The Norlite plant in Cohoes.

In 1977, the Norlite shale aggregate company in Cohoes began fueling its kilns by incinerating hazardous waste instead of coal. That was a terrible shift, but one that the state Department of Environmental Conservation permitted under an arrangement that was initially considered temporary.

It wasn't. The plant along Saratoga Street on the city's edge continued burning hazardous waste until it closed 14 months ago amid continuing legal challenges over air quality.

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Hindsight offers a clearer view, as usual, but it should have been obvious that burning hazardous waste was inappropriate for a plant adjacent to a public housing complex and other residential homes in a densely populated city.........

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