Published: November 19, 2008 10:02 pm      

DEC HEARING: Residents say enough is enough

Landfill opponents, residents critical of state agency plan

No more.

That was the message delivered by a majority of people who spoke during a public hearing Wednesday on proposed guidelines for future hazardous waste operations in New York state.

About 60 people attended a hearing at the Niagara Falls Public Library. All but two of the speakers told officials from the New York state Department of Environmental Conservation that the current draft of the agency’s Hazardous Facility Siting Plan contains many flaws and is particularly cruel to residents in Niagara County.

“This is the third time this community has been subjected to a faulty plan and we will continue to fight it,” said Vincent Agnello, past president of the Lewiston-based community advocacy group, Residents for Responsible Government.

The DEC is attempting to respond to a state law by developing a comprehensive plan that explains the state’s position on various aspects of hazardous waste handling and disposal.

Critics attending Wednesday’s hearing cited numerous concerns about the current version of the document, most notably the conclusion that there currently exists an “equitable distribution” of hazardous waste facilities statewide. Numerous speakers attacked that element as the most flawed, noting that CWM’s landfill in the Town of Porter serves as the primary disposal site for hazardous waste in the entire northeast. Among those critics were representatives from the Niagara River Keeper, Sierra Club, the University at Buffalo’s Environmental Law and Policy Clinic and the Citizens Campaign for the Environment.

“We are citizens of New York state, taxpayers whose revenues pay the salaries of the DEC,” said Gladys Gifford, a representative of the church association, the Presbytery of Western New York. “We are your employers. We love this land, our home. We are telling you stop spoiling our home.”

Siting plan approval is needed before CWM can pursue expansion of its existing landfill. Residents who live near the facility expressed concerns about the safety of the operation and the trucks that haul waste in and out. Some also feared the potential health threats posed by the materials being delivered and stored at the site. Others noted the company was recently fined for various violations, including an unlawful discharge into the Niagara River. All of the critics of the plan and the company implored the DEC to address deficiencies within their proposal to prevent CWM from growing.

“Should we reward CWM for their carelessness by allowing them to expand?” said Youngstown resident Mary Ann Roland.

The siting plan, and by extension CWM, received support from two individuals, including George Harrigan, a representative of Teamsters Local 449, the union that represents employees at the Porter landfill. Harrigan commended the DEC on the development of its plan and defended operations at CWM as safe and cost-effective. Harrigan said since 1984, the company has invested $100 million in infrastructure and technology improvements at the Porter landfill operation. Most importantly, he said the facility is responsible for hundreds of jobs, both on and off site.

“This site is an asset in New York State and ever effort should be made by the DEC to make sure it is up and running,” he said.

The other advocate for the plan, Niagara Falls resident Melody Burrow, said she has visited CWM’s facility several times and has been impressed by the operation. Burrow said she doesn’t have safety concerns about the facility because it is governed by tight government safety standards. She said she does fear what would happen to the local tax base if the company went away.

“We can’t afford to lose one single job,” she said.

Wednesday’s meeting was the ninth of 10 siting plan hearings the DEC is holding at various locations throughout the state. Comments fielded by the DEC during the hearings will be considered as the agency revises its sighting proposal. The DEC is hoping to finalize the plan and present to state lawmakers for adoption sometime in 2009.