there’s any causal link, both companies began by early last year to privately compensate current and former workers or their families for illnesses and deaths.
The problem is that SK Hynix doubled its land ask. Denying that is the misinformation here. Unless I missed something, rezoning site B was not under consideration in 2024. At the time, it seemed weird to me that they were not concerned about logistics but I figured they knew what they were doing. Now it comes out that the logistics are actually so bad they must have 143 other companies literally across the street. The calculation is that we in WL will be so loss-averse* that we will give up twice as much land to them, knocking out a residential zone WL will need to accommodate all the new residents. Now they have reframed the issue ("site A" and "site B" erase the fact that only the former is available, ie I3 zoned) by getting the community to focus on where the factory will sit. That is NOT the issue! They are bullying their way into a footprint more than twice as large as agreed to, profoundly reducing WL's capacity to build houses. Look for their next bully move to be (ironically) about employee housing.
Skipping an honest discussion about the suppliers was intentional, strategic, and until the APC thought it through, successful.
* Loss aversion is a powerful thing. All that talk by civic leaders about "we won!" cannot be walked back. They know this.
So the 143 suppliers, they've said those are definitely not all on the PRF site, that's everything to support the plant, some of which will be on site, some of which would be in town, some of which would be in a 1 hr radius, some of which would be in a 2 hr radius, others would be elsewhere in the state. And on the foot print, judging by what was said by PRF at the first meeting, it sounds like PRF suggested using site A for the plant so they didn't have to worry about a rezone, with the plan then being that they'd get a rezone for site B for suppliers when it was determined what zoning would be necessary for that. Sounds like Hynix went along with that, but then when they actually visited, realized the logistics were not a good fit at site A for their plant and decided to try to move forward with the rezone. I don't think PRFs intention has ever been to use the site B space for homes though, from the sound of it they've been trying to attract companies for years and they just never had one bite.
The hometown kids commenting here reminded me just how terraformed U Farms is. Even then the water does not always behave. That lines up with what you are saying about a lack of interest among housing developers. SK Hynix has a whole other level of motivation to avoid a sump overflow.
It is worth recalling that they are putting down a mountain of money, probably double that of the assessed value of the whole town. If the plan needs to change, okay, you don't want to misallocate capital. Gotta say it strains credulity that they could not tell from Street View that logistics will be an issue. They will probably need to know their transit times as precisely as SIA etc. and WL would benefit from that intelligence.
Thanks everyone, this is coming into better view for me. I'll be the one in the dunce cap at the Traitor Joe's grand opening.
I have not been following as closely as I should have, but the 143+ suppliers most likely coming to the area as well was BIG news to myself and the community members I have been speaking with.
Phthor, are you stating that you don't want West Lafayette to be a SK Hynix company town?
If it comes to be, the fireworks will be fascinating between SK Hynix, PRF, and Purdue all duking it out for political power in Tippecanoe County.
WL is and will be a company town, as their "home of Purdue" branding confirms. Nevertheless I am flattered to be asked, thank you.
I am not an opponent. As it happens, I am glad that SK Hynix is moving to Tippecanoe County, and only a little less excited that it is moving to WL. My neighbors seem to be much more concerned about environmental issues than I am, but I am probably more worried about traffic after years of listening to ambulances roar past, thinking gosh, it's a long way from Westminster Village to the nearest hospital.
My real concern is housing. A house in the Midwest should not cost a decade of salary, a factor that distinguishes us from the coasts, where it drives resentment based on growing wealth inequality. It has gotten so much worse this century. Hardworking people should be able to live decently. That is not communism; it probably enabled the kinds of entrepreneurship that PRF and Purdue have long supported.
If WL does not get housing right, we are in for sprawl, even more ridiculous real estate prices, traffic, constraints on economic growth, eminent domain fights, and stress on infrastructure and people. Those talking about Purdue as a potential Stanford of the future should spend some time looking at what Stanford Faculty Staff Housing does, has to do, to help even very highly paid employees avoid commuting from Contra Costa or Mars.
