YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) -- The SOBE Thermal Energy Systems steam plant in Youngstown is continuing to be met with opposition, as it wants to use the pyrolysis process, which turns tire chips into synthetic gas.

The steam plant on North Avenue near downtown has been around since the late 1800s and is now owned by Columbus-based SOBE Thermal Energy Systems.

The SOBE Concerned Citizens group met Monday at the Eugenia Recreation Center to commemorate the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency's meeting there on Aug. 10, 2023, where the Ohio EPA listened to public concerns after SOBE submitted its application for pyrolysis.

Despite the opposition, the Ohio EPA approved a 10-year permit for SOBE to use the pyrolysis process.

"They ignored everybody. They ignored all of the Youngstown residents

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