Written by 
Bob Baker speaking to Renton City Council on March 3, 2025. His presentation can be found here.
In October 2017 a worried resident posted a social media warning for their community that a hot asphalt plant was proposed for Maple Valley Highway, just a couple hundred feet from the Cedar River. Bob Baker who lives nearby soon found himself joining a group of concerned citizens to stop the plant from being built at that location.
Mr. Baker is not an asphalt or soils expert by profession, but he is an avid reader and a quick study, and he soon began learning all he could about the potential impacts of the asphalt plant on the sensitive Cedar River Valley.
As he learned more through document searches and self-study, he began seeking out experts who specialize in the immediate and long-term effects of Asphalt Plants. He spoke with experts throughout the US, OSHA and even the UK to get the proper training on how these plants affect air, ground, water, human quality of life, fish and wildlife, plant life, and traffic. His ready-recall of these details is striking. Whether he’s telling you the specific carcinogenic contaminants in recycled asphalt or how much water is needed to extinguish an asphalt fire, he knows the names and numbers without looking at his notes.
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