Only Mr. Blanco consistently addressed housing in the most recent city council election, and I bet that has something to do with his age. He is right between the generation that thinks owning a house is laughably unattainable and the generation (mine) that does not realize the extent to which the kids despair of ever owning a home. That heedlessness among people who feel that duplexes are the end of civilization, and other core exclusionary beliefs of a historical association, is deeply inhumane. Neighborhoods evolve.
I am glad Mayor Easter is on the case. She seems to be what my grandmother called "a smart cookie" -- as evidence, she is working the negotiation about where the SK Hynix suppliers will go in Dave's interview. I hope they are liberally sprinkled around the county and have convenient access to SK Hynix, on either site A or site B.
Interesting format for tonight’s (4/24) community meeting. Given the 1:1 nature of the Q&A, will there be documentation of the conversation at each table? This would be needed in order for the information that’s communicated to be widely disseminated.
Otherwise, the entire audience tonight will only see the slice of the answers at the table they visit. And the community at large would miss out entirely.
Or designed to let people get information about their specific concerns. More 1:1 conversations are probably better to address individual concerns compared to large presentations.
Great write up! Thank you for asking about the Airport site, she seemed to kind of confuse that (because Purdue's naming is confusing) with a site near Convergence (which is by dorms, etc, but Purdue ambiguously calls all of the the Discovery Park District), but the fact that even the site by the airport wasn't suitable for them hadn't occurred to me. Looking at the airport site on Google maps where Skywater was proposing, there is indeed not enough space for SK Hynix, let alone the suppliers they want close by, it's a much larger area building than Skywater wanted, and Skywater wouldn't have needed as many suppliers (really tool maintenance offices) close. And the fact that they need city amenities and so can't just build out in the middle of the county also makes sense. Good info! I hope Hynix will just come out and say this as well, that seems to be the biggest question mark in most folks minds is why "Why here?". But the space they need for this, combined with what they need surrounding it, and the desire to have sufficient residential setback, all of that makes sense for why they're looking to site B.
I plan to attend the public meeting at the West Lafayette Wellness Center this evening. Will there be adequate parking for the overwhelming crowd i imagine will show up? The interview with Mayor Easter was full of possibilities for the Greater West Lafayette community. But nearby residents as well as more distant parties still have environmental and safety concerns.
I like these stories which illustrate the capacity for listening and persuading from multiple sides of an issue.
West Lafayette citizens made an excellent decision voting for Mayor Easter. Plus, the bonus of BiL, Dave Bangert. 👏
Great interview, Dave and Mayor Easter. To continue adding information for conversation, here are some recent research findings about issues at other SK Hynix plants from the last 16 years.
Times change, of course, so do companies. For better and for worse. Regulations change, too. Under the current administrations at both the Federal and State level, regulations appear to be relaxing and not becoming more stringent.
Hitching environmental safety to current regulations does not guarantee future security and safety.
[Update: Another good reference are SK Hynix's Sustainability reports. Here is 2024's https://www.skhynix.com/sustainability/UI-FR-SA01/]
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https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/business/companies/20240527/sk-hynixs-social-value-dropped-34-in-2023-amid-chip-industry-slump
2024
Broken down into specifics, the company [SK Hynix] made economic and social contributions worth 5.04 trillion won and 765.1 billion won respectively last year. But they were offset by its negative environmental impact of 825.8 billion won during the same period.
The company pledged to minimize its negative environmental impact by preemptively developing more power-efficient and high-performance products. Even if the company's environmental impact remains the same, the negative impact fell by 21 percent from the previous year due to its efforts to develop power-efficient products and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the company said.
---
https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20150430008551320
2015
Three workers died from suffocation while working in a ventilation duct at the plant construction site of memory chip maker SK hynix Inc. southeast of Seoul, firefighters said Thursday.
This is the third time in less than 10 months that a gas leak led to casualties at a SK hynix chip plant. It was only in March that a gas leak occurred at the same plant, injuring 13 workers.
---
https://tech.yahoo.com/general/articles/sk-hynix-suspends-china-memory-chip-plant-due-151129743--finance.html
2013
By Miyoung Kim SEOUL (Reuters) - SK Hynix Inc expects to resume production of memory chips at its Wuxi, China, plant shortly, the South Korean chipmaker said on Wednesday, adding that a fire at the facility caused one minor injury but did not cripple critical equipment. Hynix said the fire raged for more than an hour.
The fire started at around 0750 GMT during chip equipment installation and was extinguished in less than two hours, the company said. The incident caused one minor injury, it said, adding that it is still assessing exact damages. Park said photographs showing towering clouds of black, billowing smoke that circulated among blogs and news websites made the fire appear worse than it actually was. "While there are some pictures of the fab surrounded by large dark smoke being circulated, please be informed that the damage is not as severe as it seems," Park said. "The smoke was created because the fire was concentrated in the air purification facilities that are linked to the rooftop of the fab."
---
https://m.koreaherald.com/article/4538
2013
A total of 164 companies including some of the nation’s largest electronics, chemicals, automotive and food makers were found to have dumped waste water tainted with toxic materials, the Environmental Ministry said Wednesday.
They include Ssangyong Motor, Dongsuh Food, Harim, Taekwang Industrial, CJ Cheil Jedang, Lotte Chilsung Beverage, Hyundai Oilbank, Hansol Paper, Lotte Chemical, Hanhwa Chemical, _SK Hynix_, Hyundai Steel, OCI, Kia Motors, Samsung Electronics and LG Chem.
---
https://sharps.or.kr/english/?bmode=view&idx=15513525
2009
In 2009, South Korean scientists tested a total of 10 random samples taken from drums of photoresists at a Samsung plant and an SK Hynix plant. Because concern then focused on leukemia, the photoresists were tested only for toxins related to that disease. Of the two samples that contained the highest concentrations, one came from SK Hynix, the other from Samsung.
Although both Samsung and SK Hynix continue to deny there’s any causal link, both companies began by early last year to privately compensate current and former workers or their families for illnesses and deaths.
The problem is that SK Hynix doubled its land ask. Denying that is the misinformation here. Unless I missed something, rezoning site B was not under consideration in 2024. At the time, it seemed weird to me that they were not concerned about logistics but I figured they knew what they were doing. Now it comes out that the logistics are actually so bad they must have 143 other companies literally across the street. The calculation is that we in WL will be so loss-averse* that we will give up twice as much land to them, knocking out a residential zone WL will need to accommodate all the new residents. Now they have reframed the issue ("site A" and "site B" erase the fact that only the former is available, ie I3 zoned) by getting the community to focus on where the factory will sit. That is NOT the issue! They are bullying their way into a footprint more than twice as large as agreed to, profoundly reducing WL's capacity to build houses. Look for their next bully move to be (ironically) about employee housing.
Skipping an honest discussion about the suppliers was intentional, strategic, and until the APC thought it through, successful.
* Loss aversion is a powerful thing. All that talk by civic leaders about "we won!" cannot be walked back. They know this.
So the 143 suppliers, they've said those are definitely not all on the PRF site, that's everything to support the plant, some of which will be on site, some of which would be in town, some of which would be in a 1 hr radius, some of which would be in a 2 hr radius, others would be elsewhere in the state. And on the foot print, judging by what was said by PRF at the first meeting, it sounds like PRF suggested using site A for the plant so they didn't have to worry about a rezone, with the plan then being that they'd get a rezone for site B for suppliers when it was determined what zoning would be necessary for that. Sounds like Hynix went along with that, but then when they actually visited, realized the logistics were not a good fit at site A for their plant and decided to try to move forward with the rezone. I don't think PRFs intention has ever been to use the site B space for homes though, from the sound of it they've been trying to attract companies for years and they just never had one bite.
The hometown kids commenting here reminded me just how terraformed U Farms is. Even then the water does not always behave. That lines up with what you are saying about a lack of interest among housing developers. SK Hynix has a whole other level of motivation to avoid a sump overflow.
It is worth recalling that they are putting down a mountain of money, probably double that of the assessed value of the whole town. If the plan needs to change, okay, you don't want to misallocate capital. Gotta say it strains credulity that they could not tell from Street View that logistics will be an issue. They will probably need to know their transit times as precisely as SIA etc. and WL would benefit from that intelligence.
Thanks everyone, this is coming into better view for me. I'll be the one in the dunce cap at the Traitor Joe's grand opening.
I have not been following as closely as I should have, but the 143+ suppliers most likely coming to the area as well was BIG news to myself and the community members I have been speaking with.
Phthor, are you stating that you don't want West Lafayette to be a SK Hynix company town?
If it comes to be, the fireworks will be fascinating between SK Hynix, PRF, and Purdue all duking it out for political power in Tippecanoe County.
WL is and will be a company town, as their "home of Purdue" branding confirms. Nevertheless I am flattered to be asked, thank you.
I am not an opponent. As it happens, I am glad that SK Hynix is moving to Tippecanoe County, and only a little less excited that it is moving to WL. My neighbors seem to be much more concerned about environmental issues than I am, but I am probably more worried about traffic after years of listening to ambulances roar past, thinking gosh, it's a long way from Westminster Village to the nearest hospital.
My real concern is housing. A house in the Midwest should not cost a decade of salary, a factor that distinguishes us from the coasts, where it drives resentment based on growing wealth inequality. It has gotten so much worse this century. Hardworking people should be able to live decently. That is not communism; it probably enabled the kinds of entrepreneurship that PRF and Purdue have long supported.
If WL does not get housing right, we are in for sprawl, even more ridiculous real estate prices, traffic, constraints on economic growth, eminent domain fights, and stress on infrastructure and people. Those talking about Purdue as a potential Stanford of the future should spend some time looking at what Stanford Faculty Staff Housing does, has to do, to help even very highly paid employees avoid commuting from Contra Costa or Mars.
Only Mr. Blanco consistently addressed housing in the most recent city council election, and I bet that has something to do with his age. He is right between the generation that thinks owning a house is laughably unattainable and the generation (mine) that does not realize the extent to which the kids despair of ever owning a home. That heedlessness among people who feel that duplexes are the end of civilization, and other core exclusionary beliefs of a historical association, is deeply inhumane. Neighborhoods evolve.
I am glad Mayor Easter is on the case. She seems to be what my grandmother called "a smart cookie" -- as evidence, she is working the negotiation about where the SK Hynix suppliers will go in Dave's interview. I hope they are liberally sprinkled around the county and have convenient access to SK Hynix, on either site A or site B.
Interesting format for tonight’s (4/24) community meeting. Given the 1:1 nature of the Q&A, will there be documentation of the conversation at each table? This would be needed in order for the information that’s communicated to be widely disseminated.
Otherwise, the entire audience tonight will only see the slice of the answers at the table they visit. And the community at large would miss out entirely.
Seems designed to prevent audience protests.
Divide and conquer.
Or designed to let people get information about their specific concerns. More 1:1 conversations are probably better to address individual concerns compared to large presentations.
Great write up! Thank you for asking about the Airport site, she seemed to kind of confuse that (because Purdue's naming is confusing) with a site near Convergence (which is by dorms, etc, but Purdue ambiguously calls all of the the Discovery Park District), but the fact that even the site by the airport wasn't suitable for them hadn't occurred to me. Looking at the airport site on Google maps where Skywater was proposing, there is indeed not enough space for SK Hynix, let alone the suppliers they want close by, it's a much larger area building than Skywater wanted, and Skywater wouldn't have needed as many suppliers (really tool maintenance offices) close. And the fact that they need city amenities and so can't just build out in the middle of the county also makes sense. Good info! I hope Hynix will just come out and say this as well, that seems to be the biggest question mark in most folks minds is why "Why here?". But the space they need for this, combined with what they need surrounding it, and the desire to have sufficient residential setback, all of that makes sense for why they're looking to site B.
I plan to attend the public meeting at the West Lafayette Wellness Center this evening. Will there be adequate parking for the overwhelming crowd i imagine will show up? The interview with Mayor Easter was full of possibilities for the Greater West Lafayette community. But nearby residents as well as more distant parties still have environmental and safety concerns.